Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Corporate Support of Repubs vs. Dems

BEFORE YOU SHOP!

Be aware which corporations helped re-elect Bush and which support Democrats. Vote with your pocketbook this holiday season. With the holidays upon us, some of us might wish to be mindful of who we patronize relative to their 2000 Election Cycle political donations, as reported by the Center for Responsive Politics. [Would be interesting to have the 2004 statistics, but they seem not to be available yet.]

Shopping?

Price Club/Costco donated $225K, of which 99% went to democrats;
WalMart, $467K, 97% to republicans;
K-Mart, $524K, 86% to republicans;
Home Depot, $298K, 89% to republicans;
Target, $226K, 70% to republicans;
Circuit City Stores, $261K, 95% to republicans;
Rite Aid, $517K, 60% to democrats;
Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean), $22K, 100% to democrats;
3M Co., $281K, 87% to republicans;
Hallmark Cards, $319K, 92% to republicans;
Amway, $391K, 100% republican;
Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures), $283K, 100% republicans;
Warnaco (undergarments), $55K, 73% to democrats;
B.F. Goodrich (tires), $215K, 97% to republicans;
Proctor & Gamble, $243K, 79% to republicans;
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, $153K, 99% to democrats;
Estee Lauder, $448K, 95% to democrats;
Guess ? Inc., $145K, 98% to democrats;
Calvin Klein, $78K, 100% to democrats;
Liz Claiborne, Inc., $34K, 97% to democrats;
Levi Straus, $26K, 97% to democrats;
Olan Mills, $175K, 99% to democrats.

Spirits?

Coors, $174K, 92% to republicans (and he is anti-Semitic); (also Budweiser - sd)
Gallo Winery, $337K, 95% to democrats;
Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills, Korbel wines - as well as Lennox China, Dansk, Gorham Silver), $644, 80% to republicans;
Southern Wine & Spirits, $213K, 73% to democrats;
Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons (includes beverage business, plus considerable media interests), $2M+, 67% democrats.

Hungry?

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (chicken), $366K, 100% republican;
Outback Steakhouse, $641K, 95% republican;
Sonic Corporation, $83K, 98% democrat;
Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), $133K, 87% republican;
Brinker International (Maggiano's, Brinker Cafe, Chili's, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Crazymel's, Corner Baker, EatZis), $242K, 83% republican;
Triarc Companies (Arby's, T.J. Cinnamon's, Pasta Connections), $112K, 96% democrats;
Waffle House, $279K, 100% republican;
McDonald's Corp., $197K, 86% republican;
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze), $121K, 89% republican;

Hyatt Corporation, $187K, 80% to democrats;
Marriott International, $323K, 81% to republicans;
Holiday Inns, $38K, 71% to republicans

Margi Dunlap
Executive Director

International Institute of San Francisco
(415) 538-8110 - phone
(415) 538-8111 - fax
mdunlap@iisf.org

Saturday, December 04, 2004

The Great Peace March

I'm going to see Holly Near tonight! She is my all time favorite singer ever.

GREAT PEACE MARCH

Ancient eyes are watching in the night
The stars come out to guide the way
The sun still shines despite the clouds
And the dawn is dusk is dawn is dusk is day

Farmers rise and dream to feed the world
The world awakes to feed the heart
Hearts beat while a thousand flags are waving
And the farmer sees a dream has played a part

Chorus:
We will have peace, we will because we must
We must because we cherish life
And believe it or not, as daring as it may seem
It is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path
Neither the first nor the last great peace march
Life is a great and mighty march
Forever for love and for life on the great peace march

Are you black like night or red like clay
Are you gold like sun or brown like earth
Grey like mist or white like moon
My love for you is the reason for my birth

Peace can start with just one heart
From a small step to leaps and bounds
A walk becomes a race for time
And a brave child calls out from the crowd