10 Dec 04
While waiting for a flight yesterday, I was so bored I picked up a copy of the Financial Times (not a publication I'd normally read)....
Anyway, there was a little article there about the magnetic yellow ribbons which some people in the US attach to their cars etc, as a gesture of support for the troops in the Iraq and elsewhere.
It seems that most of these ribbons are produced in the Peoples Rebublic of China. The US-made ones cost about 75 cents to produce, the imported Chines ones cost about 25 cents.
It seems attaching these ribbons to your car might not be quite the patriotic gesture you thought.
10 Dec 04
Originally posted by RedmikeI would guess that's pretty common.
While waiting for a flight yesterday, I was so bored I picked up a copy of the Financial Times (not a publication I'd normally read)....
Anyway, there was a little article there about the magnetic yellow ribbons which some people in the US attach to their cars etc, as a gesture of support for the troops in the Iraq and elsewhere.
It seems that most of the ...[text shortened]... seems attaching these ribbons to your car might not be quite the patriotic gesture you thought.
There was a phot in an issue of Private Eye showing a packet of "Patriotic American Badges", with "made in China" written underneath.
10 Dec 04
If you have a yellow ribbon, displaying it is patriotic, assuming you feel supporting the troops is patriotic. Most people divorce the troops from the politics (right?), so I would say this is patriotic.
If you make the effort to get a yellow ribbon, it is also patriotic.
Now, if you buy the yellow ribbon, apparently you are doing business with China.
So what? What's unpatriotic about that? Is China a declared enemy of the U.S. or something?
10 Dec 04
Originally posted by AThousandYoungIf China isn't the enemy of the state now, she surely will be in years to come!
If you have a yellow ribbon, displaying it is patriotic, assuming you feel supporting the troops is patriotic. Most people divorce the troops from the politics (right?), so I would say this is patriotic.
If you make the effort to get a yellow ribbon, it is also patriotic.
Now, if you buy the yellow ribbon, apparently you are doing business with ...[text shortened]...
So what? What's unpatriotic about that? Is China a declared enemy of the U.S. or something?
I was wondering if I should post and say: "This isn't irony, it's capitalism."
But, in the end I couldn't be arsed. And in the end end I ended up posting it anyways...
funny old world.
10 Dec 04
1 edit
shavixmir -
If China isn't the enemy of the state now, she surely will be in years to come!
This is definitely possible. Why do you assume it's inevitable, or even highly probable though? If we get politicians who know how to establish international goodwill better, then we might not become enemies of China at all.
11 Dec 04
Originally posted by RedmikeSorry to 'cut-n-paste', but the article below may interest some of you. A lot of peole sporting these magnetic ribbons are paying lip service; they couldn't give a 'mickey rat's ass' about really supporting the troops. The average amount of $$ dolesd out to 'civilians' killed in the WTC was 3 million dollars; the amount a family of a servicemember killed in action receives is burial costs plus anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 dollars in life insurance, depending on the amount the benefactor subscribed to. If these people really wanted to support the troops, they would get out their wallets and donate to soldiers and sailors organizations such as the USO, the Veterans Administration Hospital, start a national education endowment for children of fallen soldiers so they can attend college, sort of like the United Negro College Fund, allow service members free acess to public transportation in emergencies, provide job preference post-service, etc...
While waiting for a flight yesterday, I was so bored I picked up a copy of the Financial Times (not a publication I'd normally read)....
Anyway, there was a little article there about the magnetic yellow ribbons which some people in the US attach to their cars etc, as a gesture of support for the troops in the Iraq and elsewhere.
It seems that most of the ...[text shortened]... seems attaching these ribbons to your car might not be quite the patriotic gesture you thought.
FAIRFIELD -- A local sign maker is angry that some "Support Our Troops" ribbon signs sold in the area are made overseas, with proceeds not going toward U.S. soldiers.
As the co-owner of Tri-Signs in Fairfield, Shirley Wiles has been selling signs of her own for five months. Among her products, the Oakland woman makes and sells "Support Our Troops" magnetic bumper stickers, and donates part of the profit to help those in uniform.
But she sees red over similar signs on the market that are not made in the United States, and she is unsure if profits for those ever make their way toward the troops.
"The plastic (bag containing the signs) says 'Made In Taiwan,' " Wiles said. "We make these signs also, but ours are made in Fairfield, Maine. All these people are buying signs supporting our troops, but they're not -- they're supporting companies in Taiwan instead."
In an age when even the metal recovered from New York's fallen Twin Towers is being sold commercially as Sept. 11 "mementos," Wiles' outrage raises questions of how far business enterprise should be allowed to go in making a buck from emotive national issues.
"I believe the signs should be made in the United States," Wiles said. "At least then they're supporting our businesses, and our businesses support our troops by paying taxes."
When Wiles first tried to sell her homegrown signs to a Howland-based wholesaler, she was told that the wholesaler would not buy her signs because similar ones could be imported at a fraction of the cost from countries like Taiwan.
