So, last week, a large swathe of NY and NJ was hit very hard by Hurricane Sandy leaving ten of thousands permanently homeless, hundreds of thousands without electricity, and millions without gasoline and other basic necessities. The main oil refinery in Linden, New Jersey was damaged to such an extent that gasoline supplies are fast being depleted with no timetable when it will start producing gasoline again. And worst of all, included destruction is our supply of adult beverages because the main beverage distribution center was wiped out and all the adult beverages were destroyed [see photo above]. But FEMA has been here to help people apply for aid...no actual aid - no blankets, precious little food or clothing, but hey, there's a website where you can sign up...if you have electricity.
This week the same area was hit with a classic "Nor'East'er" shutting down the same areas and pounding us with 50+ mile an hour winds and 3+ feet of snow and near freezing tempuratures. This left many of the same people who had just had their electricity restored after eight day, without electricity again, freezing temperatures, and very little gasoline to power generators. But hey, the Red Cross brought cookies and hot chocolate, some even supplied blankets! FEMA shut down because of the bad weather...
As a result, Governor Christie has mandated '70's style odd/even gas rationing plan, Governor Cuomo has all disappeared except to make vague threats to the power companies, but Mayor Bloomberg has been very busy. In light of all the destruction, he sprang into action by banning charitable food donations to homeless shelters because of the unknown salt/fiber/nutritional content of the donated food...seriously.
Next week...the Zombie Apocalypse begins. Please send vodka...
Just a few announcements:
1. Thanks to StanH for the suggestion, Commentarama is compiling a list of companies, organizations, and service providers for our Commentarama-BS Boycott. I am currently going through donor lists by industry on opensecrets.com to locate who gave overwhelmingly to the Democrats. This is just a start. Please feel to include more.
Here are few to consider who gave generously to BS:
Walt Disney Co.
Comcast Corp.
Time Warner
DreamWorks SKG
Microsoft
Google, inc.
Intel. Corp
IBM Corp.
Apple Inc.
Ebay Inc.
2. Please send the names of good Red State companies to bolster.
3. Don't forget about our Commentarama-nary! Still have work to do to update with many wonderful new additions from the last few weeks.
This week the same area was hit with a classic "Nor'East'er" shutting down the same areas and pounding us with 50+ mile an hour winds and 3+ feet of snow and near freezing tempuratures. This left many of the same people who had just had their electricity restored after eight day, without electricity again, freezing temperatures, and very little gasoline to power generators. But hey, the Red Cross brought cookies and hot chocolate, some even supplied blankets! FEMA shut down because of the bad weather...
As a result, Governor Christie has mandated '70's style odd/even gas rationing plan, Governor Cuomo has all disappeared except to make vague threats to the power companies, but Mayor Bloomberg has been very busy. In light of all the destruction, he sprang into action by banning charitable food donations to homeless shelters because of the unknown salt/fiber/nutritional content of the donated food...seriously.
Next week...the Zombie Apocalypse begins. Please send vodka...
Just a few announcements:
1. Thanks to StanH for the suggestion, Commentarama is compiling a list of companies, organizations, and service providers for our Commentarama-BS Boycott. I am currently going through donor lists by industry on opensecrets.com to locate who gave overwhelmingly to the Democrats. This is just a start. Please feel to include more.
Here are few to consider who gave generously to BS:
Walt Disney Co.
Comcast Corp.
Time Warner
DreamWorks SKG
Microsoft
Google, inc.
Intel. Corp
IBM Corp.
Apple Inc.
Ebay Inc.
2. Please send the names of good Red State companies to bolster.
3. Don't forget about our Commentarama-nary! Still have work to do to update with many wonderful new additions from the last few weeks.
86 comments:
Thanks for this list Bev!
If y'all are looking for an alternative to Google searching, I suggest "startpage.com". I think it uses Google underneath, but the important thing is that there is no tracking of any kind. Your search is submitted to Google (or whoever) completely anonymously. Last year, I stopped using Google and gmail entirely because of their totalitarian tracking policies.
