SwiftVets.com

mach9 · Seaman Apprentice Joined: 05 Oct 2004 Posts: 97

Big Beef About Sinclair's Anti-Kerry Plans
Burger King says: Hold everything!
This just in from the presidential election's front lines:

Sinclair's Swift boat, its specially outfitted video cannon bristling as it steams toward the battleground state of Ohio, has been heavily damaged by anti-flak weapons and is changing course.

According to media reports, Sinclair is in such a pickle that it may be unable to fire the special anti-Kerry weapon. As usual with 21st century warfare reporting, those reports are highly misleading.

One of New York City's major burghers, state comptroller Alan Hevesi, who controls a bundle of Sinclair shares, attacked the company—the nation's largest TV-station conglomerate—for launching the attack because the move was imperiling its stock market value.

But it was a bigger burger—Burger King, in fact—that lobbed the biggest grenade at Sinclair. The fast-food giant announced that it was withdrawing all its ads from all Sinclair stations all day on the date the weapon is broadcast—now scheduled for Friday, October 22.

"Burger King wants to maintain neutrality during this election," spokesman Eric Anderson told Bill Carter of The New York Times.

This is believed to be the first time the fast-food giant has come out publicly against whoppers.

Hevesi, who by himself controls the huge New York State Common Retirement Fund, which owns more than 250,000 shares of Sinclair, wrote a nasty letter to company CEO David D. Smith, the Times and the Associated Press reported. His letter, according to the AP, included this riff:

Given the stock's already poor performance, it would seem that any bad news would risk reducing investor interest and, thus, risk a lower stock price.
Hevesi also questioned the independence of Sinclair's directors, according to stock market rules. Yeah, well, I did the same thing yesterday, in this Bush Beat item.

Sinclair's stock took another hit on Wall Street yesterday.

But the real impetus for this firestorm was the courageous stand of Sinclair's Washington bureau chief, Jon Leiberman, who went all medieval Beale on his bosses. Leiberman got fired for speaking out. Thing is, the rest of the media just don't seem to get it.

They're reporting this morning that Sinclair has "backed off" because it won't air the entire pseudo-doc Stolen Honor, as it originally planned to. (The Times' headline early this morning: "Broadcaster Plans to Show Only Parts of Film.") But Leiberman finally became enraged because he knew that such a plan, which already had been announced, doesn't mean Sinclair has "backed off." The chain is still going ahead with a show, but the pseudo-doc's anti-Kerry rants will be camouflaged by a thin coating of "coverage" and other material that Sinclair ordered its news department to put together. That's what got Leiberman the most upset, and rightly so.

It's still a powerful weapon—maybe even more powerful than if Sinclair had simply aired the pseudo-doc's rant that Kerry "betrayed" his fellow Vietnam War vets three decades ago by coming out against the war and detailing atrocities committed by fellow soldiers.

Couched as "coverage," Sinclair's latest plan for the anti-Kerry attack gives too much play to a non-issue, moving it out of the realm of commentary and into "news."

Sinclair is of course defiant. Its news veep, Joe DeFeo, said, according to AP, "We have not ceded, and will not in the future cede, control of our news reporting to any outside organization or political group."

Does this avowal of journalistic integrity also mean that Sinclair's owners and executives will stop pouring money and propaganda into George W. Bush's campaign?

posted: 08:01 AM

jataylor11 · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:44 pm Post subject:

I don't go to Burger King anyway ... so now I have just one more reason not to support their business.

Barbie2004 · Commander Joined: 18 Sep 2004 Posts: 338

Boycot Burger King!

Email Burger King!

http://www.bk.com/CompanyInfo/contact_us.aspx

kimberly · PO2 Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 377

I could not find anywhere on that link that give an e-mail address for BK. In fact, what I did find is text that reads they do not accept e-mails.

We should organize a boycott of Burger King on Friday and call them to let them know why. If the dems can protest at the theaters and keep them from showing SH, what stops us from doing the same at BK's across the country?

