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Spanish McDonald's ad prompts talk of a boycott; Bergen town's mayor calls billboard 'divisive'
STAR LEDGER ^ | Saturday, July 08, 2006 | ANA M. ALAYA Star-Ledger Staff

Posted on 07/08/2006 3:02:49 AM PDT by Liz

The mayor of a small Bergen County, New Jersey town is calling for a McDonald's boycott if the fast-food chain does not take down a Spanish-language billboard.... Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan said the advertisement is "offensive" and "divisive"......"The true things that bind us together as neighbors and community is our belief in the American flag and our common language," Lonegan said. "And when McDonald's sends a different message, that we're going to be different now, that causes resentment."

Representatives for McDonald's and CBS Outdoor in New York, the company that owns the billboard on River Road in Bogota, defended the advertisement....said Jodi Senese, executive vice president for marketing for CBS Outdoor.

Jennifer Nagy, a marketing manager of McDonald's NY Metro Region, stood by the advertisement.

Lonegan was dismissive of the statement yesterday. "I think that their boilerplate press release is totally meaningless," Lonegan said. "It shows their utter disregard for this community."

Martin Perez, president of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, an umbrella group of 250 Hispanic organizations, said there is an "anti-Latino" sentiment behind the opposition to the advertisement.

Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said McDonald's has a first amendment right to advertise in Spanish.

(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: aclu; aliens; bergencounty; billboard; bogota; borders; boycottboycotts; cause4losers; conservative; englishonly; freemarket; illegalaliens; illegalimmigrant; illegals; immigrantlist; immigration; language; lonegan; mcdonalds; mickydssucks; spanish; stevelonegan; wasteoftime
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To: TommyDale

Oh the humanity!!!! The horror!!!

Crackpot.

141 posted on 07/08/2006 12:03:07 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: Porterville; Liz

"I can't stand communist. Your communist attitudes are so restrictive and anti-American. Communism is dead okay? It died 16 years ago. Capitalism is the only thing left; hell, Trotsky died like 60-70 years ago... aren't you getting it? The workers rebellion failed.. 1917 is over.... Czar Nickolas is avenged. Their are no more communist nations other than North Korea. Even China knows this.

Another thing, John. You shouldn't come on this board and insult people with profanity. Use your communist capacity to realize that communist do not divide with insult but brings every one together under an ideal Utopia of equal distribution and centralized rule.

Better dead than red... commie."

I see from your profile that you're Hispanic. And I see from your tortured post that you haven't been assimilated yet. Learn English, okay? It's one of only a handful of things the United States asks of its would-be citizens, in return for which they get to live in the greatest civilization ever created.

As for your calling my joke "Press 1 for the Spanish word for asswipe"..."profanity"--if you have a problem, report it to the mod. Or, you could just grow up and put the remark in context. Just for the record: that was a standalone paragraph, and did not directly call you that horrible and shocking "profanity."

I have reported you to the Grammar Mod for sundered syntax, as well as the Mental Health Mod for incoherence.
Even though you've been registered for quite a while your first paragraph reads like the work of some nutcase who just signed up this afternoon, and soon finds himself under the Zot.


142 posted on 07/08/2006 12:03:30 PM PDT by John Robertson (Even if we disagree now, we may agree later. Or vice versa.)
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To: Porterville

Porterville, I see on your "About" page that you are Hispanic. You speak fluent English, so why not encourage other Hispanics who come to America legally to do the same? Don't you agree that they can gain an advantage by doing so?
No one wants to do away with the culture, we just don't want to creats multiple cultures and promote the segregation that will result.


143 posted on 07/08/2006 12:05:56 PM PDT by TommyDale (Stop the Nifongery!)
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To: Liz

Oh, those wicked Greeks... how dare they tell everyone they come from.... (shock)... Greece!!!

144 posted on 07/08/2006 12:06:44 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: John Robertson

More insults John... are you angry or just mad? Do Italians make you angry too? You know their flag has the same color as Mexico's.


145 posted on 07/08/2006 12:08:02 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: Ready4Freddy

Yeah....except they pronounce it differently in Columbia.


146 posted on 07/08/2006 12:08:39 PM PDT by Liz (The US Constitution is intended to protect the people from the government.)
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To: John Robertson

You know John, I think I will report you to the mod; because I like you so much.


