Lipton Tea recently announced its sponsorship of the Dixie Chicks world tour. I think every American should write and demand that Lipton withdraw its support of anti-American rhetoric by Americans. Essentially, Lipton is helping provide the platform for Americans to go to other countries to attack their fellow countrymen back home:
Here's how to write them:
letters.liptontusa@unilever.com
Lipton tea is owned by Unilever: Unilever US
Lever House
390 Park Avenue
New York
N.Y. 10022-4698
Tel :- +1 212 888 1260
Fax :- +1 212 906 4666
Email :- paul.wood@unilever.com
Email :- nancy.goldfarb@unilever.com
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Here's a relevant thread, and here's a response I posted
I'm writing to you as the sponsors, through Lipton companies, of the Dixie Chicks' World Tour.
Tonight I read of their comments- made not in this country, but rather, overseas- which I interpeted as anti-American in nature, and which I believe give aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States.
I take offense that these performers see fit to spout their anti-American feelings under the Lipton umbrella, and I hope you share my disgust. I have been a customer of Lipton my entire life, and have several Lipton and Unilever products on my shelf as I write this.
I went so far as to go to Dixie Chicks' website thinking that the news accounts I read were mistaken and instead found the quotes below:
From the Dixie Chicks
"We've been overseas for several weeks and have been reading and following the news accounts of our governments' position. The anti-American sentiment that has unfolded here is astounding. While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost."
Maines further stated, "I feel the President is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."
Perhaps Ms Maines is unaware that Iraq was defeated by the US in 1991, and has violated the terms of its surrender- and 17 subsequent UN resolutions defining the terms of compliance. I don't expect someone of her obvious intellectual dearth to understand the compexities of current events.
Surely the employees of Unilever and its subsidiaries understand the complexities of current events. And that Ms Maines holds a minority view. She's on your dime, folks.
I'll be the first to stand up to defend anyone's right to free speech, but I don't see this as a free-speech issue. Ms Maines' political sentiments are hers; using her position as a celebrity to further those aims is a questionable pursuit when such statements put soldiers who protect her rights in harm's way. Like my sister, my brother-in-law, and several close friends.
What the Dixie Chicks have done is nothing short of treasonous
Unless Unilever and Lipton clearly, meaningfully and immediately repudiate the sentiments expressed by the Dixie Chicks - and stop funding this treason and I do mean immediately- I will clear my shelves of your products and join or start a grassroots movement to mount a groundswell against this outrage. Your products will join the Dixie Chicks' CDs in the garbage under my kitchen sink
I've blind-copied this letter to my entire address book, and I look forward to your comments.
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