BOYCOTT BERKELEY (start of ping list;)

Drango | 2/16/08 | Drango

[Drango]

I started to make a list of Berkeley firms to boycott. I don’t lightly believe that firms should pay the economic price for their city council views, but these firms are the enablers of one of the most repugnant regimes in our history and they unfortunately will be innocent casualties in the campaign. The city could not run without their tax dollars. Thus the boycott is on!

Obviously the German run Bayer, Berkeley’s largest corporate job source is a top choice. http://www.bayerus.com/communities/berkeley/index.html

http://www.jettonconstruction.com/

www.ddorn.com

http://techsafety.com/contactus.html

http://studiobfilms.com/index.html

www.techsoft3d.com

http://www.techsoft3d.com/company/team.html (see bio on Brook Aaron Seaton)

http://www.sightspeed.com/company/our-team

OK how does a boycott work in practice? Let’s use sightspeed as an example. First we dig for information. Here is what 10 minuets of hunting got me. What can others dig up? http://www.sightspeed.com/business/customers

dig, dig, dig… http://digitalmediaupdate.blogspot.com/2007/10/sightspeed-open-for-business-sightspeed.html

Peter D. Csathy email: pcsathy@sightspeed.com; CEO of SightSpeed Inc. (www.sightspeed.com); …. live ….., in sunny San Diego, California; …)

Second we email all the principals. A polite letter. State our case. Ask them to leave Berkeley. Repeat. CC to the Mayor, Chamber of Commerce and the press. We FIRMLY ask them to leave Berkeley. If there is no response we escalate. Email their customers. Escalate. Perhaps we put boots on the ground and picket.

Polite, dignified and steady pressure. Times 10. Times 100. If you are interested please bump this thread or Freepmail me. Eagles up.

A side note: I don’t believe snark or extremely hot rhetoric will achieve what we want. It’s fun to blow off steam here, real fun, but the economic boycott should be above that to achieve success. There are perhaps 100 other Berkeley firms that we need to email or call. From emailing Hilton and asking them to sell the Doubletree at the Berkeley marina, to asking associations not to have a meeting at HS Lordships http://www.hslordships.com/

Let's partner with MoveAmericaForward, GOE, HotAir, LGF and others. Who’s in?

[Melas]

I’m sure you think this is a great idea, but the people who you want to suffer as a result of this won’t. The people who aren’t responsible will. The problem with boycotts of this nature is that they only hurt those who are actually productive.

[jan in Colorado]

Bump, and please add me to the list!

[backtothestreets]

Howdy,

I wasn’t familiar with any of the businesses listed. That got me wondering if there were some businesses in Berkeley I was familiar with. That brought me to check the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. I think you should check their site for a very pleasant surprise. They might be able to assist your effort. Most importantly, you wouldn’t want to bring unintentional, indirect harm upon any businesses that share our views. There could be some strong allies among them. http://www.berkeleychamber.com/

[davidosborne]

bump for later.... good luck with your boycott

[Petruchio]

Bayer has a division that deals with Diabetic testing equipment. The 2 main meters they sell are the CONTOUR® and BREEZE®2. Meters are cheap. The REAL money is in the test strips used with them. The strips are about one dollar EACH. The average Diabetic tests between 3 and 10 times a day. That adds up real fast.

If you use the CONTOUR® or the BREEZE®2 there are many other meters available to use instead. Often you can get a replacement meter for free by contacting the Company, through your Certified Diabetic Educator, or your Doctor.

[Drango]

I’m sure you think this is a great idea...

The merchant tax base supports the City Council. Rather than taking out the trash, the firms encourage it or at least tolerate it, and the filth spreads. I suggest they move, because the objective is to reduce Berkeley to the economic equivalent of Fallujah.

I'm sorry, some individuals will suffer economically in upscale BERKELEY, but there is a young Marine, or a special forces operative overseas... sitting alone in a dark, cold foxhole, wondering if the next bullet has his name on it....wondering if anyone cares. I CARE, as do the 20 thousand other people who signed the petition.

BOYCOTT BERKELEY

[Drango]

I wasn’t familiar with any of the businesses listed.

You don't really need to be. Go to their web site, dig a little and post the emails of the owners, principals and management. Post their names/emails here and they will receive more than one email asking them to leave. Start with gathering the emails of sightspeed if you want.

http://www.sightspeed.com/company/our-team

http://digitalmediaupdate.blogspot.com/2007/10/sightspeed-open-for-business-sightspeed.html

Peter D. Csathy email: pcsathy@sightspeed.com; CEO of SightSpeed Inc

Send Peter an email!!!!!!!! Post it here...I'm off to draft mine now.

