No Coffee for you.

[michaelskis]

My dad sent me this e-mail. Not sure how true it is, but we all know that Starbucks is part of the Evil Empire with Wal*Mart so it could be true!

Recently Marines over in Iraq supporting this country in OIF wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffee and try to score some free coffee grounds. Starbucks wrote back telling the Marines thanks for their support in their business, but that they don't support the War and anyone in it and that they won't send them the Coffee.

So as not to offend them we should not support in buying any Starbucks products. As a War vet and writing to you patriots I feel we should get this out in the open I know this War might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street to street and house to house for what they and I believe is right. If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and I'll never know. Thanks very much for your support to me, and I know you'll all be there again here soon when I deploy once more.

Semper Fidelis,

Sgt Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO

 

[BKM]

Even as vehemently anti-war as I remain, I find this very very cold.

 

[geogplanner]

Fiction

My dad sent me this e-mail. Not sure how true it is, but we all know that Starbucks is part of the Evil Empire with Wal*Mart so it could be true!

From www.truthorfiction.com

TruthOrFiction.com contacted Starbucks about the story.

Starbucks says that the originator of the email, Sgt. Howard Wright, and talked with him about his complaint.

He has now sent a follow-up email to his email list, which appears below.

Starbucks assured him of their support of the military and that the only reason any coffee was not donated was because the official Starbucks donation policy authorizes such gifts to officially designated public charities, including libraries and schools, and that the U.S. military or military personnel do not qualify. It was not meant to be a comment on the war or the service of military personnel in the war.

The company said that there have been employees that have showed their support through donations of coffee. Starbucks told us that many of the company's employees (called "partners" by Starbucks) receive one pound of free coffee each week and some of that coffee has gone to members of the military or related organizations.

For example, the employees in the Starbucks in Atascadero, California, decided to send their weekly free coffee to troops in Afghanistan and there are other such stories about Starbucks coffee finding its way into the hands of military personnel.

Here is Sgt. Wright's follow-up email after Starbucks spoke with him:

Dear Readers,

Almost 5 months ago I sent an e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.

Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to. Thank you very much for understanding about this.

Howard C. Wright
Sgt USMC
1st Force Rcon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO

Also debunked on http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_starbucks_marines.htm

 

[Wulf9]

Much to cold. Send coffee to the Marines. They deserve all the support we can give them.

Deny coffee to Republicans.

 

[PlannerByDay]

URBAN LEGEND

 

[michaelskis]

Partly...

The company will not send it, but the employees can.

 

[el Guapo]

The company is under no obligation to send anything either. Some troops have too much time on their hands, obviously. I think the companies that volunteered their products or services should be commended, Sears, Home Depot.... But soldiers shouldn't try to hold a company hostage like they did to Starbucks.

 

[Dan]

Michael, Michael, Michael ... spreading glurge, are we? How many times have I said Snopes is your friend? I know you want to believe that the eeeeeevil

LIBERALS

don't support our troops, because it validates your ideology, but please, please, please check your facts first.

[republican]

By the way, this just got mailed to me. If you don't forward it to 100 of your closest friends, Canadians will cut your pecker off and you'll die.

How the vaccine works:

Influenza vaccine is produced by growing the virus in eggs. The virus is killed and processed to create the vaccine, which is given by injection under the skin. The body then produces antibodies to the virus over the next two to four weeks. If the immunized person then comes into contact with the influenza virus, the antibodies attack and kill the virus before it has a chance to cause infection. The vaccine contains the 3 most likely strains to be active during the "flu season"

Why the shortage:

Almost half of the nation's flu vaccine will not be delivered this year. Chiron, a major manufacturer of flu vaccine, will not be distributing any influenza vaccine this flu season. Chiron was to make 46-48 million doses vaccine for the United States. Chiron is a British company.

Recently British health officials stopped Chiron from distributing and making the vaccine when inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the labs. Some lots of the vaccine were recalled and destroyed.

Why is our vaccine made in the UK and not the US?

The major pharmaceutical companies in the US provided almost 90% of the nations flu vaccine at one time. They did this despite a very low profit margin for the product. Basically, they were doing us a favor. In the late 80's a man from North Carolina who had received the vaccine got the flu. The strain he caught was one of the strains in that years vaccine made by a US company. What did he do? He sued and he won. He was awarded almost $5 million! After that case was appealed and lost, most US pharmaceutical companies stopped making the vaccine. The liability out weighed the profit margin. Since UK and Canadian laws prohibit such frivolous law suits UK and Canadian companies began selling the vaccine in the US.

