KFC Gets new Enemy.

[stevew]

The Rev. Al Sharpton will not eat at KFC and he doesn't think you should either.

Sharpton Joins With an Animal Rights Group in Calling for a Boycott of KFC
By MELANIE WARNER

Published: February 2, 2005

Starting today, Mr. Sharpton is joining forces with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to urge a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750 million chickens they process for KFC every year in the United States. The rap mogul Russell Simmons is also joining the Sharpton campaign.

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"If we give our money to KFC, we're paying for a life of misery for some of God's most helpless creatures," says Mr. Sharpton in an eight-minute video that will be shown outside KFC's around the country.

PETA has been waging a campaign against KFC for two years. The organization was eager to enlist Mr. Sharpton because KFC has many stores in largely black neighborhoods and in late 2003 KFC executives told investors they were making an increased effort to market to blacks.

Mr. Sharpton and PETA are demanding that KFC force its chicken suppliers, like Pilgrim's Pride and Perdue, to give chickens more room in factory barns and to make use of a process that puts birds to sleep with nitrogen before they are killed. They are also asking KFC to stop its suppliers from forcing such rapid, hormone-driven growth that the birds crumple under their own weight.

PETA said that unlike other companies, KFC has been largely unresponsive. "KFC has been by far the most stubborn corporation we have attempted to work with," said PETA's president, Ingrid Newkirk, in a written statement.

Yum Brands, which also own Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, declined to comment on PETA's demands and allegations. "PETA is an organization more interested in promoting vegetarianism than the truth," a spokesman, Jonathan Blum, said.

PETA recently won a concession from McDonald's, which said it would study the possibility of requiring American suppliers to use the process of so-called controlled-atmosphere killing.

Several years ago, in response to PETA's "Unhappy Meal" campaign, McDonald's, which buys one of every 20 eggs sold in America, agreed to buy eggs only from farms offering hens extra water, more wing room in their cages and fresh air.

PETA says it has chosen to shed light on the chicken industry in recent years because large chicken producers and sellers have made little movement toward more humane practices. "The chicken industry is way behind the beef and pork industries," said Dr. Temple Grandin, associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University and a member of Yum Brands' animal welfare advisory council. "They need to work on getting some of the same auditing systems in place."

Animal welfare specialists like Dr. Grandin agree with PETA that the short lives of chickens need to be improved. Dr. Grandin said that as many as 6 percent of birds suffer broken wings or legs when workers pack them into crates and onto trucks.

"A lot of workers aren't adequately trained," said Dr. Mohan Raj, a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol in Britain and a veterinarian who has studied chicken welfare practices in the United States.

Animal rights activists are hardly KFC's only problem. In recent years, the company has been the financial stepchild at Yum Brands. Last year KFC's same-store sales were down 2 percent; sales increased at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Im also boycotting KFC now, but only cause there isnt one in the surrounding 50 miles.

[rkmsuf]

Ooh, they've pulled out the big guns now.

I hate these chicken lovers.

It's a f-ing chicken people.

[MacroGuru]

You know....PETA amuses me.....They make for great reading.....

I was at a tradeshow once, PETA was there....walked into their both, was reading their propoganda, one of them came up, spewed their PETA crap, and I looked at her, said "I had a puppy once. and...and....it tasted like chicken."

She WENT OFF....was yelling and screaming, totally ballistic....everyone was just laughing at her, as she went off on me.....

[Klinglerware]

I should boycott KFC because they stopped selling the chicken nuggets. Definitely the best fast food chicken nuggets I've tasted.

Bastards.

[Joe]

chicken is for eating. they should boycott for the ethical treatment of tacos instead.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

mmmmmm fried chicken mmmm

[rkmsuf]

Sharpton should be required to make love to a chicken to prove his sincerity.

[Suicane75]

Now i'm all hungry for chicken strips, mashed taters and biscuits.

[Raiders Army]

So much potential comedy.

It's a f-ing chicken people.
Yes, it's a fried chicken, regardless of what "Kitchen Fresh Chicken" wants you to believe.

chicken is for eating. they should boycott for the ethical treatment of tacos instead.
Like those hairy tacos?

[stevew]

I question the wisdom of targetting a company thats already losing money. What's their incentive for losing even more money? Now, if Sharpton somehow guaranteed more customers if KFC changed that would makes sense and be simply giving the market what they want. Doesn't seem that's the case though so my big question is, why?

I'm guessing he's got stock in Churches. :)


No, fuck Churches, Popeyes is the Shiznit.