Kimberly

Spiess · Lieutenant Joined: 30 Jul 2004 Posts: 246

Neutrality huh? Look at this off thier WEB SITE!

BURGER KING® is making headlines daily. You can visit the Fact Sheet Library or learn about our Executive Team.

View the News Release Archives: 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998

10/19/2004
Burger King Corporation Adds Another 'Voice' to Awareness Campaign Motivating Young Americans to Vote
Eve Adds Her Voice to Some of the Hottest, Most Recognized Artists In the Music Industry — P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Michelle Branch and Ted Nugent — to Urge Young Voters to 'Have It Their Way' and Vote in the Upcoming Election
If you support free vote then what about FREE speech

GeorgiaBoy · Seaman Apprentice Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 97

Check out this Burger King news release dated 10/14/2004

Edited: OOPS thought they were connected to MTV... Nevermind. But still do the below anyway!

No wonder they pulled their advertising... Boycott Friday? H*** no, BOYCOT FOREVER!

marciam · Seaman Recruit Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Posts: 3

Write a letter:
Burger King Corporate Office
5505 Blue Lagoon Drive
Miami, FL 33126
Director of Advertising
I'm furious about this. I was about to boycott them anyway for that inane ad with the guy in the King costume. Now I have a better reason.

wednesdaychild · PO3 Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Posts: 276

Buger Krap (pun intended) lost my business a long time ago. I won't eat that crap. But i will be glad to send an email and tell them I'm boycotting and why
_________________
"...for the good of believing in life after birth..."
Jim Steinman

dmackto · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:40 pm Post subject:

There is a BK 3 blocks from my house and my kid asks me every day CAN WE STOP AT BURGER KING and about once a week I do. Did. Never again. Not in this lifetime.
Evil or Very Mad

_________________
Deborah
The FROZEN CHICKEN Journal

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure.
- Winston Churchill

shadowy · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:15 am Post subject:

I preferred BK to the other fast food outlets in my area, but that was before I found out what they're doing with my money.
If we could just stop supporting some of the corporations with a liberal crusading agenda, we could dry up some of their poll lawyer fund and 527 money.

msindependent · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:33 am Post subject:

snail mail or a phone call, no email. i will never eat there again.

RA19667585 · Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:38 am Post subject:

Years ago some of my friends thought I was way out because I refused to go to any movie that had Jane Fonda in it. Now I will refuse to ever go to Burger King again. We ought to boycot Hollywood too while we are at it.

southerndelite · Seaman Recruit Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 42

The next time I will purchase anything from Burger King will be the first day hell freezes over and the devil is giving free sled rides. Evil or Very Mad

Rdtf · CNO Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 2209 Location: BUSHville

if we have ever done anything, we have to get the message to Burger King that they made a terrible mistake. Seems everyone is underestimating the power of the internet as an information and team building source. We have to show those fools that almost 50% of America is a whole lot of business to lose to remain 'neutral' during this election as they say. How stupid do they think we are?!

I've had it!

xeniadif · Seaman Recruit Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 24

I could find no link to e-mail. So I went to the corp web site.
Then went to the Executive Team site. Then I called the corp main number...which is 1-305-378-3000. Then I punched in the first few letters of the person I was trying to reach. In my case John Chidsey since Greg Brennemans vm was not available. I then left him a voice mail. It was only a 45 second vm which I am sure did not cost very much. I was respectful with the message I left and left a return phone number.

Greg Brenneman — Chief Executive Officer, Burger King Corporation

John W. Chidsey — President, North America, Burger King Corporation

Steve C. DeSutter — Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Burger King Corporation

Dave Gagnon — Senior Vice President, Company Operations, Burger King Corporation

Russ Klein — President, Burger King Brands, Inc. & Executive Vice President, Chief Global Marketing Officer, Burger King Corporation

Clyde Rucker — Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President, Diversity, Burger King Corporation

Peter C. Smith — Chief Human Resources Officer, Burger King Corporation

Jim Hyatt — Senior Vice President, U.S. Franchise Operations, Burger King Corporation

Nish Kankiwala — President, Burger King International