FYI - article regarding fords grants to the Audubon Society

[YellowSub1962]

http://wwww.foxnews.com
Ford Rough

SEATTLE — For
decades, Ford trucks have
been carrying the
load in rural America. But
now the
automaker's recent commitment to
"Earth-friendly"
organizations is planting some
seeds of
discontent.

The once-thriving
logging communities
of Western
Montana's Flathead Valley are
struggling to
survive, largely because of stringent
environmental regulations enacted
during the Clinton years.

That's why the Ford drivers in the
valley are upset over the company's $5
million grant in February to the
National Audubon Society.

"I do not understand why Ford has
decided to give money to groups that
attack their customer base," says
Bruce Vincent, a fourth-generation logger in
the Flathead Valley. "We're the folks
who buy a lot of their pickups."

In a written statement, Sandra Ulsh,
vice president of the Ford Motor
Company Fund, said, "Ford's support
of Audubon is limited to specifically
funding environmental education and
bird monitoring projects."

But money is money, the protesters
insist, and they say thousands of rural
jobs have been eliminated by
Audubon's support for declaring vast stretches
of public land off-limits to logging
and road-building.

"People who drive Fords don't like
the fact that the company they buy from
gives money to environmental
organizations that they perceive to be the
enemy," said Jim Petersen, editor of
Evergreen Magazine.

"Why would [Ford] see fit to
contribute to a group that is dependent on a
conflict that costs us?" Vincent
asked.

That question has prompted angry
calls for economic sanctions.

"If you really want a Ford, buy a
used one," urges John Stokes, owner of
KGEZ-AM in Kalispell, Mont. "That
way, no money goes to Dearborn,
Michigan."

Stokes said his radio station has
received calls and e-mails from hundreds
of listeners upset over Ford's
environmental contributions.

The station's Web site, KGEZ.com, has
posted the names of local
businesses supporting environmental
groups.

Some environmentalists call this
"corporate blacklist" unfair, but Stokes says
turnabout is fair play; he argues
that environmental groups have used the
same tactics for years.

For now, calls for actual boycotts
are limited and loosely organized. But if this
grassroots backlash gains momentum,
more companies may find it's not
easy being green.

[JeepinIan]

I likde the idea of listing the companies that donate to the environmental extremist groups.
Is there a possibility that we can do that here & then we can boycott those businesses ourselves?

[DRM]

This burns me up - I LOVE my Ford truck, but I HATE the way they are gving to these anit-access groups <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0">