147 posted on 07/08/2006 12:08:55 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: TommyDale
This is America, and our language is English. Businesses should advertise and conduct their business in English. If they choose to do otherwise, they deserve the response they get from consumers. If legal immigrants want to succeed in this country, they need to speak our language. My ancestors certainly did that.

Nails it.

148 posted on 07/08/2006 12:11:05 PM PDT by Liz (The US Constitution is intended to protect the people from the government.)
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To: TommyDale

I don't like communist of any stripe, well intentioned or the ignorant.


149 posted on 07/08/2006 12:11:24 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: TommyDale

LOL......remind me never to go there.


150 posted on 07/08/2006 12:12:03 PM PDT by Liz (The US Constitution is intended to protect the people from the government.)
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To: Liz
I've always wondered about the MickeyD billboard northbound on I-45 as you go through Huntsville, Texas - it actually mentions 'Old Sparkey' in a short list of things found 'no place but Huntsville'. Maybe OK for a local outfit (and the McD franchisor in Huntsville is probably local), but it really surprises me that a national chain would go along w/ that.

At the end of the article:

In a statement released yesterday, Jennifer Nagy, a marketing manager of McDonald's NY Metro Region, stood by the advertisement.

"Our customers are at the heart of every decision we make, and we would never do anything to intentionally offend anyone," Nagy said.

151 posted on 07/08/2006 12:13:11 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy ("What time is it? You mean now?")
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To: Porterville

Yep - these days, when it comes to political differences, I tend to find the authoritarian/libertarian divide more troubling than the liberal/conservative gap (regardless of whether or not I agree in principle with what the authoritarians are trying to impose).

On any issue, I prefer to err on the side of individual freedom and government keeping its nose out...


152 posted on 07/08/2006 12:14:14 PM PDT by A. Goodwin
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To: Porterville; TommyDale

Apples and oranges. Greeks are not Third World illegals living off US taxpayers---and are not trying to get our laws changed to subsidize and accomodate their every whim.


153 posted on 07/08/2006 12:14:50 PM PDT by Liz (The US Constitution is intended to protect the people from the government.)
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To: A. Goodwin

You write too well... these folks only understand crude backwoods talk like I grew up with in Porterville. That is why they get so mad at me.


154 posted on 07/08/2006 12:16:02 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: Liz

I once drove my motorhome there to visit my aunt and uncle. Arriving late at night, rather than wake the elderly couple I parked the motorhome on the street and slept there. During the night I thought I was suffocating. It was so hot and no air was circulating, not even a slight breeze outside. Even with all the windows open, I could hardly breathe. I swore that if I ever went back to that town, it would be early enough to get a bed with really good air conditioning!


155 posted on 07/08/2006 12:16:08 PM PDT by TommyDale (Stop the Nifongery!)
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To: Liz
So, I'm late here and haven't read the whole thread...

But isn't McDonald's a privately owned business who is free to advertise to whomever they please?

In my book, that is a completely different issue than the government being multilingual.

But I am sure this has been thoroughly, and thoughtfully hashed out in 150 posts. ; ).
156 posted on 07/08/2006 12:16:13 PM PDT by pollyannaish
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To: Liz
Oh, I see... their is a difference in your communist equality rantings... as long as they are not MEXICAN it is okay to hyphenate your origin... oh, and Black... Who else? Canadians? Maybe Chumash Indians?
157 posted on 07/08/2006 12:17:32 PM PDT by Porterville (Hispanic Republican American Bush Supporter)
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To: Liz

And in West Texas they pronounce 'Lamesa' as 'La meesa', and in Austin it's 'Guadaloop', not 'Guadalupay'. So.. we mispronounce a lot of words from other cultures...


158 posted on 07/08/2006 12:17:35 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy ("What time is it? You mean now?")
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To: Marius3188

To which I say...so what.

I'll put money on the fact that the majority of them will speak English too.


159 posted on 07/08/2006 12:18:45 PM PDT by pollyannaish
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To: pollyannaish
"But isn't McDonald's a privately owned business who is free to advertise to whomever they please?"

Yes, and people who find their advertising offensive have the right to boycott them.

160 posted on 07/08/2006 12:19:24 PM PDT by TommyDale (Stop the Nifongery!)
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