Category: News and Views
Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees and to request that they send some of
it to the troops there. Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war,
nor anyone in it, and that they would not send thet roops their brand of coffee.
So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products! 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.
Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more.
Semper Fidelis.
Sgt. Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT
PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS . . ALLOW IT TO BE PASSED TO ALL IN MEMORY OF ALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE DIED SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THEM OR NOT! ! !
Also, don't forget that when the Twin Trade Towers were hit the fire fighters and rescue workers went to Starbucks because it was close by for water for
the survivors and workers and Starbucks charged them! ! !
JUST A NOTE TO THIS; STARBUCKS HAD STORES ON SEVERAL MILITARY BASES IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE NOW BEING REMOVED BECAUSE OF THIS. GO GET 'EM AMERICA
OK, I don't support the war either, but that was ignorant as hell. And their coffee sucks anyways, so it's no great loss.
They could've given them 50% off coffee, so only $25 a cup, and they could've done the same with the TwinTower water, so only $12 a cup (or something).
I actually admire Starbucks for sticking to their values. They dont' support the war and therefore wouldn't do anything that would make it look like they did. Plus I'm sure, if I was a soldier fightting in a war torn country, the first thing I'd think is mmm, I could murder a cup of coffee right about now...
That's mean thing to say, Simon. Not supporting the war is completely understandable, but knocking the troops I see absolutely no reason for.
so what? if the troops were knocked thats going back to when Bush (A.K.A "the monkey") decided to use the war as a distraction to distortion and alter the SO CALLED ECONOMY OF the so called North America and the "united" States. So now, he's using this cleverly to also get taxes on terrible amounts like those of the working class and immigrants like myself. Sure, we are not fully documented or whatever, but the "media" and press making the people who are not able on their capacity to cope with the increasing immigration costs (this much for filling a form, obtaining and ID, ETC) plus contributing to all the health services that are being screwed over looks like cryminals or infiltrators that are using and wasting all the resources is perhaps of the same level of ignorance. Starbucks actually did ship coffee to the troops (I can confirm this at three local managers) and wether they did so or not doesn't mean that one should stop buying or negotiating with the company. Plus, the government's clever enoug to smug drugs and everything else they can.. so why the need for coffee? Furthermore, everyone knows that there's a power block behind the newly active presidential candidates. Recently, a spokesperson for the whitehouse would not accept any kind of impeachments for "the monkey". Similarly neither Obama or McCain are going to be open to impeaching. This is probably better left for future investigation, though the war or whatever it is has surely screwed things over. The most mysterious part is that only soliders are reported dead and very little is disclossed about the war to the public. Of course corruption is affecting every individual wether they accept it or not, wether they care or not, and wether they are aware of it or not.
lol You're not serious? ... My God, I think he's serious.
Okay, what you're saying sounds like conspiricy theory bordering on paranoia. Everybody got their tinfoil hats on? You know Bush, Obama and Donald Trump have formed an alliance, and are selling our social security numbers to the aliens.
And no, not supporting Bush and opposing the war is no excuse to badmouth the troops, I don't care what you learned before coming into this country.
But this is the good old freedom at work though. Starbucks has ever^y right not to send free grub to the troops, those who think that's unpatriotic have every right to cease doing business with them as a result and ask others to do likewise.
It won't affect my dealings with Starbucks (in any case I don't buy coffee from them). I pay my taxes and, as such, I've done my share. Tons of money has been diverted away from stuff that matters, such as health coverage, alternative energy research etc, and I think it serves my children better if I save all the money I can and try to invest in those technologies rather than contribute to the military conquest, even if I have huge sympathies for the guys on the ground, but they signed up for the army, they knew the risks and toil involved. I hope for them to get home safely, but I also want the Iraqi people to come home save and sound at the end of the day, at least all the cevilians that have nothing to do with all this.
That's perfectly fair. Man, I need a coffee right now! Wonder if Petes is open.
The U.S. government will do what ever it takes to turn the story around when people and companies such as Starbucks don’t do what they want. I don’t support the war that is currently happening as we speak. Millions of dollars are spent every day just to get that war going, and what does that accomplish, only dead soldiers or soldiers who come back alive but with severe psychological problems when they go back. The war is all about dominating another country because of the need of oil and some other dectatorial reasons. The United States wants to make democratic countries out of those, but it turns out the other way around. From what I hear from the news, I think Bush is the worst president to administer the United States. So, I can’t blame Starbucks if they don’t want to get involved in this war. At least, they are practicing their freedom of speech to agree and disagree with the government. After reading this news, I realized that the government does not follow their own constitution because they are not giving anyone an option to disagree with them. If you don't agree with what they want you to do, they will dismiss you. What type of country is this?
america is not the land of the free, that's for sure.