[Axxon]

I question the wisdom of targetting a company thats already losing money. What's their incentive for losing even more money? Now, if Sharpton somehow guaranteed more customers if KFC changed that would makes sense and be simply giving the market what they want. Doesn't seem that's the case though so my big question is, why?

I'm guessing he's got stock in Churches. :)

[Axxon]

No, fuck Churches, Popeyes is the Shiznit.

I could never get into Popeyes myself. Churches is my favorite chicken place but I like Wendy's chicken sandwiches better than all of them. At least I used to. I haven't eaten one in a while and I'm not sure if they're still good.

[tategter]

I can understand being kinder to animals in general, but being kinder to our food supply is nuts. Seems Al Sharpton will do anything for a photo op these days.

[rkmsuf]

I can understand being kinder to animals in general, but being kinder to our food supply is nuts. Seems Al Sharpton will do anything for a photo op these days.

F-ck that chicken! F-ck that chicken!

[Leonidas]

Doesn't Sharpton have Michael Jackson to defend or something?

[BigJohn&TheLions]

KFC is nasty. Popeye's Spicy, baby!

[stevew]

KFC is nasty. Popeye's Spicy, baby!

Word.

[Schmidty]

I just made chicken broth last night, and the stewing chicken that I used had HAIR on it's ass. Now THAT'S a good reason to boycott chicken.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

I just thought of why this is actually news... Al Sharpton boycoting KFC means a cut in the profits by at least 10% due to lack of business. If anyone else follows him in not eating that nasty yardbird, the sales fall off even more...

[Kodos]

I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask that these animals be treated more humanely before we eat them. It has to be a miserable existence for these creatures. Giving them a little more space and more fresh water does not seem like an unbearable burden to put on the farmers.

A lot of the comments from folks above illustrate why I tend to like animals more than I like many people. A lot of people think of nobody and nothing but themselves and their own selfish, petty, short-sighted needs.

Summing up, I hope that these thoughtless people who make light of unneeded pain and suffering are someday abducted by aliens, wedged into small and unsanitary cages, and have their throats slit while they are still awake. And then I hope they are processed, deep fried, and served in boxes with fake mashed potatoes and a delightful child's toy.

[Franklinnoble]

Popcorn chicken rules.

[rkmsuf]

I've had my share of chain fried chicken, and it all sucks(Church's, Popeyes, and KFC included). In the smallish town I grew up in there were two mom and pop places that made fried chicken, and they both kicked ass especially compared to the chains. I have found that these little places still exist today, sometimes located in the back of small grocery stores, one I know of is in a liquor store. Sometimes they have little booths like the coffee on the go places. In my mind any of these mom and pop places are far better than the big chains.

I'd venture to say that the only fast food place that really treats chicken well is El Pollo Loco.

I'll bet these little places beat the sh*t out of those little chickens. Gets the meat nice and tender.

[Glengoyne]

I've had my share of chain fried chicken, and it all sucks(Church's, Popeyes, and KFC included). In the smallish town I grew up in there were two mom and pop places that made fried chicken, and they both kicked ass especially compared to the chains. I have found that these little places still exist today, sometimes located in the back of small grocery stores, one I know of is in a liquor store. Sometimes they have little booths like the coffee on the go places. In my mind any of these mom and pop places are far better than the big chains.

I'd venture to say that the only fast food place that really treats chicken well is El Pollo Loco.

[Desnudo]

Clearly it's in The Man's best interest to see this problem go away.

[Schmidty]

I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask that these animals be treated more humanely before we eat them. It has to be a miserable existence for these creatures. Giving them a little more space and more fresh water does not seem like an unbearable burden to put on the farmers.

A lot of the comments from folks above illustrate why I tend to like animals more than I like most people. A lot of people think of nobody and nothing but themselves and their own selfish, petty, short-sighted needs.

Summing up, I hope that these thoughtless people who make light of unneeded pain and suffering are someday abducted by aliens, wedged into small and unsanitary cages, and have their throats slit while they are still awake. And then I hope they are processed, deep fried, and served in boxes with fake mashed potatoes and a delightful child's toy.

You're sound almost as self-righteous here as I normally do. Good job!!!

[rkmsuf]

I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask that these animals be treated more humanely before we eat them. It has to be a miserable existence for these creatures. Giving them a little more space and more fresh water does not seem like an unbearable burden to put on the farmers.

