Pro-Life 'Chefs' Exiting the Pampered Life

Oh quit attacking me. :) I have a Micron and a Gateway, and YES, both have Microsoft operating systems. Did my husband buy either of them before I knew to what kinds of organizations Bill Gates gives support? NO.

Like I said, everyone has to answer to their own personal convictions. In fact, this thread reminded me that I found out months ago that Amex gives big bucks to PP and I still have open Amex accounts. I'll address that asap, and everyone on this thread is free to react to Pampered Chef et al however they deem appropriate. I never said otherwise.

Those attacking you are sanctimonious blowhards who do the pro-life cause as much harm as good by making us all look like short-sighted, irrational, sanctimousious blowhards. They apparently live in caves far above the crass world we all must inhabit.

Pay them no mind; you are not sinning in this regard.

Just dropping in to say...Do as the Lord leads YOU to do, individually. He may have a reason for you to stay...perhaps so that you can be salt and light.

Blessings....

I'm sick to death of the Christian opportunists that hide within the body, only to surface to use the church mailing lists and women's groups to prosper.

How "Christian" is it to level judgment on someone? Who appointed *you* the "Prophet"?

Your argument is a bait-and-switch.

Whether or not a person eats meat sacrificed to nonexistent "gods" is a morally neutral situation as far as a Christian is concerned.

Whether or not a person lines the pockets of an abortionist WHO MURDERS INNOCENT CHILDREN is not a morally neutral situation.

St. Paul's teaching on scruples regarding indifferent matters cannot be shanghaied into moral relativism on matters of great importance.

It wasn't morally nuetral to those who were condeming those who ate the meat. There was a great division within the Church and Paul had to address that issue on two seperate occassions.

Isn't bait and switch, it's the Bible, heretical as that may seem to you. Christians are not to judge other Christians on issues that are debatable.

If you say that it isn't debatable, then I hope you are not a hypocrite and using any Microsoft products, do not buy any goods manufactured, sold or handled by any publically held companies, do not pay taxes to the U.S. Government, and completely check the background and spending habits of anyone you give money to. Because if not, you are helping fund abortions according to your rationale in condemning those who work for Pampered Chef.

It wasn't morally nuetral to those who were condeming those who ate the meat.

So we're back to the premise that the subjective moral scruples of any given individual are equally valid and that "man is the measure of all things."

it's the Bible, heretical as that may seem to you

No, it's your violent severing of St. Paul's words from their context in order to suit your momentary rhetorical needs. St. Paul never taught subjectivist morality: he taught that there was an objective standard of God-given morality in which murder was objectively, irreformably evil and in which eating sacrificial beasts was a matter of indifference. His message is clear: although eating this meat is objectively morally indifferent, it is also objectively incumbent morally on the Christian to treat his neighbor with kindness: i.e. if your eating the meat upsets your neighbor, it is an act of kindness and self-sacrifice to avoid upsetting him.

Abortion isn't a personal preference, however. St. Paul never said: "If your neighbor really wants to you to help him kill an innocent person, you should help him because it makes him feel better."

Further - there is a difference between buying something with money that may or may not be used by some third party down the road for evil and directly working for an employer who publicly and emphatically states that HE WILL use his profits in order to kill children.

I quoted the whole context of Paul's instructions to the Church.

Answer this simple question.

Do you actively investigate if a company you are buying a product or service from gives to baby killing organizations?

If yes, please list the companies that you will not buy from. If no, please explain how your willful ignorance is excusable.

Please forgive my density. What is it about Tyson? I've heard bits and pieces of things that people say, but have heard no real information on them. Why the boycott/issue?

Darn it. I was going to call our Pampered Chef dealer at work today for some stuff - I don't know where I'll buy it now.

What is it about Tyson? I've heard bits and pieces of things that people say, but have heard no real information on them.

Tyson's was one of Clinton's biggest contributors in both his gubernatorial campaign and his presidential run. Clinton, in turn, manipulated EPA regulations to allow Tyson's quite a bit of leeway regarding compliance to environmental laws.

Tyson's also "imports" illegal immigrants to work in their plants, and there was a story a few years ago about two men who ran these "import" services mistreating their "product."

Tyson's also managed to use Clinton and the FDA to acquire a large beef company. Remember the Burger King million pound hamburger recall a number of years ago? The company supplying beef to Burger King kept rebuffing Tyson's advances to buy them out. Apparently, Tyson's had been after this company for years.

