I e-mailed Grant Petersen, president of Rivendell, last night mentioning our little effort to donate to Doctors Without Borders. Grant immediately signed on; he's a really good guy so I had little doubt that he would. Rivendell will also donate 10% of sales for today and tomorrow.
Grant also wrote a very good post in his Peeking Through the Knothole blog about the effort, well worth reading. He takes on the tricky topic of altruistic versus business motives. BTW, if you're not familiar with the Pat Robertson incident Grant mentions, it's covered here.
So if you've been meaning to order from either company, now is a good time. If you don't need anything please donate directly.
Perhaps we might persuade other bike companies to follow suit. If you have any contacts please e-mail and ask them to join us.
Kudos to Grant. Now what about Surly, Salsa, Soma, etc?
ReplyDeleteAs for Pat Robertson, he proves again what a despicable cretin he is.
Here's a synopsis of what PatRo was referring to:
ReplyDeletehttp://wonkette.com/413169/pat-robertson-was-right-haiti-is-cursed#more-413169
It's a simplistic summary, but it's fairly accurate:
I placed an order with you folks today AND made a donation to Doctors Without Borders. I think it's great that you're doing this (and Rivendell).
ReplyDeletejust google "robertson apologises" or "your favorite/least favorite" figure apologises. Despite the first amendment, we don't really have free speech with politically correct pop culture vultures circling overhead. Nothing really special there. Robertson said his group is now collecting donations for Haiti. IMO I hope people donate to relief agencies instead of giving cash to the Tin Horn crooks that control Haiti.
ReplyDelete@Le Cagot
ReplyDeleteSurly and Salsa are both owned by Quality Bike Parts, the country's largest wholesaler and distributor of bike parts. http://qbp.com/
They aren't independent, and probably don't have the autonomy to offer to donate.
Yankee, If a public figure make an outrageous statement isn't it a good thing that he is called out on it? That seems to be an important part of free speech.
ReplyDeleteRobertson regularly promotes hatred in the name of religion. That's why he's been referred to as the American Taliban. Holding him accountable is certainly in the public interest.
Yankee_Dollar, what are you talking about? Pat R. made a ridiculously idiotic and insensitive statement and people that felt otherwise responded. Free speech all the way around. No one was arrested or fined or "silenced". Something tells me you have never lived with or under tyranny.
ReplyDeleteKudos to VO, Rivendell and everyone else chipping in to help.
What is next for PatRo ?
ReplyDeleteHe'll probably blame the Haiti Earthquake on someone there not answering a Chain Letter !
As a Canadian Baptist pastor,I am less concerned about 'free speech' or political correctness than I am about a public figure who calls himself a follower of Christ saying such fucking idiotic things that show he has no understanding about the life or ministry of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteMichael Burdge
Chris, thanks for doing this. I don't need any product right now, but took your advice and donated directly.
ReplyDeleteYankee, the reason so many workers for the U.N., Brasil, the U.S. and other countries were in Haiti before the earthquake (many of whom now are among the victims) was to assist the current, largely honest Haitian government build politcal institutions.
As many of the others have pointed out, free speech applies just as much to the people calling a stupid comment stupid as the people who make the stupid comment.
Not to be an anal stickler for detail, but Grant's last name is spelled -en, not -on (Petersen not Peterson).
ReplyDeleteThanks; fixed.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see Velo Orange and Rivendell working together.
ReplyDeleteman, it's fun to push people's buttons. I'll bet Danny Glover's equally ignorant comment about global warming causing Haiti's earthquakes doesn't get equal time.
ReplyDeleteDamn YD, you win.
ReplyDelete