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 ...
I guess Bush believes they have a right to it. At least that is how he has goverened for over 5 years.
I like your map better than the one I was thinking of...this one shows the reduction of the U.S. much better.
Boston: The Athens of America
Porterville: The Ass-Ends of America.
LOL!
The rewards of surfing the internet.
My only problem with this whole thing is that it's being instigated by the mayor of the town.
This McDonalds store (or stores) that are advertising in Spanish are privately owned companies who are trying to reach a certain segment of the population. If the owners and management want to do this, they're completely within their rights to do so. If they alienate certain segments of their customer base, they'll have to live with it. If non-Spanish speaking people in the community want to organize a boycott of McDonalds, then they're completely within their rights to do so, and they'll lose out on eating the tasty consumables from McDonalds. Both groups will have to live with the decisions they make. But they key is that they're both within their rights to make those decisions.
On the other hand, when the mayor got involved, this lends an aire of the government regulating the type of legal advertising for a legal product, and that's so wrong that I'm not really sure where to start!
Mark
http://www.nj.com/forums/bogota/index.ssf
Or you might at least have a chance to find someone working there who speaks english, rather than spanish.
Mark
The really despicable thing is the way these people have been operating sub rosa---a fifth column poised to takeover our Nation, and its resources.
Borederline First Amendment violation by the mayor. He is a member of the government trying to stifle free speech.
The blood will flow deep in the dry river beds before that will happen.
The body of the news report indicated the Bogota citizenry contacted the Mayor with their objections to the signage----the Mayor is acting as their surrogate.
Despite the fact that I detest soccer, I'll be rooting for Team Italia this Sunday...but only because there is no word for "victory" in the French language and a win by the French in anything might actually trigger the apocalypse.
Ironically enough, the internet and talk radio in no small way may end up saving America from self destruction.
Hope you're right.
I think there are millions of "potential minutemen" when it comes down to it. If they think they are going to Mexican Hat Dance across the border and just take control, there will be hell to pay.
It's a kick to see some of these people with hidden agendas scurrying around like trapped vermin b/c they have been exposed on the internet.
Politicians especially have been nailed---all of their sins revealed for all the world to see all of it online.
>>>They won't have time to catch clients, they'll be too busy rounding up the workers, LOL!
They'll have plenty of time because McDonalds doesn't sell donuts.
You're kidding right? You actually expect people to write to McDonalds and complain because they dared to advertise in a language other than English? The arrogance is mind boggling.
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