People have the option to disagree with the government. Dismissed? What're you talking about? Starbucks is still up and running.
And yet again, you people misunderstand. Supporting the war and supporting the troops are two very different things. One can support the troops, the president, both or neither. Nobody is denying you that right. Or me, or Starbucks, or the freakbate conspiricy theorist in the thread. We are all entitled to our own opinions. And I fail to see how not giving coffee to the troops is exercising freedom of speech. It just seems like a dick move to me. Don't support the war? Fine. But don't take it out on our boys.
Wow I hate starbucks anyway, but that is just stupid. i mean they should support these people.
Lol at post 3, B. StarBucks isn't real coffee anyway (at least not real enough to justify that huge pricetag), so I think troops' letter writing efforts are much more well spent elsewhere.
As a soldier you have effectively signed up to do your governments bidding, so by definition you are a symbol of what your government stands for. You keep saying that supporting the troups isn't the same thing as supporting the war and yes. to a certain degree you're right. If somebody attempted to invade the US then of course you'd want an army there to repell the attack and there's nothing wrong in showing solidarity to that force, however right now these guys and girls are on the ground in Iraq engaged in, well frankly who knows what at this stage and if companies such as starbucks wish to make a political statement saying that, "we absolutely do not support this war", then more power to them so far as I'm concerned. All too often it seems as though the moment anybody anywhere says anything anti-war they're immediately pounsed upon as trators. I remember a few years ago one of the members of Dixie Chicks while on tour in London dared to say on stage that the band was anti-war, anti-violence and that they were ashamed that George W Bush was from Texas. Immediately after this statement was made another of the band members went on to say that the band was 100% behind all American troups in Iraq. Yet even so the backlash was little short of terrifying. Band members received death threats and there was even a demonstration held to which former Chicks fans brought along Dixie Chicks CD's that they'd previously bought to have them crushed by a bulldozer, and all this remember because they'd actually dared to make a statement saying that they believed the war in Iraq was wrong. The funny thing was that when ever I actually asked American friends about this, people who strongly believed that the band shouldn't have made these statements, when I asked them why they shouldn't have done, all they could ever say was, because they're musicians and they shouldn't be abusing their positions of power like that. Now let's be honest here, that's no reason at all. They made one simple statement, and for their troubles received threats of death and sparked mass histerior and if that isn't a much worse form of abuse, then I don't know what is. They had every right to say what they said. If you as an individual didn't agree with that and so no longer wished to show the band support by buying their music then fair enough, but anything more than that was a massive overreaction.
The troups in Iraq currently do have a choice after all, if they don't like what they're doing then they're not being forced to stay in the army so in this instance, so far as I'm concerned, support for them does equate to support for the war in general. As for Starbucks coffee, it they want some that badly, leave the army, go home and buy some like the rest of America has too.
Personally, I think that what the Dixie Chicks did there was nothing more than a Marilyn Mansonesque publicity stunt. I mean, before that whole denouncing of bush and the war, I didn't know who they were. And I agree that the band has every right not to suppor t the war. Likewise, the fans have every right not to support the band if they don't want too. Therein is why I don't support Starbucks. I wasn't denying their right not to support the war or the troops. But they've lost me as a customer.
Besides, look at the Dixie Chicks' fanbase. Before this, who listened to them? Because it sure wasn't the peace loving, war protesting hippy teenagers of our time. They were eyecandy for country western fans. And when your clientelle is leaning a certain way based on the genre of music you play, then keeping your conflicting political views to yourself is nothing short of common sense. I'm sure you've all figured it out by now, I'm as patriotic, military backing and as pledge resighting of an american as the most well dressed, clean cut suburban debate clubber. And I play goth metal with my band. I realize that for the most part, people coming to see our shows are these super antiauthoritarian high school and college students, so I keep my views out of my music.
So while the fans of the Dixie Chicks admittedly overreacted, I don't know what they were expecting to happen.
I'm totally with Stygian Gothic on this one. I do understand that Starbucks had a right to decline the troops, though I think that was despicable of them. therefore, I as a consumerhave the right to not support Starbucks.
And leaving the military isn't as simple as some seem to think. Anyone who has any family or friends currently in the military would know that. I understand not agreeing with why we're over there. I don't think we should be, either. But we are, and blaming the guys who are on the ground is not fair. If you don't like it, then push for the political change here at home to get us out of there, not bash the troops.
Damn, there are some wild theories out there regarding Bush, I'll tell you that. While I don't like what he's done, I don't think the conspiracy theories hold any weight whatsoever. Well written, Stygian! Stand to your guns, man.