YellowSub1962
10-01-2001, 10:50 AM
<font color="yellow">they had just about lost all my support with the NAS donation, but the remaining 1% I had for them just got sh!t canned <IMG SRC="smilies/pissed.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/pissed.gif" border="0"></font c>
THE PARAGON FOUNDATION
> > PRESS RELEASE
> >
> > Alamogordo, New Mexico
> >
> > 1-877-847-3443
> >
> > For Immediate Release, September 28, 2001,
> >
> > Editor,
> >
> > This article and images (if applicable) are furnished free of any
> > copyrights. It may be republished without limit. It is provided in Word
> > Document and Text Only formats. The author may be contacted at
> > gnfpa@gilanet.com
> >
> > Caption for Image: Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company
> >
> >
> >
> >
> &g! t;
> > 1310 Words
> >
> >
> > Lordy, Mr. Ford, Who's Side Are You On?
> >
> >
> > Ford Motor Company funds Environmental Activists and lobbies for Higher
> Gas
> > Taxes while the Ford Foundation Funds Palestinian Organizations.
> >
> >
> > By Laura Schneberger gnfpa@gilanet.com
> >
> >
> >
> > Article made possible by a public education grant from the Paragon
> > Foundation
> >
> >
> >
> > It is hard to imagine Henry Ford approving the direction his great
> grandson
> > is taking the once proud Ford Motor ! Company. While the Ford product is
> still
> > an outstanding purchase for its durability and usability--the common man
> can
> > no longer justify the expense of owning one.
> >
> > It's not that the vehicles are out of a working stiff's price range; the
> > fact of the matter is, many Ford fans feel contributing to the success
of
> > Ford Motor Company is simply not in their best interest. Many Ford
owners
> > belong to the nations agricultural community and Ford has recently
changed
> > its social activism agenda to exclude concern for the welfare and
> livelihood
> > of rural Ford buyers. This major focus on social change began when Bill
> > Ford, Jr. took over as CEO of Ford Motor Company just a little over a
year
> > ago.
> >
> > In February, 2001, Ford provided the National Audubon Society with a 5
> > million doll! ar grant. Ford Motor Company says the grant was intended to
> fund
> > environmental education and bird monitoring projects. Farmers and
ranchers
> > along the Klamath Basin know Audubon as one of the biggest of the
> > non-government organizations that joined in the suit to force the U.S.
> Fish
> > and Wildlife Service to shut down water in the Klamath Basin, in April
of
> > this year, to protect the suckerfish. A move that deprived over
> >
> > 1400 families of their livelihoods, will eventually cost them their
homes
> > and turn the area into a dustbowl. A move that destroyed habitat and
> killed
> > countless species of birds dependent on the areas wildlife preserve.
> Klamath
> > Falls is only the latest in a series of Audubon victims.
> >
> > Laura Busby, of Marion, Arkansas says she will never buy another Ford.
She
> &g! t; told the company, "You should know that the Audubon society and the
Sierra
> > Club sued to stop the Main River Levee Project in the Mississippi River
> > Delta. Ms. Busby predicts 4.5 million people have been put at risk
because
> > of the suit. "Allowing the Mississippi to flood naturally will cause a
> > disaster that will take 300 billion dollars to clean up after," she
says.
> >
> > It doesn't end there; the Ford Foundation also funds the Center for
> > Watershed and Community Health in Oregon. One of the major goals of this
> > organization is to ensure the survival of the dubiously endangered Coho
> > salmon. Klamath Falls farmers, like Stanley Meager, are undoubtedly
> familiar
> > with this organization. In a May 15th letter to Ford, Mr. Meager told
the
> > company, "I have been a Ford man all my life, I am now 59 years old, but
> > that h! as come to an end. You are supplying my enemies with the means to
> > destroy my home and my way of life, I refuse to aid in this travesty of
> > injustice."
> >
> > Ford also gave 10 million to the international headquarters of the
Forest
> > Stewardship Council. The grant was provided to expand its forest
> > certification program. "This major grant will strengthen our ability to
> > expand holistic forest stewardship worldwide and to meet the growing
> demand
> > for FSC certified products," said FSC Executive Director, Maharaj
Muthoo.
> > "It also assures that this work will continue to contribute not only to
> > preserving the planet's living legacy but also to improving the lives
and
> > incomes of millions of people in forest dependant communities."
