Controversy Corner

One of the big stories of the past few days is the flak the Susan G. Komen Foundation has received for dropping its support for Planned Parenthood, ostensibly over the it being under investigation but most likely over its support for abortion.

It was later revealed the new VP of the organization is a known anti-abortion supporter who once ran for governor of Georgia. Some have speculated that perhaps this person believes in the fiction abortion "causes" breast cancer and thought PP shouldn't be supported for that reason.

I am surprised until recently people seemed unaware that founder Nancy Goodman Brinker was and is a longtime Republican activist and one-time ambassador to Hungary (under G.W. Bush). Her late ex-husband, Norman Brinker, was known to be very religious and active in Republican circles and was once with Nancy a "Pioneer" (a group of major Bush donors who contributed I believe at least $100 grand to his campaign). To get on a tangent like I often do, Norman Brinker wasn't all bad. He was a champion equestrian who participated in the 1952 Olympics, had a hugely successful career in the restaurant industry (he created the salad bar), and was married the first time to tennis great Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly. Connolly, tragically, died of ovarian cancer at the age of only 34 in 1969, and no doubt her widower found a kindred spirit in Nancy Goodman. Their marriage ultimately didn't work out although they remained close. Norman stayed on the board of the Komen Foundation until his death in 2009. He was married a total of four times, and he married once more after his divorce from Nancy.

I found this very good article about Connolly titled "San Diego's Sweetheart":

link

I know the article has nothing to do with the current controversy, but as I said, I like to go off on tangents.