[Doglips]

Bush campaign gear made in Burma
His campaign store sells a pullover from nation whose products he has banned from being sold in the U.S.


Burma label (NEWSDAY PHOTO / TONY JEROME)
Mar 18, 2004


BY LAUREN WEBER
STAFF WRITER

March 18, 2004, 9:49 PM EST


The official merchandise Web site for President George W. Bush's re-election campaign has sold clothing made in Burma, whose goods were banned by Bush from the U.S. last year to punish its military dictatorship.

The merchandise sold on www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma, now Myanmar. The jacket was sent to Newsday as part of an order that included a shirt made in Mexico and a hat not bearing a country-of-origin label.

The Bush merchandise is handled by Spalding Group, a 20-year-old supplier of campaign products and services in Louisville, Ky., that says it worked for the last five Republican presidential nominees.

Ted Jackson, Spalding's president, said, "We have found only one other in our inventory that was made in Burma. The others were made in the U.S.A." He said the company had about 60 of thefleece pullovers in its warehouse, and that a supplier included the Burma product by mistake.

Bush campaign officials did not return calls seeking comment. The imports are potentially an issue because outsourcing has become a hot political topic in the election.

Bush last July signed into law the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, saying "The United States will not waver from its commitment to the cause of democracy and human rights in Burma."

Violators of the import ban are subject to fines and jail, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Burmese textile workers earn as little as 7 cents per hour, according to the National Labor Committee, a human rights group.

"If it is true, it is very contradictory because the sanctions were imposed by the Bush administration," said Bo Hla-Tint, a spokesman for the Burmese government-in-exile in Washington, D.C.

Spalding, which works exclusively with Republican candidates at both local and national levels, tries to order American-made products, Jackson said. "Our first effort is always to source things from the U.S., but not a lot of garments are made in the U.S. Friday," he said. He said all embroidery is done in the United States.

The Bush-Cheney fleece pullovers were imported to the United States by Denver-based Colorado Trading & Clothing. President Jeff Schmitt said Thursday the pullovers were included in one of the last shipments brought in from Burma last year before Sept. 1, when the import ban went into effect. "It's a terrible irony" that the Burmese jacket landed at Newsday, he said.

Schmitt said Colorado Trading employs an agent in Asia who conducts checks of factory conditions.

Human rights watcher Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee, said the slip-up showed a lack of conviction on the administration's part. "Given the debate about outsourcing, it's amazing that the campaign would be selling stuff made in the most brutal country on earth, known for things like child labor and sexual slavery," he said. "It shows a crude indifference to this issue."

The National Basketball Association recently vowed to stop selling Burmese-made sweatshirts after a campaign by the NLC.

Last week, Newsday ordered a hat, T-shirt and fleece pullover or jacket from both the Bush and Kerry campaign stores. The Bush merchandise - which totaled $81.85 - arrived this week. The Kerry products, worth $62, have yet to arrive because the fleece jacket was on back order, according to Financial Innovations, the company that licenses and sells Kerry merchandise on the Web site www.kerrygear.com.

The campaigns receive no profits from the merchandise because of federal election regulations.

The Kerry merchandise was made in the United States, according to Mark Weiner, the president of Financial Innovations. The company, whose employees belong to the Communications Workers of America Union, sources most of its merchandise from union factories.

"It's becoming more difficult to find American-made union product, especially in textiles, but you just have to look. We pay more money for them, so we make a smaller profit margin," said Paul McConnell, Financial Innovations' vice president.

[whirlwind]

i dont get what the problem is? it said that the items were surplus from one of the shipments they recieved before the ban was in place? what were they supposed to do...burn their inventory and lose all that money?

[Doglips]

Just kinda funny..too me...looks like this year is gona be a big mud slining fest

[whirlwind]

yup! thats the truth! and we have a year of turning the tv on every time and hearing about it to look forward too

[Rufus Rhastus J]

Do you REALLY believe that pack-O-lies the guy is telling you? You do.....Well, I've got a deal for you......:nod:

[whirlwind]

whut guy?

[Rufus Rhastus J]

The one who said it was an accident the Burma sweater appeared. Spauding, they are liers too! They just tryed to get the money. All of the players are liers! Just my opinion. I've gotten too cynical, I know they all be liers! They are supposed to have folks that take care of stuff like this. It's called professionalism[sp.?]. They be all liers!