> >
> > Lofty goals, but according to a list of certified forests compiled on
> thei! r
> > web site, the FSC has consistently refused to certify federal land
forests
> > in the United States. Removal of timber harvest, from the Pacific
> Northwest
> > down through the Southwest, has devastated thousands of individuals,
> wreaked
> > economies, and created poverty in forest dependant communities. When a
> > forest is certified by FSC it is deemed environmentally correct and
> > supposedly, will have a better market for lumber than a forest that is
> > uncertified. A lot of power for a non-government organization to be
> > wielding.
> >
> > Each year The Ford Foundation sends over 30 million dollars to
> > environmentally friendly, non-government organizations. NGOs like the
> > Rainforest Alliance initiative, Ecotrust, Certified Forest Products
> Council,
> > World Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmen! tal Law
> > Alliance, and Environmental Justice Fund, all have acted in ways that
have
> > had a profound negative impact on the rural economies of the United
> States.
> >
> > On February 8, 2000, John Elkington, Chairman of Sustainability, a
leading
> > global organization counseling companies on the subject of
sustainability,
> > interviewed Bill Ford, Chairman of the Board of Ford Motor Company,
about
> > Ford's corporate responsibility:
> >
> > Mr. Elkington asks, "Didn't Ford try to lobby for higher gasoline taxes
> > several years back?"
> >
> > BF: "Yes, we did." JE: "Were you surprised it didn't work politically?"
> BF:
> > "No. Sadly, there's no political will to do that." JE: "Would you try
> > again?" BF: "We certainly would support it. The real issue, though, is
> that
> > we can't be in the business! of dictating what the customer wants to buy.
> > What we can do is make sure that whatever customers buy is done as
> > responsibly as it possibly can. I'll give you an example, the Excursion,
> > which many environmentalists point to as the ultimate bad vehicle. The
> > Sierra Club affectionately calls it 'the Ford Valdez.'"
> >
> > Bill Ford happily admits to a long association with environmental
> > organizations, even the radical ones. He was a key speaker at the 5th
> Annual
> > Greenpeace Business conference in London, where he made it clear who he
> was.
> > He states, "We're at a crucial point in the world's history. Our oceans
> and
> > forests are suffering, species are disappearing and the climate is
> changing.
> > Around the world, billions of our fellow human beings lack the most
basic
> > requirements of health and dignity."> >
> > Since Bill ford took over as Chairman of Ford Motor Company another
> > startling fact has come to light. Among the hundreds of grants given out
> by
> > the Ford Foundation every year and recorded in the Ford Foundation
grants
> > database, the year of 2001 showed a dramatic increase in funding for
> > Palestinian organizations. There are at least 20 Palestinian
organizations
> > in the Foundations database. Though many are legitimate beneficiaries of
> > corporate funding, several of them cannot be reached since the September
> > attack on the nation's airlines, the Pentagon, and the World Trade
Center.
> >
> > In this time of uncertainty, Ford and other cooperate philanthropists,
> need
> > to be clear on whom they are funding.
> >
> > The 40,000-dollar grant Ford gave to the West Banks Hawwa Center for
> Culture> > and Arts, purpose was to strengthen its ability to respond to the
> > Israeli-Palestinian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ghada Abed
> > Al-Hadai, the head of the Center has been publicly quoted as saying,
"The
> > current crucial situation demands a complete readiness for the next step
> > towards Al-Aqsa Intifada." Mrs. Ghada mentioned the role of women in all
> the
> > steps of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli Occupation Forces.
> >
> > Tamer Institute for Community Education (West Bank), located in Cairo
> Egypt,
> > received 300,000 dollars from the Ford foundation in 2001. The purpose
of
> > this grant was to strengthen the role of young people as agents of
social
> > change within their communities. Though there is a link on the
> Foundation's
> > website to access the organization, it has recently become unavail! able.
> >
> > Ford Motor Company would probably plead ignorance and innocence to
funding
> > organizations that do not promote peace in the Middle East. Just as they
> > have when confronted with the facts of what their environmental giving
has
> > done to rural America.
> >
> > Bill Ford, in an interview with Time Magazine said, "For some companies,
> the
> > issue is basic human rights. For Ford Motor Company, it will be revealed
> > more subtly, as we explore our impact on communities beyond the gates of
> our
> > factories or those of our suppliers. The landscape of accountability has
> > changed and so has the criteria for leadership."
> >
> > At this time, Ford Motor Company's leadership certainly seems more
> inclined
> > to care about the opinions of radical environmentalists and human rights
> in
> > the! Gaza Strip than the human rights of American citizens.