A lot of the comments from folks above illustrate why I tend to like animals more than I like many people. A lot of people think of nobody and nothing but themselves and their own selfish, petty, short-sighted needs.

Summing up, I hope that these thoughtless people who make light of unneeded pain and suffering are someday abducted by aliens, wedged into small and unsanitary cages, and have their throats slit while they are still awake. And then I hope they are processed, deep fried, and served in boxes with fake mashed potatoes and a delightful child's toy.


You can't be serious.

Chickens are the most self absorbed animal on the planet. You could feed them, bathe them, ect and they'll bite your finger off in a second.

Ungrateful bastards. Even if their memory capacity is like 30 seconds that's no excuse.

[Passacaglia]

I don't know about Pilgrim's Pride, but I'm pretty sure Perdue supplies people other than KFC. If they're the problem, it doesn't make sense to go after KFC. Oh, except for the publicity.

[Kodos]

You're sound almost as self-righteous here as I normally do. Good job!!!

Thanks. I like animals, and hate to see them suffer needlessly. I like eating chicken and burgers as much as the next guy. I just don't see the need to torture these creatures before we eat them. I'm sure this viewpoint will be met with a lot of mockery and cries of bleeding-heart liberalism. Luckily, I don't give a shit what people like that think. :)

[HomerJSimpson]

Must...eat...at...KFC...

[Schmidty]

Thanks. I like animals, and hate to see them suffer needlessly. I like eating chicken and burgers as much as the next guy. I just don't see the need to torture these creatures before we eat them. I'm sure this viewpoint will be met with a lot of mockery and cries of bleeding-heart liberalism. Luckily, I don't give a shit what people like that think. :)

I'm far from liberal and I've been mocked many times for my love of animals and my support of animal rights, so don't sweat it.



(But I still love chicken)

[Kodos]

So, what constitutes out of hand? I'm reasonably certain that I could single handedly create whatever number of threads to do the trick; just name the number and it's done. Oh, and good luck NOT reading them if you happen to not see the original first which happens to me all the time.

I view the current trend in parody threads as being a direct insult to the original thread starters. It's saying, "you know, your post was so stupid that I'm going to mock you and do my best to divert as much attention away from you and your pointless existence and maybe the rest of the group will ignore you too. Fuck you for having a point of view and wanting to share it but I obviously bring nothing to the table and the only way I can possibly justify my pathetic, wretched existence is by mocking you."

Mind you, I'm not calling for an end to parody threads. If that passes for entertainment around here then so be it. The bottom line is, people who want to post stuff for legitimate discussion will simply post elsewhere like I am already doing more and more often and the jerkoffs who get off changing a word or two and insulting their fellow posters can all have fun and giggle while they circle jerk around the few people left who bother to post.

Have fun fellows. Your cunning wit is so amazingly fantastic that you couldn't possibly be expected to tone it down or anything. Respect has no place in the world unless it's aimed at YOU. It's YOU who the world obviously revolves around. If YOU want to have fun and annoy people then who is to tell YOU the center of the universe to tone it down. Fuck that, it's all about YOU YOU YOU isn't it?










Sorry, I get really moody on billing night. :D

Still, people who insist on being assholes in public simply because they can ( and the people who admire them for it )are reason 8,312,892 why I hate people and wish that god would go ahead and blow this fucking place up already and fix the biggest fucking mistake that he ever made. I mean, it's gotta be embarrasing for him.

Now, excuse me, I have to take 4 more aspirin and sit down and deal with boring, repetitive number crunching that has zero interest to me. Come to think of it; it'll be far more entertaining than reading yet another parody thread. Man, that's cheering me up already. Thanks parody jerkoffs. You serve a purpose after all.

Now THIS is self-righteous! ;)

And I agree with much of it. I especially like the bolded part. :) Except for the God part because I'm somewhere between being an agnostic and an atheist. We'll just sub "Mother Nature" for "God" to solve that little problem.

[Axxon]

Now THIS is self-righteous! ;)

And I agree with much of it. I especially like the bolded part. :) Except for the God part because I'm somewhere between being an agnostic and an atheist. We'll just sub "Mother Nature" for "God" to solve that little problem.

Wow, I don't think I've ever been quoted across threads before. Thanks. :)

I wouldn't mind spending the extra cost that it would take to make life better for the chickens nor did I mind paying the extra money for the dolphin free tuna but I don't think most people are and I worry about those who can't afford it as we keep pricing foods out of their price range.

Really, if you think about it, this whole campaign hinges on the threat that the public is going to give a damn but I'll bet that many of these people will just buy other products once they've beaten KFC down which is ultimately what PETA wants.