Also, with respect to Intel (didn't know they were Dem donors), for years I've been buying all my laptops with AMD chips instead of Intel. Mostly to save money. They work just as well as Intel chips.
Bev, I'm so sorry for your loss. Maybe we can arrange a little bootlegging to help our Northeastern cousins in need?
Bev, Excellent work on the boycott list!
Pitts, Google runs the world, don't badmouth Google, they know where you live and they have no compunction about whacking you!
Pitts, the only caveat with Google is that Blogger is a Google product and FYI I am typing this on my Apple IPad.
Thanks! Andrew I am only done the "Communication and Utilities" industry, but there is much more to come.
Bev, Tech companies are hard because there is no reasonable non-liberal alternative. But I think the list will be much more useful when it comes to restaurants, clothing companies, groceries, cars, and consumer goods generally.
you are right Andrew. If I want tv service, I am stuck with Time Warner Cable. I have no option. I will work on restaurant, et al.
For your ice cream needs, (I know, it's winter...but it will be summer again.) boycott Ben & Jerry's, eat at Cold Stone Creamery (AZ based) instead. Also, buy tires from Discount. That's all I have for now.
Tam, Excellent addition! I like Cold Stone and I'm totally willing to boycott Ben & Jerry's.
Hey guys,
I thought it was only blue states that we need to boycott. Not industries which only do it under duress. Remember Microsoft being targeted during the Clinton Era? It was because they didn't donate to the Democrats.
Joel - I'm just giving information. It would be unreasonable to boycott Google, Microsoft, Intel, - not of us could work or live at all, nor could we continue this blog on Blogger...
But then you don't want to know what I think of Bill Gates either...
What's a "BS boycott"?
I'm apparently late to the party so I'll assume the "boycotts don't work against multinationals" point has already be brought up.
Personally, I think a better strategy would be to start making it a Tea Party plank that companies that pander to crony capitalists will be shamed. They should also be made to pay a heavy price if/when a conservative occupies the White House again but that policy should never be made explicit for obvious reasons.
K, "BS Boycott" stands for "Blue State Boycott." Probably not the best acronym, but it's fitting. :)
I'm totally in favor of shaming companies, but ideally, I'd like to see conservatives start boycotting blue state businesses.
Joel, The idea ultimately would be to boycott anyone who supports liberalism and the Democrats. Obviously, that can't be done with everyone, but every little bit helps.
I think the key is to find conservative-friendly alternatives.
Yes, Andrew, and the perfect example is buying AZ made Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream over Vermont made Ben & Jerry's. We really need more examples like that.
Bev, do you mean "BS" as in "Captain BS"? Just making sure.
They sell a lot of Cold Stone Creamery around here, but I haven't bought any. Maybe I should.
Oh, never mind. (Read the comments first, T-Rav....)
T-Rav - It's no fun if you read the comments first AND if you comment back to yourself...;-)
Okay, this is interesting...I know that it is not going anywhere, but it's official!
Both the citizens of Texas and Louisiana are petitioning the Obama Administration for right to secede...
These are official petitions that the Gov't must respond to -
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-texas-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/BmdWCP8B
and
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-louisiana-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/1wrvtngl
Bev, That's the perfect example -- the ice creams. We need more examples like that!
(As an aside, Ben & Jerry's is actually British now, but it's the same difference... all socialists.)
Bev, They're doing it backwards. They should petition for the right to throw slacker states (like California) out!!
Bev, I've got one for now. The owner had some excellent radio ads before the election. I contacted him about his ads because I wanted to know if there was a way to hear them again (when they are not on the radio). He said if you go to the site, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page "to hear political ads click here". He said he really only had ONE person that was complaining, but got a lot of support from others.
http://thefutonfactoryinc.com/
I didn't know if you wanted me to put this into HTML, that's why I didn't.
