Franklin Graham, as always, is on a mission to help children in need this Christmas.
But he also is delivering a message to critics who accused him of using his charity’s plane for political purposes, saying, “We felt that was an appropriate use of the aircraft.”
Graham’s charity, Samaritan’s Purse, is delivering more than 8 million shoeboxes filled with presents to needy children in 105 countries — children who are victims of war or who are impoverished and living in refugee camps and orphanages.
Operation Christmas Child mobilizes churches throughout the country to help fill, collect and send the boxes to Samaritan’s Purse, the North Carolina-based charity that Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham
, has led for more than two decades.
“The thing that makes Operation Christmas Child different from any another program — it’s enormous, it’s the largest Christmas program in the world today — but what makes it different is we ask people to pray,” Graham says. “Every person that packs a box prays — not for the box, but for the child that’s going to get the box.”
Samaritan’s Purse operates several planes that deliver food and gifts to remote parts of the world. But one of the charity’s smaller planes was used recently to bring former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was on her book tour, to North Carolina to dine with Billy Graham.
The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and the 91-year-old “pastor to the presidents” talked for 45 minutes, leading at least one liberal blogger to blast the Grahams for using charitable donations to support a political figure.
“This means that donations to SP (Samaritan’s Purse) are being used to haul Palin’s carcass around,” the Daily Kos wrote on Thanksgiving. “Wonder what the donors think of that?”
Franklin Graham defends using the charity’s plane for Palin, saying, “She’s not a candidate. And she is not running for anything as far as I know. She was in Roanoke, Va., which is a 35-minute flight from Asheville (North Carolina), and we thought it was appropriate to pick her up and expedite and facilitate her meeting my father.”
Then don’t donate and stop whining.
I do not expect my donations to Samaritans Purse to be used in any way to support a right wing fundamentailist, creationist and anti-enviromentalist like Sarah Palin who may be a Pentacostal Christian but is not somebody I have any confidence in politically, morally or in any other respect. I am appalled that Franklin Graham thinks that this is a suitable use of Samaritans Purse funds and will not be supporting this organisation any more. .
Wrong Momma.! The point is the hypocracy of those ,like Graham , who would like us to belive that not only this country but the whole wold should be Christians. Like Hatuey said as they burned him to "save his soul" If heaven is full of Christians" (like Graham ,Palin etc) Id rather not go there.
Good grief. Just the mention of Sarah Palin’s name makes the uber-left lose their friggin’ minds. It’s not like Franklin Graham was flying her all over the country. He flew her to his house and back. Doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. I think someday sociologists and psychologists will study this weird "Palin derangement syndrome" that makes otherwise thoughtful, calm people start blowing gaskets.
And these are the people who otherwise lecture everyone else about tolerance!
The dudes worth how many millions ? hes not giving anything away. The price for a shoebox? your soul
Asheville Dweller nailed it. Great comment!
To Asheville Dweller…All I can say is AMEN!
Lets not get into ALL the Tax dollars wasted on ACORN that the same people attacking the Grahms over this trivial occurance, when you can do what this charity does then you can have a say so.
The big reason some have their panties in a wad is because Billy Grahm is a religious leader and some around here can’t handle that. The man has done more good in in his 91 years then many who have endless reseources have done for others. He does not judge people, he lives and lets live with everyone around him. When at least 5 Presidents have you on speed dial wanting to know what you think and to talk things the man cant be all bad, thats right he speaks to R’s and D’s, stoping being so Party blinded to see this man does alot of good.