As for subbing in Mother Nature for God, that's perfectly cool. I don't subscribe to any particular vision of that entity. They're all good. Of course, Mother Nature has proven that killing and even killing cruelly is perfectly ok with her so I hardly think she'd protest the chicken thing much. ;)

[Kodos]

That's true. Mother Nature can be a bitch. But then maybe she is just leveling the playing field and man vs. the animals.

This reminds me of something on Simpsons. One of those mock promotional videos: Man versus Nature - The Road to Victory!

[Axxon]

Now THIS is self-righteous! ;)

And I agree with much of it. I especially like the bolded part. :) Except for the God part because I'm somewhere between being an agnostic and an atheist. We'll just sub "Mother Nature" for "God" to solve that little problem.

Dola, it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who hates people. I thought about forming a political party, the people who hate people party but the problem would be that it would be tough to get anyone to attend the meetings.

"Are there going to be people there?"

"Yes"

"Screw it then, I'm not going."

Points for the reference. :)

[KWhit]

I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask that these animals be treated more humanely before we eat them. It has to be a miserable existence for these creatures. Giving them a little more space and more fresh water does not seem like an unbearable burden to put on the farmers.

A lot of the comments from folks above illustrate why I tend to like animals more than I like many people. A lot of people think of nobody and nothing but themselves and their own selfish, petty, short-sighted needs.

Summing up, I hope that these thoughtless people who make light of unneeded pain and suffering are someday abducted by aliens, wedged into small and unsanitary cages, and have their throats slit while they are still awake. And then I hope they are processed, deep fried, and served in boxes with fake mashed potatoes and a delightful child's toy.
I agree with the alien from Rigel IV.

[Surtt]

I don't think that it is unreasonable to ask that these animals be treated more humanely before we eat them. It has to be a miserable existence for these creatures. Giving them a little more space and more fresh water does not seem like an unbearable burden to put on the farmers.

A lot of the comments from folks above illustrate why I tend to like animals more than I like many people. A lot of people think of nobody and nothing but themselves and their own selfish, petty, short-sighted needs.

Summing up, I hope that these thoughtless people who make light of unneeded pain and suffering are someday abducted by aliens, wedged into small and unsanitary cages, and have their throats slit while they are still awake. And then I hope they are processed, deep fried, and served in boxes with fake mashed potatoes and a delightful child's toy.

Maybe we should just let them run free until it is time to butcher them.

But then, they would be a little wild and hard to catch.
We might have to shoot them, kinda like hunting.

[rkmsuf]

We should breed a whole race of chicken warriors.

[Kodos]

Maybe we should just let them run free until it is time to butcher them.

But then, they would be a little wild and hard to catch.
We might have to shoot them, kinda like hunting.

Perhaps you have heard of these new gadgets called fences?

[Abe Sargent]

KFC is my favorite restaurant. Remember that for the test boys and girls.

-Anxiety

[Kodos]

Dola, it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who hates people. I thought about forming a political party, the people who hate people party but the problem would be that it would be tough to get anyone to attend the meetings.

"Are there going to be people there?"

"Yes"

"Screw it then, I'm not going."

Points for the reference. :)

We could call it the "Down With People" party!

I personally try to avoid contact with the general public as much as possible. I use ATMs whenever available, I pay at the pump, I avoid places that are likely to be crowded, I shop late at night, I drive after rush hour - the list goes on an on. As a general rule, people suck. The whole purpose of most other's existence seems to be to inconvenience me in one way or another. :D

[Schmidty]

Wow, that's pretty much my routine too. I even work the night shift.

Does that make me Kang?? ;)

Holy crap. I'm exactly like you guys. I'm a night auditor because I dislike people so much.

[Axxon]

We could call it the "Down With People" party!

I personally try to avoid contact with the general public as much as possible. I use ATMs whenever available, I pay at the pump, I avoid places that are likely to be crowded, I shop late at night, I drive after rush hour - the list goes on an on. As a general rule, people suck. The whole purpose of most other's existence seems to be to inconvenience me in one way or another. :D

Wow, that's pretty much my routine too. I even work the night shift.

Does that make me Kang?? ;)

[JeeberD]

I was considering starting a thread about dislike of people the other day when I went way out of my way to use the self check-out at Walmart... :D

[Surtt]

Perhaps you have heard of these new gadgets called fences?


I think they would be happer running free.

