Battle for the Toy Box

The battle ravages on. Millions of dollars have been spent in an effort to win the hearts, minds, and souls of the most elusive and potentially dangerous segment of the human population. This is the War of the Toy Box--a battle which we must be continually prepared to fight as our future is at stake. Willing to be a bystander no longer, one Christian toy manufacturer is sending its soldiers in to fight on the front lines at Wal Mart.

CNN reports:

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said the toys made by One2believe, a Valencia, Calif., company, will be offered in 425 of Wal-Mart's 3,376 discount stores and Supercenters.

One2believe Chief Executive David Socha said his products were part of a " battle for the toy box" with dolls and figures that he said carry negative messages.

"If you're very religious, it's a battle for your children's minds and what they're playing with and pretending. There are remakes out there of Satan and evil things," Socha said.

By the looks of it, One2Believe has pulled out the heavy artillery. Why would your children want to play with these misfits...:
...when they could spend the afternoon enjoying the company of this cheerful bunch?:

On the Campaign Trail

Yesterday, Salon published an interview with Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards. She discussed her choice to confront Ann Coulter on Hardball, why poverty is a central theme in the Edwards campaign, why John is a better advocate for women's rights than Hillary, and her support of gay marriage--a position that differs from that of her husband's.

The difference, she implies, is in how they read the Bible:

Salon: But your husband feels differently; he's a civil unions guy.

Elizabeth: Well, I think it's a struggle for him, having grown up in a Southern Baptist church where it was pounded into him. I was raised a Methodist in military churches. Poverty was talked about; I don't remember homosexuality ever being mentioned. And I don't think that Christians who aren't engaged in a political campaign ever talk about it. They talk about poverty and other issues talked about in the Bible. But in churches, in political season, there's plenty of ginning up this issue.