Cold Stone from Arizona?!!! Guess that gives an additional reason to visit Arizona, aside from the Grand Canyon!!!
But seriously, I do admire Cold Stone Creamery, and I found Ben & Jerry's a little pricey for ice cream to begin with.
To the list, I would also add Facebook, yeah, the enterprise is definitely not neutral! Anyways, in PA, if anyone ever visits some place in PA, being from the area, I could offer some suggestions for family owned and operated businesses in the area, after all, it's my home territory.
I have another thing to ask. Tam mentioned something about being reasonably prepped (or something like that) for what lies ahead. Is anybody willing to start a list of essential items? I'm the lone ranger here, and don't know where to start. I don't have the time to do a lot of research, and don't want to have to sift through useless information--things that sound good, but aren't practical.
Zombie Jamboree take place in a New York Cemetery. Zombies from all parts of the island- some of them were great Calypsonians. 'tis the season when they all got together in bacchanal . . back to back, belly to belly at the Zombie Jamboree
The Kingston Trio 1959
Okay, we have to add chain restaurants - Applebee's, Red Lobster, Papa John's, and Olive Garden. They have stated for months that they may have to either freeze hiring or cut workers' hours because of the looming Obamacare tax increases/penalties.
Liberals have called for boycotting these restaurants because they are just mean and UnAmerican, and should WANT to pay more taxes...
BTW - Applebee's is giving free lunches to all current military and veterans tomorrow in honor of Veterans Day. Apparently they do this every year. The bastards...
Jed,
They're rioting in Africa.
There's strife in Irain.
There's hurricanes in Florida,
and we all need rain.
But we can be grateful
And thankful and proud
That man has been endowed
With a mushroom shaped cloud.
Kingston Trio
If Texas or Louisiana secede from the U.S., I suggest a collective move. (Only if it's Louisiana, don't settle around Shreveport. My aunt and uncle say that place sucks.)
T-Rav - We can go to Texas. Trust me, Texans will not let Louisiana secede before THEY do! Secession is what Texans dream about and live for! We are taught as very young children about secession and that WE alone have it in our state charter that Texas can secede or split into 5 states. Trust me...if there's secession in the air, Texas will go first!! Remember the Alamo!!!!
Folks, seriously, don't seceded, toss out the short-bus states like California and Massachusetts. Everything will be great after that.
Speaking of Iran, I went and saw Argo this afternoon while everyone else was busy watching 007. It was a pretty good movie. Not great, but good. The one thing that annoyed me was that early on, there was a lot of talk about how the U.S. supported the Shah and that was so terrible, with the implication we deserved the embassy crisis or something. They tamped that down by the second half of the movie, though.
It is a very intense movie. Seriously, even though you kinda know how it will end, it does such a good job of building tension, there really is an edge-of-your-seat feel. Further proof that Affleck is a better director than actor (either that or he's improved in general over time).
Oh, okay, Andrew, you spoilsport! California and maybe Hawaii would be better. They are easier to disconnect from the mothership.
Speaking of states, there's been precious little talk about Puerto Rico's vote for statehood.
Bev, Let's hope that never happens. That would be two more reliable Democrats in the Senate and 3-4 Democrats in the House.
P.S. I always liked that line... "disconnect from the mothership." :)
Maybe it's the landlockedness talking, or the fact that Texas culture just doesn't work for me, but I agree with Andrew, kick out Cali.
Better yet, as liberal and backwards as that state is, there must be a way to establish residency without actually living there. Maybe we should all do that so we can upset their elections.
Also, I put this in the comments the last time it came up, but ConAgra Foods is based in Omaha and they make pretty much everything, so grocery shopping under the BS Boycott will be easy. According to opensecrets.org, majority of their employees' donations went to Romney.
tryanmax, Plus, since you don't need an ID and voting more than once isn't really frowned upon, we should get a mass registration drive going and then mess with the state. I say we vote straight party communist in 2014 for California! :)
Good call on ConAgra.
