Kathy Lee ignored outcry after calling pagans "nasty" and "bad".Should those offended contact NBC's sponsors?

Absolutely, I've already written mine.

Send letters to: today@nbc.com or TODAY@nbcuni.com or today@msnbc.com

They also accept phone calls at: (212) 664-4249

The street address is:

30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112

There's a petition and many good comments on this issue at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/quotnasty-bad-pag...

and a poll at about.com

http://paganwiccan.about.com/b/2008/06/26/take-the...

Samsung was the sponsor of the segment. I also suggest you write them and tell them why you are boycotting their products. i emailed them through their "contact us" page at:

http://www.samsung.com/us/info/contactus.html#

but this page is mostly about products so I put please forward to Marketing and corporate HQ in the subject line.

Please keep your calls, letters, and emails calm and professional. We need to be taken seriously. Please tell Samsung you and your friends will boycott their products unless they use their influence on NBC to take action.

Don Imus was making a joke and he got fired. Kathie Lee was dead serious. Intolerance and hate speech are not acceptable on national TV.

Sure, I think folks should write letters. It would serve ole self-righteous Kathy Lee right!

You might find a list of contacts at the today website at nbc.com...

but I doubt any letter writing or phone calls would do any good. Why? Unfortunately a lot of people share Kathy Lee's beliefs. Christianity is part of the dominant culture in the USA, and they have a pretty powerful lobbying bloc which is the reason that the moment a TV show or a celebrity is deemed "anti-Christian" they have successfully shut them down such as in the case of the program "The Book Of Daniel" about a somewhat flawed Episcopal priest who literally talks to Christ, and has a family with more drama than a daytime soap! The fundies who slam Episcopalians on a regular basis took offense to the show, but no one ever asked the Episcopalians what we thought.

From what I know of pagans (through my daughter who is Wiccan), many of them keep their paganism quiet for the very real fear of discrimination.

At this point, I'd say consider the source where that wacko chick is concerned. While she does speak for some fundamentalists, she does NOT speak for true Christians.

I think that she should apologize that is. I feel that if she would have made a comment about Christians that was demeaning or rude she should have to apologize to them as well. It is close minded , judgmental and according to the bible it is not a christian act to be judgmental of others. Pagans are not nasty and bad. It is people that are nasty and bad. Same for the saying it is guns that kill, quite the cont-rare it is people that kill. You can not judge a book by its cover there for you should not judge a person by there personal religious preference or by the way that they dress. Stand up and apologize for saying some thing that in my mind many pagans and this wiccan find demeaning and rude. Personally if you don't like the fact that some one else is a different religion keep that point to your self and in your own head. Blessed be and may the goddess bless you in your everyday life..

Those offended, Pagan or not, should definitely contact the today show at NBC. Any other religion, had she made the comment about them, would expect an apology on-air and just because Paganism is a minority religion does not mean the community shouldn't get one as well. A Global listing has been posted at Witchvox.com. The following link has full information as well as a link to the video and how to contact the Today show at NBC.

http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_no.html?a=...

I'm answering this question to mark it so that I can look at the link when I get home.

As far as religious respect, Paganism is as deserving of respect as any other religion. If Gifford was as disparaging as the claims say, then she owes the pagan community an apology.

I would start with the network. If the network doesn't want to cooperate, then go for the sponsors. Give them the same treatment that Christians gave the network for their failed attempt at what was that TV movie they tried to air? Noah's Ark or something like that.

Absolutely we need to contact NBC to let them know how offensive her comments were. She needs to get on TV and publicly apologize for her bigoted comments. While she's at it, she can also apologize for being an ugly, washed up hag that can't sing, act, or do anything else resembling a talent. NBC should fire her, and then apologize for ever putting her on the air.

Edit: I called the show using the number from above and told them how I disapproved of Kathy Lee's bigoted, offensive remark. I suggested they have her apologize. Who knows if they will care what I said but at least I said it. Maybe if a lot of people call, they will care.

Usually I feel ignoring the ignorant is the best course of action. Kathy Lee definately falls into the category of ignorant. I would guess she *thinks* she's something special, as she's a celebrity, but that means nothing at all in the big picture of life.

Good luck with the response, though. I certainly think she needs to apologize and grow a brain.

Being called nasty by Kathy Lee Gifford is like being called ugly by a warthog.

I wrote to the Today show:

To Whom it may concern,

Kathy Lee Gifford made disparaging remarks about Pagans recently on the Today Show during a "wedding quiz", calling pagans filthy, nasty and bad.

Paganism is an umbrella of many ancient and indigenous religions, and it deserves the same respect given to faiths such as Christiany, the religion to which Ms. Gifford so vocally adheres.

This kind of behavior is a black mark on an otherwise wonderful news magazine show and to a network for which I have the utmost respect.

As a loyal viewer of NBC and the Today show, I expect Ms. Gifford to publicly apologize for her remarks, just as she would be expected to apologize for remarks against any other group in our society.

Thank you for your kind and prompt attention to this matter.

Thank you slayer for the contact information and form email. I sent mine before responsding ~ with a bit added to demonstrate my strong opinion on this matter.

BTW, I watched the clip and she sounded like she didn't even know what a pagan is possibly confusing it with something else. Ignorance is cause to refrain from comment. Poor thing need to apologize and educate herself.