Wonder of wonders, the FDA found "contaminated" meat. They demanded a recall. Soon, they found more contamination, demanding more recalls.

Eventually, the FDA succeeded in bankrupting the beef company, and Tyson bought them out for pennies on the dollar.

And that's why I boycott McDonald's. :)

I have sources for all this stuff, if you need it. It may take a while to find, since it's stored on two computers and one remote hard drive. Not that I'm obsessed or anything. I really do have other hobbies.

Competition?

Thank you for that. I did not know Tyson's did all that. I'd heard of the illegal immigrant issue.

I didn't know Tyson's sold beef and chicken to McDonald's. I go there very little, but I'm thinking of never again.

I'm not sure about McDonald's beef, but a few years ago they advertised (proudly) that they used Tyson's chicken in their McNuggets. My kid hates McDonald's hamburgers, and I wasn't about to buy Tyson's chicken, so I did a little creative Social Studies project and explained the process of "boycotting."

Now, all his friends think he's very cool when he tells them the story behind his boycott. The girls think he's "deep." I don't think that child will go anywhere near a McDonald's now -- it would ruin his reputation.

I'll have to try that strategy with PS2 games. Could save me a ton of money . . .

I'm really not trying to be attacking here - I'm just wondering how you can live a normal life while boycotting all products that may possibly eventually support causes you don't agree with. Are you never going to buy another Microsoft product? Are you never going to watch a Disney production of any kind? I think at one time or another, all of the networks have aired Disney programming - do you boycott those networks as well? And any sponsors that have ever advertised on those networks because anyone sponsoring any show on any network eventually puts some money into Michael Eisner's pocket? I agree with you that everyone has to answer to their personal convictions, but you have set an awfully high standard. How much do you have to research companies before you buy products from them?

Do you actively investigate if a company you are buying a product or service from gives to baby killing organizations? If yes, please list the companies that you will not buy from. If no, please explain how your willful ignorance is excusable.

Nice - you put it better than I did!

I guess you can't shop at any of these places - and remember, it's not just them, but companies that do business with them. Forget about the rest of the companies, I think it's basically impossible to boycott ADM - they have their fingers pretty much anywhere where food is being grown or processed in this country:

http://www.geocities.com/dentonemc/efl.boycott.html

THE BOYCOTT LIST

Why boycott? Every industry, organization and company on this list got there due to providing funds to Planned Parenthood of America, The National Organization of Women (NOW), and/or the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) in the fiscal year of 2002. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States. NARAL centers its efforts on lobbying for abortion-on-demand by electing politicians that further their agenda, and NOW vehemently supports both of the above organizations. By avoiding the purchase of products manufactured by companies on this list, you are sending a message to those companies that supporting pro-abortion organizations will hurt their profits.