We should boycott Heinz... John Kerry's wife owns them and they are from Pennsylvania.
Andrew, and it just so happens that ConAgra owns Hunt's. (Better ketchup in my opinion, anyway.) I don't think you could name much that they don't have covered.
My personal favorite: La Choy. There's nothing like chop suey from a can on a rainy day. Or maybe that's just me. LOL!
Yeah, that is just you! LOL!
I'll switch to Hunt's. It's cheaper anyway.
I wonder how we get our BS Boycott noticed?
If I knew that, I'd be a millionaire. I suppose if everyone from Commentarama links to it in 10 different places, that's a good start. If you know anybody that forwards every email they ever get to everybody they've ever met, make sure to put it in an email to them. On Facebook, some people will forward it just to call it stupid, while spreading it all the same. You know more about Amazon than I do, but it looks to me like there is some ePamphleteering going on, there. ?????
I boycotted Heinz ketchup years ago (2004), so it doesn't matter to me.
Andrew, if you are serious abut having Rush notice our boycott, somebody give me a script to say (don't want to mess it up), and I'll try to get through. Even if it never makes it on air, you still have to talk to the call screener first. He can always pass it on.
We'll have to think of a distribution strategy once we get a decent list.
We should invent a think tank with a nice letter head that we can fax the list to newspapers and radio stations. And even though we dislike them, try to get the plan to the infowars type sites. You know they and their followers will run with it.
The more I think on it, it's really more about the demographics than the channels. Get it to the right demo, and they'll find the channels.
Chick-Fil-A on the "buy" list? I didn't see it, unless I missed something.
>>We should boycott Heinz ... >>
I don't care how much Theresa wrecked her good Senator hubby's family name, and I'll do anything else on this Boycott/Buycott, even start going to the amazingly overpriced Coldstone's (been giving Ben & Jerry's the finger since they threw support behind the OWS crowd).
However, till Hunt's ketchup doesn't taste like third-rate spaghetti sauce, you'll have to pry the Heinz brands from this Western Pennsylvanian's cold, dead hands.
First step, come up with a usable list of companies to avoid, why to avoid them (location/support liberal causes) and then quality alternatives.
Then we can worry about spreading it around.
Eric, LOL! Yeah, sadly, Hunt's ketchup is nowhere near as good as Heinz. What if you stole the ketchup rather than buy it? That would work! :)
Oh, that's right about Ben & Jerry's, they were supporters of OWS, weren't they?
Re: ketchup, how about an extensive label-switching scheme? Have your cake (or sauce) and eat it too!
Hmm. That could be a new line of work! Ketchup piracy!!
So I'm alone on the Hunt's thing, eh? Oh well, more for me.
BTW, I'll hold all you Heinz sympathizers responsible when the coup fails.
Oh, and what do you bet that the president pronounces coup, "coop"?
Okay, I'm out.
I'll do the Hunt's thing. Or go into the ketchup piracy business and make sure that any sales of Heintz go to Hunts! :)
A BS boycott might start with not spending any money on Ben Affleck movies.
Okay, I am adding all of your products to my spreadsheet with the reasons why they are on the buy or boycott list. Good stuff, People!, keep it coming!
Here is a link to ConAgra's website where you can search for products in your area - http://www.conagrafoods.com/consumer/brands/featured-products.jsp
Oh, and Tryanmax - I am Switzerland on the Heinz issue. I'm not much of a ketchup fan. Or is that Catsup? Just spelling it annoys me. ;-)
But then again, Heinz makes other products that we can probably live without.
Right-leaning companies? The companies that pops in mind that might be are Domino’s Pizza, Walmart, Cola-cola, Ford, In-N-Out, Jelly Belly, Staples, Texas Instruments, the infamous Heart Attack Grill in Vegas, Chick-Fli-A, and I also heard Whole Foods(which is surprising).
