i got a reply from peak, but have to admit that i am a bit disappointed. here is what i sent>>>
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Submitted by ronald fischer(ron
baitshopboyz.com) on Fri Oct 24 17:47:38
2003
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comments: i am writing this in order to give you a chance to respond to the
allegations that you (as a company) are aligned with people who are
anti-hunting. this allegation stems from your recent promotion which
includes a donation to the american humane society. you may or may not be
aware, but the american humane society is very much against hunting in
america. with millions of hunters tuning up and winterizing their vehicles
right now, i am not sure if it is a good time to have a promotion in which
money from sales is donated to the AHA. the MILLIONS of hunters who pay
5-10 dollars per gallon of antifreeze would not be happy to think that in
buying your product, they are, in effect funding an organization which is
commited to the destruction of an activity which they hold dear. i could
give you many examples showing the positive effect of hunting, and if you
want them, you will be supplied with them. suffice to say that it is an
american tradition which has been embedded i!
n american culture long before we were even a country, and there is still a
VERY healthy population of game animals in america.
i am sure that you have received many emails regarding this, but please
take a moment to read this passage below:
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[T]he anti-freeze was returned to the store immediately, with an
explanation to the store manager. Not only that, but this member [proceeded
to] call Edward Powderly (Brand Manager, PEAK Performance Products) to
express his displeasure with the company's promotion.
First off, Mr. Powderly claimed that the AHA did not have a stance against
hunting and that they were being confused with the HSUS... ...Then he was
read the quotes from the AHA website.
Next, Mr. Powderly claimed that although they might have an anti-hunting
stance that they are not actively involved in putting a stop to hunting...
...Then the numerous legislative anti-hunting bills that the AHA is
actively lobbying for (per their website) was pointed out to him.
Next, Mr. Powderly claimed that the money generated from his promotion was
going to be a very small amount compared to the AHA's total budget...
...To which the point was made very clear that the principle of even one
penny of a hunter's money going to fund such activities is entirely
unacceptable and that this practice will not be tolerated by America's
sportsmen.
At that point, and running out of lame excuses, Mr. Powderly became rather
smug, at one point stating that if a small group of hunters don't want to
buy Peak antifreeze, that's fine... buy another brand... many of them are
made by Peak and we wouldn't even know we were buying it.
It was suggested to Mr. Powderly that they be more careful who they are
giving money to. He stated that this promotion was only going to last about
another month and a half (until December), as if that were a good thing.
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mr powderly may not be good at math, but many hunters across america are.
it would be wise for someone to explain this to him. as an aside, i can
assure you that the "other brand names" manufactured by peak are public
knowledge, and are circulating the entire country at this very moment on
hunting-related internet boards.
in conclusion, i would like to say that i believe the original intention
was honorable, considering the MANY domestic animals that are killed every
year from accidental ingestion of antifreeze. i recognize these good
intentions; however, i did want to make you aware of the situation,
ESPECIALLY THE ATTITUDE EXPRESSED BY MR. POWDERLY.
i look forward to your reply, and have faith that you will do the right
thing.
thank you for your time, and have a good weekend.
ronald fischer
lewistown, montana
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and here is what i got in reply>>>
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It has recently come to our attention that the hunting community is upset
about one of our company�s products, Sierra antifreeze, which has a
sponsorship with the American Humane Association (AHA). Our intention with
getting involved with the AHA several years ago, was to bring awareness to
families of pets and children about a safer antifreeze, Sierra, due to it�s
less toxic nature vs. conventional ethylene glycol based antifreeze. Every
year approximately 100,000 pets/animals die from ingesting conventional
antifreeze off of garage floors and driveways. The objective was awareness
of a safer solution to this, not to alienate the hunting and outdoorsman
community. Unknown to us, the AHA has apparently taken some active stances
against certain rights of hunters. Upon hearing this, we have made a
decision to sever our sponsorship with the AHA. Thank you for bringing
this to our attention and we hope you�ll continue to support Old World
Industries products like Sierra antifreeze and other PEAK performance
products.
Sincerely,
SIERRA Antifreeze
epowderly@oldworldind.com---------------------------------------------
considering that i got a form letter which regurgitated everything i said to them, i think they could have done better. i have my doubts about their sincerity, but i guess that if they DID sever ties with the AHA, then i can't really ask for much more. the irony of it all is that this reply came from none other than mr. powderly. i wonder if they have him saying hail mary's too.....