ALCOA (Reynold’s Wrap and foil, Alcoa wheels)
AMERICAN EXPRESS (American Express credit cards)
AMERITECH (NOW SBC COMMUNICATIONS. Residential phone and Internet services in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Ohio and Wisconsin and business services of that same nature)
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL (Honeywell security systems)
APPLIED POWER (Construction tools)
ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND (ADM. Agricultural products)
AMSTED INDUSTRIES (Railroad construction)
ARMSTRONG (Interior furnishings, floors, ceilings, and cabinets)
AT&T (Phone service, long distance, Internet, cellular phones)
BANK OF AMERICA (Banking, loans)
BANK OF BOSTON (Banking, loans)
BANC ONE CORP (Banking, loans)
BARDES CORP (Life insurance)
BELMONT METALS (Metals and alloys)
BEN & JERRY'S (Ice cream)
BOEING-McDONNELL, (Aeronautics)
BRISTOL-MEYERS SQUIBB (Medicines and health care products)
BRUNSWICK CORP (Bowling, billards, boats, fitness equipment)
CALVIN KLEIN (Clothing, cologne)
CAPITAL CITIES/ABC (Broadcasting company, TV)
CARGILL INC (Food products, Plantation chicken)
CARTER WALLACE
CHASE MANHATTAN CORP (Banking, loans)
CHEMICAL BANK NY (Banking, loans)
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES INC. (Newspaper)
CHICAGO TITLE AND TRUST CO (Real estate, investments)
CIGNA (Health care, insurance)
LIZ CLAIRBORNE
COLUMBIA/HCA (Movie production company)
CONSOLIDATED PAPERS
CONTRAN CORP
CORNING INC (Cookware)
COWLES MEDIA
CRAY RESEARCH (Subsidiary of CRAY, INC.)
CROMPTON CORP (Parent of WITCO)
CS FIRST BOSTON (Parent of FIRST BOSTON)
CUMMINS ENGINE (Contract with DODGE CORP.)
DISNEY
DISPATCH PRINTING CO. (WOLFE ASSOCIATES)
DODGE CORP. (Cars and trucks)
ECKERD CORP. (Pharmacies)
EDWARDS INDUSTRIES
ENRON CORP (That’ll learn ya to support abortion!)
FANNIE MAE
FIRST BOSTON
FIRST INTERSTATE BANK OF AZ (Banking, loans)
FIRST INTERSTATE BANCORP (WELLS FARGO. Banking, loans)
FLEET BOSTON FINANCIAL GROUP (Banking, loans)
G.D. SEARLE
FREDDIE MAC
GANNETT CORP
GENERAL FOODS (International coffees)
GLICKENHAUS CORP
GYNOPHARMA (Private corporation)
HASBRO (Lite Brite and other famous toys)
HCA
HOLLINGER INTL (Parent of Chicago Sun-Times)
HONEYWELL CORP. (Security systems)
HOSPITAL CORP OF AMERICA (See: COLUMBIA/HCA)
HUBBARD MILLING CO.
HUMANA
INTELLIGENT ELECTRONICS
INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS AND FRANGRANCES
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
JOHNSON CONTROLS, INC.
JOURNAL-GAZETTE (Newspaper)
PETER KIEWIT SONS, INC.
KRAFT, INC. (See: PHILIP MORRIS)
LEIGH FIBERS PP27
LENNOX INTERNATIONAL
LILLY, ELI, CO.
LINCOLN FINANCIAL
LINCOLN NATIONAL
LOST ARROW (See: PATAGONIA)
LUBRIZOL CORP.
LUKENS
McCLATCHY CO. (Parent of COWLES MEDIA)
MANUFACTURER HANOVER CORP (See: CHEMICAL BANKING)
MARSHALL & ILSLEY
MAY DEPARTMENT STORES
MEAD JOHNSON & CO.
MEDTRONIC
MELLON BANK (Banking, loans)
MENTOR GRAPHICS
MERIDIAN BANK (Banking, loans)
MERRIL-LYNCH (Investments)
METROPOLITAN LIFE
MICROSOFT (BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION. Computer software, equipment, networking, etc.)
MID-AMERICAN ENERGY
MORGAN GUARANTY TRUST CO OF NY(See: J.P. MORGAN)
MOUNTAIN STATES TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH CO (See: US WEST. Phone services)
NATIONWIDE INSURANCE (Insurance)
NEBCO
NEW YORK TIMES (Newspaper)
NORTHERN TRUST CORP
NORWEST (See: WELLS FARGO. Banking, loans)
THE OHIO CO.
OKLAHOMA GAS & ELECTRIC (Utilities)
OLD NATIONAL BANK IN EVANSVILLE (Banking, loans)
OLD NATIONAL BANCORP (Banking, loans)
OMAHA WORLD HERALD (Newspaper)
PPG INDUSTRIES (Paint, Glass)
PACIFIC MUTUAL (Investments)
PARAMOUNT (See: VIACOM. Movie production company)
PATAGONIA (Now LOST ARROW)
PEPSICO (KFC, Dole Juices, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Pepsi Cola, Mountain Dew, et al.)
PHARMACIA & UPJOHN (Now PHARMACIA)
PHELPS
PHILIP MORRIS (Kraft and General Foods)
PHILLIPS INDUSTRIES
PIEPER POWER ELECTRIC CO.
PITTWAY CORP
PREMIER DENTAL PRODUCTS
PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL BULLETIN
PRUDENTIAL (Investments)
QUAKER OATS (Cereals and breakfast foods)
QWEST INTERNATIONAL (ACQUIRED US WEST. Long distance phone service)
RALSTON PURINA (Pet care products and pet food)
REEBOK (Shoes and clothing)
REILLY INDUSTRIES
REILY, WILLIAM B. & CO.
SCHLUMBERGER
SMURFIT-STONE CONTAINER CORP.
STANDARD SHARES INC (See: PITTWAY)
STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE CO (Insurance agents)
STEELCASE, INC.
STONE CONTAINER (Now SMURFIT-STONE CONTAINER CORP)
SUBARU OF AMERICA (Cars and trucks)
SUNDSTRAND CORP.
STUPP BROTHERS BRIDGE & IRON CO.
TEMPLE ISLAND
TENSION ENVELOP
TEXTRON
THE SAINT PAUL COMPANIES (Parent of USF&G)
TIME WARNER (Cable TV)
TIMES-MIRROR (Newspaper)
TOMKINS CO.
TRIBUNE MEDIA CO.
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES (Parent of SUNDSTRAND)
USF&G
USWEST (See: QWEST)
VALLEY NATIONAL CORP (See: BANC ONE CORP) (Banking, loans)
VF CORPORATION
VIACOM (Parent of PARAMOUNT. Television producers)
WACHOVIA
WELLS FARGO (Banking, loans)
WITCO CORP
WORLD WIDE HOLDING CORP.
YELLOW CORPORATION (Freight company)