I'm still crying about Costco, giving money to Democrats :(
Severus - WalMart/Sam's Club may have to go too. They gave slightly more to Republicans, but their PAC gave to McCaskill, Hoyer and many lefties. They gave slightly more to Romney than Obama. I will check out the rest...
Severus - Whole Foods is more Ron Paul/libertarian than Republican. If we can live with that, then I will put it on the list. And it IS a Texas based company, but it is based in Austin which is about as blue as one can get.
Up for a vote from the Group...
Jen, I am happy to start a prepper list. I have some good resources. Andrew, would you like me to e-mail it to you? The more people who are prepared the better.
Bev, Here's another thought... Home Depo v. Lowes, and the various department stores with national reach.
Tam, I don't know that we need a prep list?
I was just referring to this comment/request from Jen:
"I have another thing to ask. Tam mentioned something about being reasonably prepped (or something like that) for what lies ahead. Is anybody willing to start a list of essential items? I'm the lone ranger here, and don't know where to start. I don't have the time to do a lot of research, and don't want to have to sift through useless information--things that sound good, but aren't practical."
Tam, I'm not sure a prep list is a good idea because I don't see any realistic possibility of things going that wrong in this country and I really don't want to suggest to people that it could.
Besides, when the revolution comes, everyone from Commentarama will be against the wall. ;-)
Never surrender, tryanmax! Always put the other guy up against the wall first.
Andrew - Both Home Depot AND Lowes have PAC's that gave overwhelmingly to Republicans and both have Corporate headquarters in Red States. Actually Lowes slightly edges out Home Depot, but not by much.
Bev, That's good to know! We need to be sure to include good companies too.
Sorry Bev, some of the companies I listed were from "blue" states, e.g. IN-N-Out and Jelly Belly, but both are from GOP-leaning cities and the latter being a huge fav of Reagan. I got confused with what a "BS boycott" is.
Severus - No problem. I am checking them out and some surprised me that they were GOP leaning and some that have been GOP leaning and were not like WalMart. Sam Walton Sr. certainly was, but Sam Jr. is not. We need to check out ANY company/retailer/etc just for informational purposes so people can make informed choices. No one is going to be shunned if they don't tow the line. Also, you'd be surprised how many GOP leaning companies are in Blue states. So it's not just the fact that they are in a red state or blue state, but that they give their money to right-leaning, conservative-leaning candidates/causes.
And for the record - Jelly Belly Candy gives 100% of it's donations to GOP candidates. I mean, how could they not...Reagan would haunt them.
Tam, thanks. I wasn't suggesting that any of it actually getting posted here, but I am interested in what you have done so far.
I've been hearing crazy stories since the late 90s, and know that people can get stupid when they panic (severe weather anyone?).
My dad complains every time he goes to the grocery store about prices going up (he does the shopping, not my mom). I'm having a tough enough time as it is, and would rather try and get things ahead of time if possible, hence the suggestion of a list from Tam.
Another suggestion of getting the word out of our BS Boycott--how about someone putting it on YouTube? It could be as simple as just text, no visual images. I've never posted, let alone make a video, or I'd do it myself.
Bev, This is an informal boycott. We want people to try to shift their spending, but we're not going to get upset at people who don't.
Jen, Posting something at youtube doesn't do anything to get it known. It's the same as if we post it here.
Andrew, Then what are your suggestions for getting the information beyond what we are doing here? I'm just trying to think of other ways, that's all.
It doesn't have to be anything spectacular. Just simply state what we are doing, and why. Every little bit helps, doesn't it? We have to start somewhere, and no one will be spending any money on advertising. I've already passed some of it on.