By the way...the lawyer who represented the man in the flu shot law suit was a young ambulance chaser by the name of John Edwards.

It's true, despite what Snopes says. After all, all the eeeeeevil

LIBERALS

want honest, hard-working Americans to get sick, so the Bush (praise be unto Him) administration can look bad. Don't believe the

LIBERAL

media!.

[/republican]



By thw way, if you meet anyone coming home from Iraq, tell them "thanks." Give them some appreciation, regardless of your position on the war,

 

[el Guapo]

[liberal]Dick Cheney, 63 (98 Heart Attacks - in an iron lung) should not be ashamed of his Lezzzzzzzz beeeeeeeeee aaaaaaaaaan daughter nor should he get a flu, or obscenely profit from Haliburton's no bid contact.[/liberal]

Liberal Forget:
1. He's in flu-shot the target population.
2. His Daughter is NOT a public figure.
3 His assets are in a blind trust.
4 Hiring Haliburton for oil patch work is like hiring Microsoft for OS and Office Suites. Sometimes one company is the only one capable - sorry Linux geeks. Every time I hear a liberal mention Haliburton it reminds me that this person is a moron.
5. You guys are going to lose.

[playing on liberal fears and their stereotypes of conservatives]Then we are sending you al to GITMO! to learn about the babie Jesus and to maybe stop your sodomite ways[/playing on liberal fears and their stereotypes of conservatives]

 

[donk]

Timmies actually ran an add about sending coffeee to our troops overseas as a feel good thing last winter.

 

[BKM]

[liberal]Dick Cheney, 63 (98 Heart Attacks - in an iron lung) should not be ashamed of his Lezzzzzzzz beeeeeeeeee aaaaaaaaaan daughter nor should he get a flu, or obscenely profit from Haliburton's no bid contact.[/liberal]

Liberal Forget:
1. He's in flu-shot the target population.
2. His Daughter is NOT a public figure.
3 His assets are in a blind trust.
4 Hiring Haliburton for oil patch work is like hiring Microsoft for OS and Office Suites. Sometimes one company is the only one capable - sorry Linux geeks. Every time I hear a liberal mention Haliburton it reminds me that this person is a moron.
5. You guys are going to lose.

[playing on liberal fears and their stereotypes of conservatives]Then we are sending you al to GITMO! to learn about the babie Jesus and to maybe stop your sodomite ways[/playing on liberal fears and their stereotypes of conservatives]

1. True. It was a nasty low blow and the political hacks responsible for that talking point should be fired.

2. Bull****. She is most definitely a "public figure" deeply involved in her father's campaign. Plus, it is CONSERVATIVES who are interpreting a very off-the-cuff remark, showing an example of a prominent person who is not a depraved sinner, as some kind of attack on gay rights or a gay individual.

3. True. So what. He is still profiting greatly.

4. Perhaps. But this is partly the way the US government structures its military procurement.

5. I hope so. Bush and the Neocons (along with conservative Democrats) have so ****ed the country up that I don't want a wimpy centrist nonentity like Kerry to be stuck with a cleanup job he cannot really handle. I want the **** to hit the fan to bring this country back to its senses and push the right wing nutcase wing out of power for a generation. This country needs to be punished a bit, as we have totally lost our way. We need to suffer a bit over the short term. I just hope we are not becoming the next Argentina-because that is my real fear. Or worse yet, the next Weimar Geermany. Because, some of the thought patterns on the Republican right-and I am not talking about any individuals here necessarily-are pretty creepy-and worthy of the "F" word.

John Kerry is no Moses.

 

[Bear Up North]

1. True. It was a nasty low blow and the political hacks responsible for that talking point should be fired.

2. Bull****. She is most definitely a "public figure" deeply involved in her father's campaign. Plus, it is CONSERVATIVES who are interpreting a very off-the-cuff remark, showing an example of a prominent person who is not a depraved sinner, as some kind of attack on gay rights or a gay individual.