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

Common sense would tell you that these guys went to the shelf and picked off what they had on the rack without any thought of manufacture origin. Common sense would also tell you that someone would have thought that it would be in the best interest to make sure they were US made before they were sent out.

[Rufus Rhastus J]

Quote:      

Originally posted by Phacopsrana Common sense would tell you that these guys went to the shelf and picked off what they had on the rack without any thought of manufacture origin. Common sense would also tell you that someone would have thought that it would be in the best interest to make sure they were US made before they were sent out.

That's what I said: They all be liers!

[colt45]

we had a sales guy come out to our gun club last month trying to sell hats a jackets, he passed out samples and diferent computer logos, the whole sales pitch was very good and all questions where answered very well. but what reall burned my arss is that not one of the club members asked if we could get the hats and jackets made in teh US. when i asked the guy says he could find them but they would double the price. and taht finding union made hats and jackets would be hard to find. not one other person in the room made any effort to back my request, they looked at me like i was just trying to start trouble or give the guy a hard time.
where in my question did i ask for union made anyway? i don't care if it is union made just that it is made here. the free trade agrement was crafted so that greedy companys tired of paying $24.oo an hour in union wages could get the job done at a lot less overseas, when they should have been paying half that an hour here, and kept the jobs here to start with. i belonged to three unions so far and all my unions due have done is pay for more fat cat do nothing guys and cause the companys to lay off employees cause they cant afford to pay them any more. one palnt i worked for changed hands (sold two persent of teh stock to the other partner) they no longer reconised the union, layed off alot of dead wood and in six months brought profits up and hired more employees and are now paying more tahn the union guys where makeing, and can afford to do it. and everyone there is takeing home all of thier check. and they work as a team, there is no "oh i can't sweep the floor its not my job" or "thats a laborers job" it all gets done and everyone benifits. where was it writen and when that if you have been there for fifteen years and can no longer do the job, or don't do the job cause your out drinking you lunch, that the factory has to pay you more than the guy that works twice as hard and twice as long. but can't replace you and has to just carry your dead arss. this is what is hurting the unions and giving the greedy companys a resaon to presure the politicians to let them outsorce.
just my opinion from a guy that has been there and seen it first hand. on the floor and in managment.

[Rufus Rhastus J]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by colt45
we had a sales guy come out to our gun club last month trying to sell hats a jackets, he passed out samples and diferent computer logos, the whole sales pitch was very good and all questions where answered very well. but what reall burned my arss is that not one of the club members asked if we could get the hats and jackets made in teh US. when i asked the guy says he could find them but they would double the price. and taht finding union made hats and jackets would be hard to find. not one other person in the room made any effort to back my request, they looked at me like i was just trying to start trouble or give the guy a hard time.
where in my question did i ask for union made anyway? i don't care if it is union made just that it is made here. the free trade agrement was crafted so that greedy companys tired of paying $24.oo an hour in union wages could get the job done at a lot less overseas, when they should have been paying half that an hour here, and kept the jobs here to start with. i belonged to three unions so far and all my unions due have done is pay for more fat cat do nothing guys and cause the companys to lay off employees cause they cant afford to pay them any more. one palnt i worked for changed hands (sold two persent of teh stock to the other partner) they no longer reconised the union, layed off alot of dead wood and in six months brought profits up and hired more employees and are now paying more tahn the union guys where makeing, and can afford to do it. and everyone there is takeing home all of thier check. and they work as a team, there is no "oh i can't sweep the floor its not my job" or "thats a laborers job" it all gets done and everyone benifits. where was it writen and when that if you have been there for fifteen years and can no longer do the job, or don't do the job cause your out drinking you lunch, that the factory has to pay you more than the guy that works twice as hard and twice as long. but can't replace you and has to just carry your dead arss. this is what is hurting the unions and giving the greedy companys a resaon to presure the politicians to let them outsorce.
just my opinion from a guy that has been there and seen it first hand. on the floor and in managment. [/QUOTE

I wish the unions could see how they are killing themselves. Corruption is everywhere, not just gummit... It's a shame we, as Americans, have so little honesty. I remember when honour/family honour was most important. Now, we worry we may be found out and face leagle action. Pretty soon, most of what we think is illeagle will not be a crime at all! Just look how the laws have changed. But, it seems, whenever money is envolved, the evil come out.