This is for Jen...and anyone else who's interested. My sister and I were talking about extreme weather (and zombie invasions) and being prepared for both...we talked about the lessons from Sandy. What did those people need? First think about food and water. Always keep your fridge, freezer, cupboards and cabinets full. Always have a good supply of water and a way to purify it just in case. You need to think about power. Have a good supply of batteries, maybe a camping lantern, perhaps even a small generator so you can at least keep your fridge and freezer running, especially if the power outage comes in summer. You'll also want to be sure you can cook...either have a camp stove or a propane grill. One thing that I hadn't really thought about before was the toilet issue. All those people in apartments in the city who couldn't flush their toilets and had no back yard to go to. There are toilet buckets with bags and tablets for the stink and I think Kitty litter would be good to have on hand for that particular emergency. Your local army surplus store should have everything you need. Also, you may want to check out lds.org under the "provident living" tab for food storage and other preparedness items. The mormons are pretty well organized in that regard!
Jen - Here is my suggestion. Beyond having a battery operated radio, batteries, flashlight, cash (that's big one), and gas up your car, Learn new skills. Though I don't think that the worst will happen, the more you can do for yourself in a crisis/or economic downturn, the better. You know the saying "Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day; Teach a man to fish and he can eat for a lifetime"? Learn to "fish". For instance -
Learn to bake bread rather than buy it. Flour, water, yeast, and salt are much less expensive and go much further than buying a loaf of bread.
Learn to cook in general - it's a skill everyone should have anyway. Learn how to sew. At least you can repair your own clothes. Darning socks and repairing clothes is a lost art/why repair when you can buy new, right?
Learn how to use basic tools - hammers, screw drivers, drills, saws. You should be able to do simple repairs yourself
Learn to build a fire. When the electricity goes out, it's a useful skill. One caveat - don't build one in the middle of your living room. ;-)
Learn basic safety and sanitation -
Self-reliance is key. And the more YOU know how to do, the more useful you are to others. Because if you have to wait to be saved, you are going to end up disappointed, desperate, or dead as many I finding out in NY/NJ right now...
"Flour, water, yeast, and salt are much less expensive and go much further than buying a loaf of bread"
And add sugar and you have cake! Well, you'll need a few other things, but you get my drift...
"Jen, Posting something at youtube doesn't do anything to get it known. It's the same as if we post it here."
Soooo, Andrew, just remember that Algore's cable station is up for sale! ;-)
Jen, don't forget guns, ammo, and target practice. And buy off season. You know, get summer clothes in the fall and winter clothes in the spring.
Oh, and have duct tape...you will always need duct tape. In every disaster movie there's always duct tape that makes all the difference in the survival of the group.
Bev and Tam, Thanks! I was looking for common sense type things, and sometimes I just get brain freeze.
As far as the skills are concerned, I have that base fairly well covered. I've been into crafts (and art) for as long as I can remember. For example:
Fishing--check. I loved to fish when I was younger, and I know how to tie flies now (although I never got a chance to try them out).
Sewing--check. My sewing machine is out right now.
Target practice--Annie Oakley. Just ask my buck that one.
Gardening--wasn't mentioned, but I do that too.
Cooking and baking--check.
Build a fire--check. I love the feel of wood heat.
Another thing to think about for those who have at least a backyard--a mud oven. I told a friend about it, and she thought it was such a cool idea, she ordered a book. No one has done anything about it yet. A good thing to have for baking bread!
I'm also into making things from scratch. My friend was wanting to learn how to spin wool, alpaca, etc., and I'm interested in it too.
There's more, but I'll stop now.
And for us non-city slickers--baling twine! It goes hand and hand with the duct tape (just make sure the cattle don't eat it--a deadly combination).
If I didn't have to sign-in to WhiteHouse.gov, I would have signed the petition for the heckuvit.
My brother says MRE's aren't that bad, (all calorically balanced, or something) and many come with their own heat 'em up things (yeah, I don't pay a lot of attention when he's rambling).
I know that I should shop at HEB instead of Walmart, but the HEB parking lot is not a friendly space. And Walmart is closer to the house...
See, Jen! You are already prepared!
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