There's also this list from a similar site - it crashed
on me before I could copy the URL, but I will find it if anyone requests I do so:

American Express
Burger King
Cargill
Chase Manhattan
Cigna
Citibank
Computer City
Corel Draw (software
Dayton-Hudson
Delta Pharmaceutical Group
Diner’s Club
Espirt
Ford Motor
Grand Metropolitan
Incredible Universe
Johnson & Johnson
Kraft
Levi-Strauss
Marshal Fields
Mazda
Mervyn’s
Nabisco
NEA
Norwest
Pearl Vision
Pillsbury
Pittway
Prudential
Radio Shack
Scott Paper
Subaru of America
Tandy
Target
Times-Mirror
Totino Pizza
United Way - Lists Planned Parenthood as Volunteer sites.
US West
Video Concepts
Whirlpool
Working Assets
YWCA

Capitalism....money.

I didn't realize I had set such a high standard. And I hardly remember saying or even implying that I boycott all products that "may possibly eventually support causes" with which I do not agree. That's quite a statement. But no attack intended of course.

The way a few of you folks rationalize, you have never boycotted anything...and what's the point? We can't control what other people do with our money, so who cares where it goes, right? Have you never avoided a movie because a certain actor's politics bothered you? No product's sponsor ever rubbed you the wrong way, enough to say, I can certainly live without that one? I'm sure you were all over the "boycott the French" threads, chastising people for indignantly vowing to purchase no more goods from France, weren't you?

Abortion touches a very raw nerve for me. I had one when I was 19 and it changed my life forever. 15 years later, I still remember what it felt like. Planned Parenthood are heartless ghouls, and if there is anything I can do or refuse to do which makes me feel as if somehow, in some way, no matter how minute, I can keep them from getting some pocket change, I'll do it. Call it penance, dismiss it as an impossible attempt to right a wrong, if it helps you to understand any better. And if that makes my life abnormal, so be it.

And I hardly remember saying or even implying that I boycott all products that "may possibly eventually support causes" with which I do not agree. That's quite a statement.

Sorry - I thought it was you who was making the "link in a chain" type argument before, but I'm probably wrong... Still, that means you will actively boycott all of the companies on the list?

The way a few of you folks rationalize, you have never boycotted anything...and what's the point? We can't control what other people do with our money, so who cares where it goes, right? Have you never avoided a movie because a certain actor's politics bothered you? No product's sponsor ever rubbed you the wrong way, enough to say, I can certainly live without that one? I'm sure you were all over the "boycott the French" threads, chastising people for indignantly vowing to purchase no more goods from France, weren't you?

A fair question. I have taken part in very few boycotts. I thought the French boycott and attending language changes (Freedom Fries, etc.) were ridiculous and I did mention that in a French thread, although admittedly not with as much detail as I have here. I'm really not trying to chastise you so much as understand. Also, I think boycotts, for the most part, tend to be counter-productive, anyway. "The Last Temptation of Christ" was a movie that would have been released and died immediately at the box office were it not for all of those religious leaders that drew attention to it. Who knows how many people who have never heard of the Pampered Chef before (like me) now are aware of the brand name and will recognize it in the future?

Call it penance, dismiss it as an impossible attempt to right a wrong, if it helps you to understand any better. And if that makes my life abnormal, so be it.

Thanks for that - that does explain your position better. I hope that I wasn't reponsible for browbeating you into talking about such a personal event in your life. In any cse, I do appreciate it.