LOL..no ..wait..

Squiggy

ThunderDick
Logo Shirts for Bush Campaign Eluded Myanmar Embargo
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: March 20, 2004

An apparel merchandiser for President Bush's re-election campaign sold fleece pullovers with a Bush-Cheney logo that were made in Myanmar, even though the United States has banned imports from that country, campaign and company officials said yesterday.

The merchandiser, Ted Jackson, said his company, the Spalding Group, sold up to 10 Bush-Cheney pullovers made in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Each cost $49.95.
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Last summer, Mr. Bush signed legislation that barred imports from Myanmar to pressure that country's military dictatorship to take steps toward democracy.

Mr. Jackson, Spalding's president, said a supplier, the Colorado Trading and Clothing Company, inadvertently sent Spalding the pullovers even though he had told it to send only American-made merchandise. Mr. Jackson said the supplier told him that the pullovers were imported before the import ban took effect last Sept. 1.

"My understanding is it was pre-embargo merchandise," Mr. Jackson said in a telephone interview from his company's headquarters in Louisville, Ky. "This is repugnant to me, not only because it's illegal, but because it would be politically insensitive and inconsistent with the president's position."

Newsday reported on Friday that one of its reporters had bought a fleece pullover from the Bush-Cheney Web site that carried a label saying "Made in Myanmar (Burma)." The reporter ordered apparel from both the Bush campaign and the campaign of Senator John Kerry to see whether their products were made in the United States. Newsday said it had not yet received the Kerry items.

Steve Schmidt, communications director for the Bush campaign, acknowledged that the Spalding Group had supplied the pullovers. "The merchandiser has apologized, has accepted responsibility, has made assurances that this will never happen again," Mr. Schmidt said.

He added that the Bush campaign was committed to ensuring that only products made in the United States were sold through its merchandise Web site, www.georgewbushstore.com.

Mr. Jackson, whose company has supplied merchandise for Republicans for 20 years, said that of the 60 Bush-Cheney fleece pullovers he had in stock yesterday, just 2 had "Made in Myanmar" labels; the rest had "Made in America" labels.

Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee, an antisweatshop group, said that he ordered several pullovers from Spalding late Thursday, but that the company refused to send them.

"I don't see why the Bush campaign let them sell these goods from a country with such a horrible dictatorship and factories that pay workers just 7 cents an hour," Mr. Kernaghan said. "The fact that they refused to send me the pullovers makes me think that they still have a lot more than one or two pullovers made in Burma."

Jeff Schmitt, president of Colorado Trading and Clothing, said his warehouse had some fleece pullovers made in the United States, some made in Myanmar, and some made in other Asian countries. Mr. Schmitt said an employee had inadvertently shipped some Myanmar-made pullovers to Spalding, which then sewed in the Bush-Cheney logo.

"We just made a mistake in filling the order," Mr. Schmitt said.
 
Squiggy said:
"I don't see why the Bush campaign let them sell these goods from a country with such a horrible dictatorship and factories that pay workers just 7 cents an hour," Mr. Kernaghan said. "The fact that they refused to send me the pullovers makes me think that they still have a lot more than one or two pullovers made in Burma."

Jeff Schmitt, president of Colorado Trading and Clothing, said his warehouse had some fleece pullovers made in the United States, some made in Myanmar, and some made in other Asian countries. Mr. Schmitt said an employee had inadvertently shipped some Myanmar-made pullovers to Spalding, which then sewed in the Bush-Cheney logo.

"We just made a mistake in filling the order," Mr. Schmitt said.

I see this kind of thing quite a bit, and it sickens me. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy, and I'm seeing it from both sides here in this same post. Look carefully at what it says, and tell me exactly where the hypocrisy lies on both sides...I'll fill in my thoughts after a few posts pop in.
 
Gato_Solo said:
I see this kind of thing quite a bit, and it sickens me. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy, and I'm seeing it from both sides here in this same post. Look carefully at what it says, and tell me exactly where the hypocrisy lies on both sides...I'll fill in my thoughts after a few posts pop in.

You''re right Gato. I've said so before, but I believe the real difference between republicans and democrats is marketing. They use differing rhetoric, but act exactly the same, in or out of office. The whole electoral prcess needs reworked, but it'll never happen with all the money that's tied up in it. Deceit is their watchword and hypocrisy their creed. The sad thing is that it's been going on so long that we've come to accept it.
 
While I do believe hypocrisy lies on both sides of the politcal fence & makes friends easily, I'm afraid I don't see it here. I see an overzealous marketer attempting to pass off some old shirts & possibly get a dig in, nothing more.
 
I'll bet Monica didn't use one of Bills cubans. They were a personal gift.

"TO:Bill, my close ally

Fidel"
 
Hypocrisy #1

First, let's look at the shirts themselves. No trade with Myanmar means just that. No trade. The company that bought the shirts knew where they came from. If they didn't (which is 100% bull), then they need to fire everybody from the CEO down to the janitor sweeping the floor, and start from scratch.


Hypocrisy #2

7 cents an hour in Myanmar is not the same as 7 cents an hour in the US. Get over it, people. I can remember being in third-world countries where 7 cents could get you a large meal. Before you accuse a company of exploiting workers overseas, make sure you bone up on the exchange rates. They use that 7 cents an hour as a lever to make somebody look bad, and that is where the hypocrisy lies. If they paid those folks at minimum wage on the US scale, then they'd be out of work because they would price their clothing out of the market. If the workers are truly exploited, then you have a point, but don't cry wolf when the only thing out there is a flea.
 
LETTER TO CAMPAIGN FROM MERCHANDISE SUPPLIER
Fri Mar 19 2004 13:26:53 ET

Mr. Tom Josefiak
General Counsel
Bush Cheney '04 Inc.

Dear Mr. Josefiak:

I am writing to apologize and accept responsibility for the recent distribution of foreign goods in our Bush Cheney '04 merchandise program. We take great pride in providing this service to your campaign, and at your request have worked with our vendors to distribute goods that have been made in America.

Unfortunately, in one of our recent shipments, a vendor inadvertently supplied us with foreign goods, and our own company did not discover this mistake before distribution to the public. The purchase orders for these items included a statement specifying "Made in USA products." (See attached document). We received an acknowledgement from our supplier substantiating that it was their factory mistake. (See attached document).

We have already reviewed our entire stock of items and have pulled from inventory all foreign products. Of the 60 fleece jackets in stock, only two were from Burma. According to best estimates by our supplier, less than a total of ten items from Burma were shipped to the public. We have taken corrective action to assure this will never happen again. We are a small company employing 40 workers and take pride in the professional services provided by our hard-working American families.

Please accept my sincere apologies for this error and let me assure you that all necessary steps have been taken to guarantee that all future shipments will contain only American made products.

Sincerely,

Ted Jackson
President, Spalding Group
 
:hmm:

I don't buy that. I deal with shipping and receiving on a scale much more massive than that, and I can tell you exactly where my stuff came from, and where it's going. Looks like another day of CYA...
 
Gato said:
I can tell you exactly where my stuff came from

Each individual item?

CYA? You betcha. Of that there is no doubt. It can also be an understandable mistake.
 
Gonz said:
Each individual item?

Yep. From the time it enters the transportation system, whether I enter it into the computer or not, till the time it reaches it's final destination, I can tell you the entire journey.
 
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