Geico Fires the Gecko?

Today, I learned that D. C. Douglas had been fired by Geico. So who is Mr. Douglass and why has he been fired? Mr. Douglass is best known as the voice of the Grecko who appears in so many of Grecko commercials. He was apparently discharged for leaving a disparaging and, I must admit, somewhat tasteless message on the answering machine of Freedom Works.

Freedom Works is a corporate front which endorses and supports the Teabaggers in their unending shrills against all things of which Barack Obama approves. If the president went on television today and praised home-ownership, the skies tonight would blaze as Teabaggers across America set neighborhoods afire. Freedom Works supports the freedom of corporate America to work its depredations  unchecked by the regulation of an elected government. Among the organizations funding Freedom Works are Verizon and AT&T.

In response to their firing of Mr. Douglas, I fired off the following e-mail to Geico.

Persons,

My name is Larche Osborne-Simmons. I am 48 years old and a homeowner in Chicago, Illinois. I have a BA in History from Loyola University Chicago and a JD from Loyola Law Chicago. As you might imagine, I am a major consumer of insurance although I am not currently a client of Geico.

I have  in the past expressed my disdain for the roll [sic] Freedom Works plays in the promotion of Tea Parties. I have discovered members of the various Tea Parties frequently to be racist, antisemitic, and seditious. I feel that Freedom Works and other entities of their ilk knowingly promote these views in hope of blocking regulatory reform. Regardless of a citizen's view on reform, he or she should pause before engaging in activities promoting these attitudes.

I am very dismayed by your recent firing of D. C. Douglass (the voice of the Gecko) on the behalf of Freedom Works. His firing creates an image of a workplace in which employees are punished for having controversial opinions, and it suggests an employer feeling no sense of loyalty to employees who are attacked by dubious groups or organizations.

While I have been charmed by your commercials in past years, and have given thought to utilizing your services, the positive image I once held of Geico has faded. I will from this time forward encourage others not to purchase policies from your company unless restore Mr. Douglass to his prior position.

Note that in my letter, I misspelled "Douglas" by attaching an additional "s" to his name. I have also noted at least one grammatical error and some awkward sentences. For this, I apologize.

As Americans, we have a duty to safeguard the public from corporations which best succeed by preying on the vulnerable. Visit the following site and send your own message to Geico.