3. True. So what. He is still profiting greatly.

4. Perhaps. But this is partly the way the US government structures its military procurement.

5. I hope so. Bush and the Neocons (along with conservative Democrats) have so ****ed the country up that I don't want a wimpy centrist nonentity like Kerry to be stuck with a cleanup job he cannot really handle. I want the **** to hit the fan to bring this country back to its senses and push the right wing nutcase wing out of power for a generation. This country needs to be punished a bit, as we have totally lost our way. We need to suffer a bit over the short term. I just hope we are not becoming the next Argentina-because that is my real fear. Or worse yet, the next Weimar Geermany. Because, some of the thought patterns on the Republican right-and I am not talking about any individuals here necessarily-are pretty creepy-and worthy of the "F" word.

John Kerry is no Moses.

:8: :8: "A new Argentina cause the old one's lost it's way....." :8: :8:

I'M Bear & I Approve Of Breaking Out Into Song At Any Suitable Moment

 

[BKM]

1. True. It was a nasty low blow and the political hacks responsible for that talking point should be fired.

2. Bull****. She is most definitely a "public figure" deeply involved in her father's campaign. Plus, it is CONSERVATIVES who are interpreting a very off-the-cuff remark, showing an example of a prominent person who is not a depraved sinner, as some kind of attack on gay rights or a gay individual.

3. True. So what. He is still profiting greatly.

4. Perhaps. But this is partly the way the US government structures its military procurement.

5. I hope so. Bush and the Neocons (along with conservative Democrats) have so ****ed the country up that I don't want a wimpy centrist nonentity like Kerry to be stuck with a cleanup job he cannot really handle. I want the **** to hit the fan to bring this country back to its senses and push the right wing nutcase wing out of power for a generation. This country needs to be punished a bit, as we have totally lost our way. We need to suffer a bit over the short term. I just hope we are not becoming the next Argentina-because that is my real fear. Or worse yet, the next Weimar Geermany. Because, some of the thought patterns on the Republican right-and I am not talking about any individuals here necessarily-are pretty creepy-and worthy of the "F" word.

John Kerry is no Moses.

My God. I am sounding as horribly self-righteous and moralistic as the most certain Republican Christian Coalition voter. Too many issues of Counterpunch and Tom Tomorrow.

 

[Besiin]

My God. I am sounding as horribly self-righteous and moralistic as the most certain Republican Christian Coalition voter. Too many issues of Counterpunch and Tom Tomorrow.

Ehr.. yah, putting it mildly.. I seriously get worried any time I hear people start fantasizing gleefully about national disasters. From the areas i've been in, I have only heard that sort of moralistically sadistic rhetoric come from the left, mind you - the right is too busy trying to save people from themselves and protect people to be spouting off stuff about how wonderful it will be to see people starving to death in the streets. I'm sure that's mostly on account of local issue structure - left and right are absurdly inadequate labels and my political affiliation tends to switch pretty radically when I travel from one state to another, even though my opinions haven't particularly changed. I tend to side with whoever is less hateful, which is why i've been going fairly solidly Republican for awhile, even though i'm more liberal than the Dems on a number of issues. *shrugs* It's really a pretty unsatisfying pair of choices.

 

[BKM]

Ehr.. yah, putting it mildly.. I seriously get worried any time I hear people start fantasizing gleefully about national disasters. From the areas i've been in, I have only heard that sort of moralistically sadistic rhetoric come from the left, mind you - the right is too busy trying to save people from themselves and protect people to be spouting off stuff about how wonderful it will be to see people starving to death in the streets. I'm sure that's mostly on account of local issue structure - left and right are absurdly inadequate labels and my political affiliation tends to switch pretty radically when I travel from one state to another, even though my opinions haven't particularly changed. I tend to side with whoever is less hateful, which is why i've been going fairly solidly Republican for awhile, even though i'm more liberal than the Dems on a number of issues. *shrugs* It's really a pretty unsatisfying pair of choices.

I totally disagree. For one thing, I never meant "starving in the street." Even in my most self-righteous I meant a country forced to deal with the REALITY of what its corporations and military forces and intelligence agenices and foreign polices do to other countries. No, I am not saying that the Islamic terrorists would "love us" if we were nicer, but I am saying we live in a cocoon of ignorance about how our lifestyles are provided at what cost.

