You can judge an organisation by their actions

The latest skeptic bastardry is now out. And even those who believe that everyone should be vaccinated are appalled by the activities of this anti-democratic, anti-free choice group of individuals who believe they have the right to dictate to others how they should act, conduct their business or live their lives.

Firstly, I received a call yesterday from one of our very long-time professional members. This person has been supporting the AVN since day dot and is one of the loveliest, kindest people I know.

He received a call from a woman who works in a hospital as a nurse and is very pro-vaccination. She actually found this person's business - not via our website or magazine - but via a page which has been put up to 'Shame' those who believe in free choice.

This woman contacted our professional member to purchase some goods off of him specifically because, as she said, it is fair enough for people to choose not to vaccinate and that should be nobody else's business. She said she was absolutely disgusted with the website that was put up to try and convince others not to give their business to our members and that this decided her that she WAS going to support him with her purchases.

Major backfire! You see - it is only the hate-filled opponents of free speech and free choice who would ever be swayed by this sort of behaviour.

Next, I received a call this morning from another person who works in the natural health area. They called and forwarded a series of emails they had received to alert me to the actions of these people. I will reproduce these emails below. If anyone else reading this has gotten something similar, please do let me know. (for ease of working out who is who - the skeptic's emails are in italics.)

First message -

Hello,

Can you confirm for me that you advertise in the AVN's Living wisdom magazine ?

There was no signature but the person has used an email address at gmail - it may or may not be real.

The business person responded with:

Hello XXXX.

Thank you for your email.

How can I assist you?

Fistly I wish to establish if you can confirm for me that you advertise in the AVN's Living wisdom magazine ?

Thank you

XXXXX

The business person never replied so a couple of days later, they received the following message:

XXXXX are you aware that the AVN is actually an ANTI vaccination lobby group ?

To which message, the following reply was sent:

Hello XXXXX.

I am interested to know how I can assist you.

You have contacted me in relation to AVN.

I am aware of AVN's message and views.

With Regards

To which the following reply was submitted - a reply that the business person has informed me they will be ignoring since they believe strongly in the right to choose and have not vaccinated their own children though they are not an AVN member and have never advertised in our magazine.

Ok  thank you ..... I am assisting in the creation of an ethical consumers boycott of businesses that financially support organisations that knowingly harm children such as anti vaccination groups.

Using the word 'ethical' in relation to these hateful and anti-choice activities is an insult to anyone who considers themselves to be ethical in any way.

So here is how this group of individuals behave. They contact people who may or may not have a connection with the AVN and they behave in a very threatening manner saying that they will boycott their goods if they support us. What if this person was an advertiser with us? What would the outcome have been? Would they have been targeted in the same way that a previous donor was by having their website hacked and their business attacked?

Do we live in Nazi German or in a democratic nation? And what is the motivation for these actions? Does this person really care about children's health? It is my belief that they don't. Anybody who cared about health - children's or adult's - would not act in such an underhanded, despicable manner.

Yet this is the opposition we have. The snake in the grass, vicious type of opposition that doesn't care a bit about the costs of their actions - financial, physical or moral. It does make you wonder how far these folk will go in their efforts to 'Stop the AVN'?