Important Info about General Mills, SINCLAIR, and GOP

[AnIndependentTexan]

http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp1.asp?txtName=general+mills

Soft money donors found for general mills:

1998 election to GOP=$15,500
1998 election to DEM=0

2000 election to GOP=$2,500
2000 election to DEM=0

Also:

General Mills 2004 PAC

Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates (19% to Democrats, 81% to Republicans)

http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strid=C00062646&cycle=2004

General Mills 2000 PAC

Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates (list recipients)
(19% to Democrats, 81% to Republicans)
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strid=C00062646&cycle=2000

Also:

General Mills is the second largest contributor in the Food Products Manufactoring industry: $97,211, 30% to Dems, 70% to Reps http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=G2100

General Mills' lobbying expenditures in 2000: $920,000 http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clien...=9143&year=2000

[Birthday]

1. Time to change

to organic cereals anyway. We don't need General Mills.

[Ruby Romaine]

2. General Mills owns Cascadian Farms organic- boycott them too please

[progressivebydesign]

3. Damn!!! I LOVE their blueberries!!!

Are you sure? They own that little farm in Washington, really? :(

[Ruby Romaine]

6. also Muir Glen (organic tomato products)- tell your local food co-op!

http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/brand.aspx?catID=52

[mcg]

8. Is Industrial Organic Really Organic?

Interesting article:

<http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/industrial080301.cfm>

I smell a rat with General Mills buying out these companies while at the same time supporting the most anti-environmental president ever. My guess is that they are lobbying for a redefinition of what the word organic means. The Bush regime is already at it.

[gardenista]

10. Damn, damn, damn! I have to give up my fave tomatoes and cherries?

This is gonna hurt, but I'll do it!

[union_maid]

4. Oy...no more Cheerios for hubby

How does Kellogg's do? I have to have cereal for him. He's diabetic and he needs to start the day with something whole grain and he doesn't like most of the natural/organic type brands.

[Lindacooks]

12. Try Malt-O-Meal

tastes exactly the same, and are much cheaper. They have 'knock-offs' of all the big brand cereals.

http://www.malt-o-meal.com/PRODUCTS.HTM

[City Lights]

5. When I emailed them, I included a list of all the GM products I

used to use. (I cut and pasted names from their website.) It probably won't make a difference, but I included it anyway, just for the drama.

[Ruby Romaine]

7. note the small "G" in the right hand corner

http://www.muirglen.com/default.asp

[Iceburg]

9. Don't let them off the hook ....be clear in your demands

Just fired this off to GM

Subject: Sinclair Situation -- Silence is for a day is not an appropriate response

Dear Ms Foster,

My family has been a consumer of your products for over two generations. We also hold your stock in our financial portfolios. Sadly, we are about to part ways.

In a few days, the Sinclair Broadcasting Group (a network in which your company advertises) will air a very calumnious film that maliciously and knowingly distorts the record of presidential candidate John Kerry. The film, “Stolen Honor” will be force-fed to Sinclair’s 62 stations and its affiliates under the guise of “news” to avoid any in-depth scrutiny by the FCC. This film is neither news nor fact. Whether you personally are a Bush supporter or a Kerry supporter, I’m sure that you would agree that forcing stations to air such denigrating propaganda on the eve of an election has only one purpose in mind.

If the FCC is no longer willing or able to uphold the principles of fairness, then we the people (the conscientious viewers and advertisers) are left with a “neighbor watch” type approach to ensure good conduct and integrity over the air waves. To that end, a grass roots boycott of potentially tsunamic proportions is gathering momentum over the internet. Its reach will extend beyond the US borders – and it already has with my Canadian family. The 2004 elections are important not only to Americans but to most non-Americans as well. While my Canadian family is in the top 1% income bracket, we never forget how we came to be so fortunate and thus take our citizen responsibilities very seriously – honesty, integrity and good judgment. We have been most loyal patrons of General Mills products, not just because the products are great but more importantly because we support your company’s belief in ethics and integrity – “We recognize and respect the cultures, customs and practices of our consumers and customers in nations around the world.” This consumer does recognize and respect fairness. We also recognize deceit and complicity.

My question then is this: Will General Mills honor its core values or sit on the sidelines in silence complicit with the Sinclair deed?

We do recognize that the dynamics of this situation are fluid. That said, neither silence nor a tepid position (such as not advertising during the program) is an appropriate response in this situation.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Junior: “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.“ Respectfully, if GMs sits in silence, we will honor our core values and thus discontinue our relationship (stocks and products) with our friend – General Mills

There is no need to respond to this letter, as anything short of severing the General Mills/Sinclair relationship permanently and publicly shall be treated as an act of complicity with the Sinclair disgrace.

Canadians indeed are simple, but we are not simple minded.


With respect,

[Vincardog]

11. You bd know that Pepsoco owns General Mills don't you?