> >
> > The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the
> > Paragon Foundation. This article is provided in the interest of public
> > education. The Paragon Foundation may be reached at 1-877-847-3443.
THE PARAGON FOUNDATION
> > PRESS RELEASE
> >
> > Alamogordo, New Mexico
> >
> > 1-877-847-3443
> >
> > For Immediate Release, September 28, 2001,
> >
> > Editor,
> >
> > This article and images (if applicable) are furnished free of any
> > copyrights. It may be republished without limit. It is provided in Word
> > Document and Text Only formats. The author may be contacted at
> > gnfpa@gilanet.com
> >
> > Caption for Image: Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company
> >
> >
> >
> >
> &g! t;
> > 1310 Words
> >
> >
> > Lordy, Mr. Ford, Who's Side Are You On?
> >
> >
> > Ford Motor Company funds Environmental Activists and lobbies for Higher
> Gas
> > Taxes while the Ford Foundation Funds Palestinian Organizations.
> >
> >
> > By Laura Schneberger gnfpa@gilanet.com
> >
> >
> >
> > Article made possible by a public education grant from the Paragon
> > Foundation
> >
> >
> >
> > It is hard to imagine Henry Ford approving the direction his great
> grandson
> > is taking the once proud Ford Motor ! Company. While the Ford product is
> still
> > an outstanding purchase for its durability and usability--the common man
> can
> > no longer justify the expense of owning one.
> >
> > It's not that the vehicles are out of a working stiff's price range; the
> > fact of the matter is, many Ford fans feel contributing to the success
of
> > Ford Motor Company is simply not in their best interest. Many Ford
owners
> > belong to the nations agricultural community and Ford has recently
changed
> > its social activism agenda to exclude concern for the welfare and
> livelihood
> > of rural Ford buyers. This major focus on social change began when Bill
> > Ford, Jr. took over as CEO of Ford Motor Company just a little over a
year
> > ago.
> >
> > In February, 2001, Ford provided the National Audubon Society with a 5
> > million doll! ar grant. Ford Motor Company says the grant was intended to
> fund
> > environmental education and bird monitoring projects. Farmers and
ranchers
> > along the Klamath Basin know Audubon as one of the biggest of the
> > non-government organizations that joined in the suit to force the U.S.
> Fish
> > and Wildlife Service to shut down water in the Klamath Basin, in April
of
> > this year, to protect the suckerfish. A move that deprived over
> >
> > 1400 families of their livelihoods, will eventually cost them their
homes
> > and turn the area into a dustbowl. A move that destroyed habitat and
> killed
> > countless species of birds dependent on the areas wildlife preserve.
> Klamath
> > Falls is only the latest in a series of Audubon victims.
> >
> > Laura Busby, of Marion, Arkansas says she will never buy another Ford.
She
> &g! t; told the company, "You should know that the Audubon society and the
Sierra
> > Club sued to stop the Main River Levee Project in the Mississippi River
> > Delta. Ms. Busby predicts 4.5 million people have been put at risk
because
> > of the suit. "Allowing the Mississippi to flood naturally will cause a
> > disaster that will take 300 billion dollars to clean up after," she
says.
> >
> > It doesn't end there; the Ford Foundation also funds the Center for
> > Watershed and Community Health in Oregon. One of the major goals of this
> > organization is to ensure the survival of the dubiously endangered Coho
> > salmon. Klamath Falls farmers, like Stanley Meager, are undoubtedly
> familiar
> > with this organization. In a May 15th letter to Ford, Mr. Meager told
the
> > company, "I have been a Ford man all my life, I am now 59 years old, but
> > that h! as come to an end. You are supplying my enemies with the means to
> > destroy my home and my way of life, I refuse to aid in this travesty of
> > injustice."
> >
> > Ford also gave 10 million to the international headquarters of the
Forest
> > Stewardship Council. The grant was provided to expand its forest
> > certification program. "This major grant will strengthen our ability to
> > expand holistic forest stewardship worldwide and to meet the growing
> demand
> > for FSC certified products," said FSC Executive Director, Maharaj
Muthoo.
> > "It also assures that this work will continue to contribute not only to
> > preserving the planet's living legacy but also to improving the lives
and
> > incomes of millions of people in forest dependant communities."
