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Rodeo Index
CampbellSoupKills.com
From: SHARKONLINE-ORG
10 May 2005
Dear Friends,
I want to give you an update on SHARK's campaign to end Campbell Soup's sponsorship of rodeos.
First, while the www.CampbellCruelty.com web site address is still good, we are changing the name to
www.CampbellSoupKills.com. We don't want to leave any doubt that we are
talking about Campbell Soup, and not some other company or individual
named Campbell.
Within the last few weeks we have made two more written overtures to
Campbell. The first attempt was after we received a list of so-called
"humane rules" from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
These rules are a joke, loaded with redundancies to increase their
number and gaping loopholes that render them completely worthless. We
wrote to Campbell's to point out the public relations nonsense they
really are. Campbell's attempt to hide behind these ridiculous "rules"
is outrageous. Predictably, Campbell's has not responded.
Next, we wrote to Campbell after Nevada's state veterinarian publicly
declared that steer busting, the most brutal event in the PRCA, would
not be allowed in Nevada because it was too cruel and caused too many
injuries. That is the position of all but a handful of Western
states. Clearly, steer busting is not something an ethical company
would support. Again, Campbell's chose not to respond.
What makes this issue so infuriating is that Campbell Soup makes such an
issue of proclaiming its high ethical standards, as you can see by going
to www.CampbellSoup.com. Campbell simply can not proclaim enough its
supposed position at the pinnacle of the corporate ethical heap. The
truth, however, is quite the opposite. Our CampbellSoupKills.com site has the story of how Campbell's chairman
of the board got nailed for ripping off tenants at an apartment building
he owned. Campbell president Doug Connant's secretary has often
promised that he would call us back. He doesn't. Our latest Campbell's contact was Professor Donald Stewart, a member of
the board of directors. Professor Stewart is a visiting professor at
the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. I had
a brief phone conversation with Professor Stewart this morning, and
while he was cordial, he was unwilling to discuss the controversy other
than to say he would pass my sentiments along to Campbell's decision
makers.I should mention that our Tiger video truck spent some time outside the
professor's very nice apartment building located near Lake Michigan in
Chicago last Sunday night. Predictably, the graphic images of horrific
rodeo animal abuse left Chicagoans' mouths hanging open. We can't say
for certain that Professor Stewart saw the truck, but we can state that
many people in his neighborhood did, and our LED signs urged Stewart to
take a stand. Unfortunately, he is unwilling to do so.
Where do we go from here? We are going to make some moves on both the
East and West Coasts. On the West Coast, we will set up an ongoing
display at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, which is an
international tourist attraction. The Promenade was an important
component in the fight to end Pepsi Cola's bullfight sponsorship a few
years ago. If you are willing to take part in this action, please call
SHARK West Coordinator Pat Vinet at (949) 422-9288 or email her at
SHARKWest@cox.net.
On the East Coast, the Tiger will soon be visiting Campbell Soup
headquarters, and more importantly, associated targets to be named
later. If you would like to be part of protests and other activities in
this area, please contact me by E-mail: shindi@sharkonline.org.
Kindest Regards,
Steve
As always, please feel free to contact Campbell Soup President and CEO
Doug Conant and share your thoughts.
Mr. Doug Conant, President and CEO
Campbell Soup Company
1 Campbell Place
Camden, NJ 08103-1701
(856) 342-4800Douglas_R_Conant@campbellsoup.com
And/or contact Campbell's Board of Directors by emailing
directors@campbellsoup.com or calling toll free (800) 210-2173.
Please consider donating to SHARK today and help us in our efforts to
end rodeos, hunting,
bullfighting and other forms of violence against our
animal friends!SHARK
PO Box 28
Geneva, IL 60134
SharkIntl@aol.com
www.sharkonline.org
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