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Ford says ‘shut up’ ad was a mistake, but dealer stands behind it
| Friday, May 30 2008 10:28 AM
Last Updated: Monday, Jun 2 2008 10:28 AM
Sit down and shut up?
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“Did you know that there are people in this country who want prayer out of schools, “Under God” out of the Pledge, and “In God We Trust” to be taken off our money?
“But did you know that 86 percent of Americans say they believe in God? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe and Sons Ford wonder why we don’t just tell the other 14 percent to sit down and shut up.
"I guess maybe I just offended 14 percent of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case, then I say that’s tough; this is America, folks — it’s called free speech. And none of us at Kieffe and Sons Ford are afraid to speak up. Kieffe and Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond: if we don’t see you today, by the grace of God, we’ll be here tomorrow.”
Easier said than done, a Kern car dealer and the Oklahoma writer of the company’s controversial radio ad are finding.
The spots have already finished a three-month run in eastern Kern and the Antelope Valley, but renewed interest prompted even the Ford Motor Co. to weigh in Wednesday.
Kieffe & Sons Ford’s ads suggesting Christians “just tell the other 14 percent to sit down and shut up” had been Internet fodder for months, blog posts indicate.
In recent days the topic suddenly resurfaced, said Tehachapi resident Dave Salyers. Numerous e-mails with the ad attached popped up again seemingly out of the blue.
On Wednesday, Salyers dropped an electronic note to the automaker.
“Is this the image that Ford wishes to present — that it willingly discriminates against nonreligious people in the United States?” Salyers wrote.
He got a reply the same day from Christie — no last name given — in Ford’s customer relationship center.
“Our investigation has determined that the advertising was placed in error,” Christie’s e-mail said. “Corrective actions have been taken to prevent this from happening again.”
Ford spokesman Mark Truby confirmed in an e-mail Christie’s response was “legitimate.”
Truby did not immediately respond to questions about what actions had been taken or how the ad was placed in error.
NO OFFENSE
Rick Kieffe, president of Kieffe & Sons Ford, said he didn’t regret the ad but was sorry if it had offended anyone.
“I don’t regret the sentiment at all,” said Kieffe, who bought the 48-year-old dealership from his father in 1974. “It’s what we believe.”
Kieffe & Sons has sites in Mojave and Rosamond.
The dealer’s Web site Thursday bore a statement about the ad that included an apology “to all who were offended.”
Kieffe said he’d been contacted by Ford Motor Co. after the manufacturer heard complaints from numerous “blog-lo-dites.”
The company asked him to post something saying he was sorry if he’d offended anyone, Kieffe said.
When asked whether he’ll use longtime ad man J.W. Horne of Oklahoma for future promos, Kieffe didn’t hesitate.
“Without question,” Kieffe said. “He’s a middle-America person.”
NERVE CENTER
Horne, meanwhile, said it was “very unfortunate some were offended” by the spot.
“Our intentions are good,” Horne said in a phone interview.
But, he added, “the truth is the truth.”
On his blog at jwhorne2.blogspot.com, Horne seemed to relish his moment in the limelight.
“... Isn’t it just too bad that so many people got their feelings hurt over one little ole sixty second radio commercial,” Horne wrote Thursday. “... The backlash from some of those self-styled unbelievers is the point I was making about why some people should be told to sit down and shut up.”
NO HELP
Salyers, the Tehachapi resident, said he was disappointed the controversy was back because reaction from extremists on both sides had made the discussion “not helpful.”
A meeting of free thinkers already scheduled Thursday night in Lancaster would now be “hijacked” by the issue, he said.
Navigating Kern’s conservative culture is hard for those without church ties, he said.
“I would feel uncomfortable saying I was nonreligious in certain areas of Kern County,” Salyers said, “because often they are treated differently.”
The Kieffe & Sons ad has ramped up useless and divisive rhetoric, he said.
“This illustrates the climate that people are afraid of,” he said.