Many of us knew that the Parents Television Council has some pretty serious funding to do what it does. Now we know just how much.

If you check out the Wrestling Fans Against Censorship website (http://pwbts.com/censor.html) and link to the PTC, or go directly to http://effinity1.onesoft.com/effinity/frames.asp?mpc=PTC , you'll find something called the "Market Place" website. This website lists, by name and category, a number of companies that contribute directly to the Parents Television Council every time people make purchases from them online.

Since there is no additional cost involved, that money amounts to a direct contribution to the PTC, and effectively, an endorsement for what they do.

Let's look at a sample (but not all) of those companies, many of them well-known to everyone:

* 1-800-flowers.com, which provides fresh flowers and other gift and floral-related items to customers around the world.

* Avon.com, the website for Avon Cosmetics.

* Brainstorms.com, which markets educational or "smart" children's toys.

* Burpee.com, the website of Burpee, the leading seed supplier in the United States for over 120 years.

* BuyTelco.com, a web subsidiary of BellSouth Business products.

* CBS SportsLine. This one is EXTREMELY ironic, given the fact that the well-known WrestleLine site is owned and operated by CBS SportsLine.

* Cooking.com, a one-stop shop online for cooking products.

* Creditland, an online financial super-store to offer consumers choice of the best financial products, from trusted brands such as MBNA and Bank of America.

* Dell.com, the website for the popular Dell computers and the associated Gigabuys by Dell website.

* Designer Outlet, an online store for designer fashion overstocks.

* E-Stamp.com, the first company approved by the U.S. Postal Service to sell postage over the Internet.

* ESPN-the Store, ESPN's e-commerce site.

* eTranslate.com eTranslate is a fast-growing company that uses the power of the Internet to provide unparalleled quality on translation jobs - both traditional corporate communications and Web sites.

* Fashion Mall, a website marketing various fashion-related items.

* Fragrance Net, an online discount fragrance "store".

* FTD.com, the website of the internationally known FTD company. FTD.com lists itself as a special supporting partner of the PTC MarketPlace.

* FultonStreet.com, associated with the famous New York Fulton Fish Market, sending fish, lobsters, and oysters.

* GiftCertificates.com, an e-merchant selling original gift certificates to stores, restaurants, airlines, hotels, and more.

* GreatCoffee.com, an on-line purveyor of fine coffees and equipment from the world's best farms, roasters, and manufacturers.

* Green Marketplace.com, an e-merchant that provides environmentally friendly products.

* Hickory Farms.com, the website of Hickory FarmsŪ, the popular merchant known for holiday gift giving of meats and cheeses.

* HostAmerica, a consumer webhost.

* Intel.com/Anypoint, a company with a home network that allows for sharing Internet access, printers, and more.

* JC Penney.com, one of America's largest retailers.

* Joseph A. Bank.com, a major seller of fine quality menswear

* K-TEL, the merchant known for selling CD's tapes and records, as well as a wide variety of consumer products in the 1960s and 1970s.

* Lady Classic, an online shop for golf gloves/accessories for women and children.

* Landsend.com, well-known upscale clothing merchant.

* LL Bean.com, the website of the prototypical Yuppie apparel and accessories merchant for sports enthusiasts.

* McAfee.com, the company that produced the leading anti-virus software, as well as many other consumer PC applications.

* More.com, an e-merchant for health, beauty and wellness products.

* Moret Online, the largest marketer of bodywear and activewear for women, in the world.

* NetNations, a leading web hosting and E-Commerce solutions company offering a wide range of services: web site and web store hosting, web server co-location and domain name registration.

* New York First, an online department store for "New York's Gifts to the World".

* Office Max, the leading merchant of office supplies and products.

* Omaha Steaks, which offers many fine cuts of corn-fed Midwestern beef and gourmet foods.

* PaulFredrick.com, a website for this leading American man's dress and casual merchant.

* Pet Quarters, a leading Internet site for e-commerce pet supply sales and services.

* Planetoutdoors.com, a merchant of outdoor gear on the Internet.

* ProTeam.com which markets licensed sportswear on the web.

* ShopMattel.com., a e-merchant of popular software titles, discounts every time you shop, outstanding technical support, the latest product updates and so much more!

* Sparks.com, an online greeting card store.

* SweetLobster.com, an online place to purchase high quality lobsters, steamers, clam-bakes, New England clam chowder and other seafood straight from the cold waters of the North Atlantic.

* The Golf Warehouse, an online golf super store.

* Toysrus.com, the website of Toys 'R Us.

* WholeFoods.com, a natural and organic product store

* Wicks End, an online supplier of candles and candle accessories anywhere.

That is just a SAMPLE of the participating merchants that participate in the PTC MarketPlace program.

Quite simply put, readers... if you spend your money through any of these websites, a portion of what you spend supports the efforts of the Parents Television Council.

It's time to go to work, readers.

Let's show the Parents Television Council and the merchants listed above that wrestling fans have disposable income. Let's show them that we can use that disposable income and the purchasing power that it gives us to influence events, just as well as the organized lobbies of the right-wing thought police.

Go to the above company websites, which the PTC helpfully (if unintentionally) links for you, and find the appropriate e-mail address for consumer comments. Again, you can find those company websites at http://effinity1.onesoft.com/effinity/frames.asp?mpc=PTC .

Let those companies know that, as long as they provide financial support to an organization that advocates censorship of TV programming you watch, you will not purchase products from their company. Let them know that you will encourage your friends to follow suit.

If you still have Christmas shopping to do, take a moment and let those companies know that they lost out on a potential customer this holiday season because of their financial support of the PTC.

I'm sure I'll be hearing from those who will say that I'm being unfair, and that the companies in question shouldn't be blamed for the political slant of an organization that masquerades behind the guise of being "family-friendly".

My response is this: There's an well-known old expression first heard from Philadelphia politician Ozzie Myers: "money talks, and bull@?t walks." The bottom line is that their dollars support an organization that advocates censorship. Period.

Spread the word to your friends, folks. It's time to fight back, and hit the TC where it REALLY hurts...in the pocketbook.

Until next time... May you and yours have a Merry Christmas....