The 2nd Annual Miller Beer Boycott Has Begun (It Must Be Folsom Time!)

I must confess that I got a chuckle over this graphic I found in an OUTRAGED Freeper post about Miller beer again sponsoring Folsom Street Fair. You may recall that the Christers got in a major snit last year over the official Folsom poster, which was a leather take on the Last Supper. The poster brouhaha turned into a boycott of Miller, leading Miller to apologize to the wingnuts and ask for their name to be removed from fair signage.

But I guess Miller didn't feel any pain from that boycott as they are back this year. From a Christianist "news" site:

Miller is once again throwing its full support behind the sexually explicit Folsom street event, during which passersby, including children, in San Francisco's streets are subjected to public sex acts, including men performing oral sex on one another, and engaging in mutual masturbation and sadomasochistic "role-playing", during which "partners" inflict and receive pain as a form of sexual pleasure. In one instance that was particularly offensive to people of religious faith, during last year's festival a female stripper was hoisted in a cage over a Roman Catholic Church during mass.

The 2008 program guide for the event, which features sadomasochistic pornographic material as well as Folsom's advocacy of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" and their sale of "religious" sex toys, also includes a Miller advertisement with heavy connotations to the nudity in the parade. It features a rainbow colored beer cap, a beer bottle with the label being stripped off, and a slogan that reads, "No label. All that matters is what's inside. We'll drink to that."

Peter LaBabera, president of Americans for Truth (AFTAH), has written a letter to Miller representatives questioning their decision to advocate the "vile and anti-Christian" street fair.

"Does MillerCoors have any ethical guidelines for events it will - or will not - promote (through ads) and participate in? Would MillerCoors sell beer and advertise at, say, an Incest Rights festival, or take out an ad in the publication of other openly bigoted gatherings such as a Neo-Nazi rally?" asked LaBarbera.

Here's one of this year's three posters, all of which seem to play things a bit safer than last year. After apologizing to the Catholic League last year, Miller said they'd do "full-scale review" of their promotional activities. I'm glad to see that Bill "One Man With A Computer" Donahue didn't scare them away this year, but we'll probably hear from him shortly. By the way, last year's poster is now framed and hanging in my kitchen. Thanks for making me love it, Bill!