[EBH]

Bump to your post.

Very interesting and you are correct that one should be careful to not alienate your allies.

[badgerlandjim]

BTTT!

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

huh, didn’t know that. Cardiac division, eh?

I find aspirin to be the miracle it was touted to be. I take a 325 Bayer every other day for medicinal purposes.

I can take another brand for the short term.

Guess I’ll send them an email

[Melas]

Sorry dude, we’ll never agree. I think it’s going to hurt the little guy who can’t afford to move. He/she probably cringes at the city council’s actions.

The movers and shakers in Berkely will be unaffected by your boycott. Sorry. Can’t support it.

[Drango]

I think it’s going to hurt the little guy

I suspect you are correct...One example is the large convention trade that comes in to town for conventions. There is a waiter serving food, or a housekeeper cleaning a room that will suffer along with the owner of the hotel. But we need to put a perspective on it... Their suffering will be minor relative to the suffering the troops endure. Very minor.

[o_zarkman44]

A good place to start is to notify the Berkley Chamber of Commerce a boycott is inevitable due to the anti military city government. There are plenty of military friendly locations for businesses to move to.
That should grab their attention in the business community.

[o_zarkman44]

Any business that does not want to be hurt should draft a letter to the city government voicing their displeasure and vowing to find suitable replacements.

Like the Muslims who do not speak out against terrorism, the silence of any business would be construed as supporting the city council.

[o_zarkman44]

Any business that does not want to be hurt should draft a letter to the city government voicing their displeasure and vowing to find suitable replacements.

Like the Muslims who do not speak out against terrorism, the silence of any business would be construed as supporting the city council.

[backtothestreets]

"Any business that does not want to be hurt should draft a letter to the city government voicing their displeasure and vowing to find suitable replacements.

Like the Muslims who do not speak out against terrorism, the silence of any business would be construed as supporting the city council."

If the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce site is any indication, they are speaking their minds, but may not be acknowledged by people not residing in Berkeley. Would be a shame to simply write them off if they are trying to dissuade the Berkeley City Council, as their site reflects, simply because they are located in Berkeley.

They are expressing themselves with a pro-military statement. I don't see the connection with Muslims. Where did that come from?

[DCBryan1]

ADD PEET'S COFFEE AND TEA:

Type Public (NASDAQ: PEET)
Founded In 1966 in Berkeley, California
Headquarters Emeryville, California
Key people Alfred Peet, Founder
Industry Processed & Packaged Goods
Products Coffee, tea, and pastries
Revenue $175.2 mill.
(FY2005 net) ($145.7 mill) Employees 2,813 as of Feb. 24, 2006
Website www.peets.com

[Drango]

“A good place to start is to notify the Berkley Chamber of Commerce”

TexasCajun, got an email from them. their response is below.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971356/posts
..........................................................

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has heard from individuals far and wide regarding recent Berkeley City Council actions and we appreciate that the American spirit is alive and robust.

The business community was not notified of pending city council action, nor asked for input.

We ask everyone to try to separate the actions of the City Council and not harm the good, hard-working small business owners - most of whom do not live in Berkeley and therefore cannot vote in Berkeley.

Additionally, we believe that the Berkeley City Council owes an apology to the community and others, whether they be a Marine or a hard-working business owner, folks that are just trying to do their job in this terrible economy, and which is now more difficult because their actions. We feel that granting a parking space in front of the Marine’s office is harassment for them and their neighbors, and should be rescinded.

In the long term, we expect collaboration with the Mayor and City Council when considering actions which may impact our local businesses and community.

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce believes in a community where all voices are heard in a fair manner.

At the same time, we believe that it is NOT in the spirit of free speech to grant favoritism to any viewpoint, whether we agree with that viewpoint or not.

Unfortunately recent City Council actions coincide with a very weak national economy.

As in many cities and towns across America, hard-working business owners, (85% of Berkeley’s businesses) have less than five employees, operate on a thin margin, and rely heavily on their walk-in customers. The housing and credit crisis have resulted in an unstable economy and a risky business environment. Combined with recent council action, our business community is painfully feeling the revenue loss.

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is proud that we promote, connect and strengthen business and community. In short, we are all here to help each other be successful, and to work together to create the best Berkeley possible, one that is inviting and respectful for all.

Berkeley lauds itself as the birthplace of free speech, a tremendous gift to America. We believe it works both ways, and in a fair manner.

Ted Garrett

CEO

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce

[Drango]

Peets has moved across the city line to Emeryville. That's what we want every business to do .

[Mark was here]

Count me in, being in Michigan I will look for your list of national businesses, in the mean time I can help by staying out of Toledo.