Wiles was reluctant to name the wholesale company, but she said it buys signs from Taiwan and then resells them to local stores -- without the plastic bags giving away their country of origin.
Tri-Signs sells its signs for $5 -- to Dirigo Young Marines, among others -- and devotes a quarter of its profits to any local organization that supports troops, Wiles said. The company manufactures all kinds of signs, from vehicle plates to road signs.
But with little means to stop commercial sales of "Support Our Troops" ribbons, the only solution for now appears to be "buyer beware."
"People who want to buy ribbons really should ask where the profits are going," said Michelle Steward, who leads the Company A 133rd Engineer Battalion Family Support Group.
The Athens woman's support network for the Maine battalion sells the magnetic ribbons. All its profits go toward troops' homecoming events, care packages to send to soldiers in Iraq, and the support group's activities.
The group buys its ribbons from Magnet America, a North Carolina-based company. Steward's husband, Staff Sgt. Chad Steward, is currently stationed with the 133rd battalion in Iraq.
"There are people out there selling (the ribbons) that are not affiliated with family support groups," Steward said. "They really need to ask, because anyone can buy them off the Web and sell them."
Groups like Steward's are largely self-supporting, she said. The state helps a little, but the group depends on itself for the bulk of its fund raising, and its work is hampered by commercial enterprises who want a slice of the pie.
"It would be nice if they're going to sell it, that they take (the profits) and send it back toward supporting the troops," Steward said. "It does make (our job) more difficult (if they don't)."
cyap@centralmaine.com
If you buy a magnet-ribbon, or anything that SHOUTS: Support Our Troops, please make sure that the proceeds are "really' supporting the troops...it may cost a little more, but it will be worth it...if you really want to support the troops...and, by the way, for some of you like STANG, supporting the troops aint the same as supporting Bush!
11 Dec 04
Originally posted by AThousandYoungYou're right, China and Taiwan are two different entities, but neither one is America, therefore the profits ain't benefitting American servicemembers and/or their families...isn't that the crux of the debate?
Taiwan and the PRC are two different things. The U.S. and Taiwan are very close, and the Taiwanese people want liberation from the PRC - at least the ones I've spoken to.
11 Dec 04
Originally posted by chancremechanicYes, that is the essential point of the debate. However people are more likely to react against the PRC than against a foreign ally, because they perceive the PRC as a rival and a potential enemy. I wasn't trying to invalidate the central point. I was just making sure people who feel this is unpatriotic don't feel that way because of who the money is going to, instead of who it's not going to (the U.S.).
You're right, China and Taiwan are two different entities, but neither one is America, therefore the profits ain't benefitting American servicemembers and/or their families...isn't that the crux of the debate?
11 Dec 04
Originally posted by AThousandYoungOk, I agree with your analysis. I think the PRC is a potential enemy in the sense that Russia was from 1945 to the near present (I still don't trust Russia), and we are helping them along the super-economy highway....much to our demise, IMHO
Yes, that is the essential point of the debate. However people are more likely to react against the PRC than against a foreign ally, because they perceive the PRC as a rival and a potential enemy. I wasn't trying to invalidate the central point. I was just making sure people who feel this is unpatriotic don't feel that way because of who the money is going to, instead of who it's not going to (the U.S.).
11 Dec 04
Originally posted by RedmikeThere are two implications to your post.
While waiting for a flight yesterday, I was so bored I picked up a copy of the Financial Times (not a publication I'd normally read)....
Anyway, there was a little article there about the magnetic yellow ribbons which some people in the US attach to their cars etc, as a gesture of support for the troops in the Iraq and elsewhere.
It seems that most of the ...[text shortened]... seems attaching these ribbons to your car might not be quite the patriotic gesture you thought.
First. It is a good thing that the US buys from china. Albert Einstein layed out the map years ago as a young man. He said, in a very compact sentence that "Buy and sell to every nation. We don't usually bomb or get invaded by our customers."
Second. The US messed up about the same way we did with Saddam when it came to dealing with Chang Kaishek. We didn't realize that he was a "secret police" nut... as bad or worse than Mao.
The question will not go away as to one china. They have fought themselves for ten thousand years. I don't see that changing. The news is that at least that question has nothing to do with any people but the chinese. It is their nature as Lee Sung Yao pointed out in the early fifties.
12 Dec 04
Originally posted by StarValleyWyTheree are no implications in my post about Taiwan.
There are two implications to your post.
First. It is a good thing that the US buys from china. Albert Einstein layed out the map years ago as a young man. He said, in a very compact sentence that "Buy and sell to every nation. We don't usually bomb or get invaded by our customers."
Second. The US messed up about the same way we did with Saddam ...[text shortened]... people but the chinese. It is their nature as Lee Sung Yao pointed out in the early fifties.
The Einstein quote doesn't look like much of a compact sentence to me. Looks like 2 sentences, but I don't disagree with the sentiment.