By "punished" I mean we may have to live much more more modestly. Whether that means "starvation" depends on how we structure our society. The choice will not be ours, anyway. Once we start competing with the Chinese for oil in Central Asia, its amazing how many unsold bonds will pile up as they stop supporting are completely holloweed-out economy. By that time, they will have enough of a middle class that they won't need us as much.

As for the right being "less hateful" I find that utterly amazing. Go to www.godhatesfags.com. I don't understand how the right is saving people from themselves any more than the left. The riight pushes harsh drug laws and morality policing, the left try to stop the rich and powerful from endangering their workforces and communities and dumping toxic goo in every river and lake. (Oh, I'm sorry, "voluntary" pollution control works wonders). I find the latter protection more useful than the former-I can take care of my own personal morailty, thank you, but I can't breathe air polluted by unregulated smokestacks and SUVs encouraged by federal tax policies.

The right is dominated by (but not exclusively, of course) a philosophy exemplified by the "Left Behind" series in which THEIR (not THE, but THEIR) "God" gleefully tortures for eternity those who do not follow the precise religious path they believe in. The book is full of chortling, gleeful descriptions of how the infidels "get what they deserve." That is a sick attitude only partially masked by a facade of piety. I see it as little different than the jihaddists we continue to support through our friendship with the Saudi government and Pakistan.

There is a difference between my apocalyptic visions and the visions of the fundamentalists which form the rock solid bottom of the Republican Party.

I will be SILENT now.

 

[michaelskis]

Back on Toppic

Well I E-mailed Starbucks, and they replied.

Dear Mr. (MY LAST NAME),

Thank you for taking the time to contact Starbucks regarding coffee donations to those serving in our armed forces. Please feel free to share the following information with others who join in your concern so that they too will have the opportunity to be fully informed on this topic.

Starbucks has the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and our values of freedom and democracy. While Starbucks as a company cannot directly donate to military personnel, many of our partners (employees) show their support by donating coffee.

Recently, there was an e-mail circulating the internet that contained misinformation about Starbucks and our support of the military. Starbucks was able to locate the author who turned out to be a Marine Sergeant. He was very grateful that we contacted him and apologized for any misunderstanding, as he did not intend to spread the rumor. He subsequently sent an e-mail to his original distribution list correcting his mistake, which I've included at the end of this letter.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify Starbucks policy regarding charitable contributions. We are able to donate to nonprofit organizations that are designated as public charities under Section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code, including public libraries and schools. The U.S. military or individual military personnel do not qualify as a public charity. Additionally confirmation that this is a rumor can be found at http://www.boycottwatch.org/misc/starbucks2.htm and http://www.truthminers.com/truth.

However, on an individual level, many Starbucks partners have collected and shipped numerous pounds of Starbucks coffee overseas. Starbucks partners receive one pound of free coffee each week as an employee benefit (known as "partner mark-out"). Many of our partners have elected to send their weekly mark-out of coffee to members of the military or military families, and related organizations.

As an example of this generosity, our partners in our Atascadero, California store sent their weekly mark out coffee to troops in Afghanistan so they are able to enjoy a little piece of home. Our customer relations department in Seattle donated hundreds of pounds of coffee to the sailors in the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group. These are just a few examples of our partners supporting the troops. We recognize and appreciate the very personal connection that customers have with us and how they might miss their Starbucks Experience while overseas.

Thank you again for writing and ask you to accept our deepest appreciation to servicemen and women and hope you remain a valued Starbucks customer. If you have any additional feedback or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at (800) 235-2883 or email us at info@starbucks.com.

Best wishes,

Julie
Customer Relations Representative
Starbucks Coffee Company

 

[Cardinal]

Anyone know if this one is true?

Recently Marines over in Iraq supporting this country in OIF wrote to the Bush/Cheney Campaign because they wanted to let them know how much they liked Bush's twin daughters and try to score some free Bush. The campaign wrote back telling the Marines thanks for their support in the election, but that they don't support the War and anyone in it and that they won't send them the Bush girls.

So as not to offend them we should not support in voting for Bush/Cheney. As a War vet and writing to you patriots I feel we should get this out in the open I know this War might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street to street and house to house for what they and I believe is right. If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and I'll never know. Thanks very much for your support to me, and I know you'll all be there again here soon when I deploy once more.