> >
> > Lofty goals, but according to a list of certified forests compiled on
> thei! r
> > web site, the FSC has consistently refused to certify federal land
forests
> > in the United States. Removal of timber harvest, from the Pacific
> Northwest
> > down through the Southwest, has devastated thousands of individuals,
> wreaked
> > economies, and created poverty in forest dependant communities. When a
> > forest is certified by FSC it is deemed environmentally correct and
> > supposedly, will have a better market for lumber than a forest that is
> > uncertified. A lot of power for a non-government organization to be
> > wielding.
> >
> > Each year The Ford Foundation sends over 30 million dollars to
> > environmentally friendly, non-government organizations. NGOs like the
> > Rainforest Alliance initiative, Ecotrust, Certified Forest Products
> Council,
> > World Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmen! tal Law
> > Alliance, and Environmental Justice Fund, all have acted in ways that
have
> > had a profound negative impact on the rural economies of the United
> States.
> >
> > On February 8, 2000, John Elkington, Chairman of Sustainability, a
leading
> > global organization counseling companies on the subject of
sustainability,
> > interviewed Bill Ford, Chairman of the Board of Ford Motor Company,
about
> > Ford's corporate responsibility:
> >
> > Mr. Elkington asks, "Didn't Ford try to lobby for higher gasoline taxes
> > several years back?"
> >
> > BF: "Yes, we did." JE: "Were you surprised it didn't work politically?"
> BF:
> > "No. Sadly, there's no political will to do that." JE: "Would you try
> > again?" BF: "We certainly would support it. The real issue, though, is
> that
> > we can't be in the business! of dictating what the customer wants to buy.
> > What we can do is make sure that whatever customers buy is done as
> > responsibly as it possibly can. I'll give you an example, the Excursion,
> > which many environmentalists point to as the ultimate bad vehicle. The
> > Sierra Club affectionately calls it 'the Ford Valdez.'"
> >
> > Bill Ford happily admits to a long association with environmental
> > organizations, even the radical ones. He was a key speaker at the 5th
> Annual
> > Greenpeace Business conference in London, where he made it clear who he
> was.
> > He states, "We're at a crucial point in the world's history. Our oceans
> and
> > forests are suffering, species are disappearing and the climate is
> changing.
> > Around the world, billions of our fellow human beings lack the most
basic
> > requirements of health and dignity."> >
> > Since Bill ford took over as Chairman of Ford Motor Company another
> > startling fact has come to light. Among the hundreds of grants given out
> by
> > the Ford Foundation every year and recorded in the Ford Foundation
grants
> > database, the year of 2001 showed a dramatic increase in funding for
> > Palestinian organizations. There are at least 20 Palestinian
organizations
> > in the Foundations database. Though many are legitimate beneficiaries of
> > corporate funding, several of them cannot be reached since the September
> > attack on the nation's airlines, the Pentagon, and the World Trade
Center.
> >
> > In this time of uncertainty, Ford and other cooperate philanthropists,
> need
> > to be clear on whom they are funding.
> >
> > The 40,000-dollar grant Ford gave to the West Banks Hawwa Center for
> Culture> > and Arts, purpose was to strengthen its ability to respond to the
> > Israeli-Palestinian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ghada Abed
> > Al-Hadai, the head of the Center has been publicly quoted as saying,
"The
> > current crucial situation demands a complete readiness for the next step
> > towards Al-Aqsa Intifada." Mrs. Ghada mentioned the role of women in all
> the
> > steps of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli Occupation Forces.
> >
> > Tamer Institute for Community Education (West Bank), located in Cairo
> Egypt,
> > received 300,000 dollars from the Ford foundation in 2001. The purpose
of
> > this grant was to strengthen the role of young people as agents of
social
> > change within their communities. Though there is a link on the
> Foundation's
> > website to access the organization, it has recently become unavail! able.
> >
> > Ford Motor Company would probably plead ignorance and innocence to
funding
> > organizations that do not promote peace in the Middle East. Just as they
> > have when confronted with the facts of what their environmental giving
has
> > done to rural America.
> >
> > Bill Ford, in an interview with Time Magazine said, "For some companies,
> the
> > issue is basic human rights. For Ford Motor Company, it will be revealed
> > more subtly, as we explore our impact on communities beyond the gates of
> our
> > factories or those of our suppliers. The landscape of accountability has
> > changed and so has the criteria for leadership."
> >
> > At this time, Ford Motor Company's leadership certainly seems more
> inclined
> > to care about the opinions of radical environmentalists and human rights
> in
> > the! Gaza Strip than the human rights of American citizens.
> >
> > The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the
> > Paragon Foundation. This article is provided in the interest of public
> > education. The Paragon Foundation may be reached at 1-877-847-3443.