I was just pointing out, if you are killing, even for food, there is no "kind" way to do it.

[Kodos]

I think they would be happer running free.

I was just pointing out, if you are killing, even for food, there is no "kind" way to do it.

I think being killed while you are unconscious is preferable to having your throat cut while you are wide awake.

And I'm also talking about improving their living conditions before they are killed. I realize how unreasonable this must seem.

[Schmidty]

JKK gets new Enema?

[Kodos]

Don't you know that you're supposed to post those as seperate threads? ;)

[TargetPractice6]

You know....PETA amuses me.....They make for great reading.....

I was at a tradeshow once, PETA was there....walked into their both, was reading their propoganda, one of them came up, spewed their PETA crap, and I looked at her, said "I had a puppy once. and...and....it tasted like chicken."

She WENT OFF....was yelling and screaming, totally ballistic....everyone was just laughing at her, as she went off on me.....If god didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of meat.

[JonInMiddleGA]

How bizarro ... Kodos, Schmidty, Axxon, and me, sharing general characteristics & behaviors -- Whowhouldathunkit?

[RendeR]

PETA and sharpton both need to get lives and find more important things to put all this effort into. Perhaps if they shouted at the sky long enough about lets say, finding a cure for old age, we'd all be immortal. I don't think the ideals are all wrong, I simply feel the people and their focus is totally fucked.

[Neon_Chaos]

http://catmydog.keenspace.com/comics/20040325.jpg

[MizzouRah]

Personally out of the franchise places, I prefer Lee's Chicken. I will admit those damn honey bbq, jalapeno wings from KFC are great though... as well as the popcorn chicken.



Todd

[chinaski]

You guys will pay a hefty price for eating any kind of fast food.

[Craptacular]

I eat lots of chicken for lunch. The retail area a couple of blocks from my office has a KFC, Wendys, and Popeyes all within a few hundred feet of each other. There's also a Dairy Queen (with surprisingly good chicken) , Culvers, BK, and Arbys within a few minutes drive. Not to mention that I always put chicken on my salad when I go to the grocery store for lunch. Come to think of it, I probably have at least some chicken for lunch at least 4 of the 5 weekdays on average. Today was the other day (Double Whopper).

[EagleFan]

I think I'll have to start eating there again since that obnoxious SOB Sharpton is boycotting them. He is THE asshat.

[rkmsuf]

Crashing chooks ruffle residents' feathers
There are two reports of houses being damaged by plucked chickens crashing through their roofs in Newcastle in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Warrick Slee says when he and his family returned to their Fletcher home on Sunday after a weekend away, they found a smelly house and eventually located a rotting animal corpse in the ceiling.

Last month, another resident of the same suburb reported a plucked chicken had crashed through the roof of his home.

Mr Slee says he did not believe it at first, but now he is not so sure.

"I think you know there's something unusual going on," he said.

"I don't have all the answers or anything like that, but birds or chickens or whatever it is, they don't just fall from the sky and put holes in people's roofs.

"And even if it is something natural that's fair enough, but if there's some funny business going on then the police need to know about it because where this actually hit the house is actually not too far away from the swing set that my kids play on."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere, Kodos cries out in anguish.

[Kodos]

Maybe they are komikaze chickens, striking out at the unrighteous!

[rkmsuf]

I like how they are not sure if plucked chickens falling on their roof might involve funny business.

[Kodos]

Aliens may be involved.

[Axxon]

Crashing chooks ruffle residents' feathers
There are two reports of houses being damaged by plucked chickens crashing through their roofs in Newcastle in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

Warrick Slee says when he and his family returned to their Fletcher home on Sunday after a weekend away, they found a smelly house and eventually located a rotting animal corpse in the ceiling.

Last month, another resident of the same suburb reported a plucked chicken had crashed through the roof of his home.

Mr Slee says he did not believe it at first, but now he is not so sure.

"I think you know there's something unusual going on," he said.

"I don't have all the answers or anything like that, but birds or chickens or whatever it is, they don't just fall from the sky and put holes in people's roofs.

"And even if it is something natural that's fair enough, but if there's some funny business going on then the police need to know about it because where this actually hit the house is actually not too far away from the swing set that my kids play on."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere, Kodos cries out in anguish.

I swear, with God as my witness, I though plucked chickens could fly!

[Desnudo]

I like how they are not sure if plucked chickens falling on their roof might involve funny business.

Clearly it's just a local farmer with a catapult.

[Abe Sargent]

This is one of the signs that the Apocalypse is upon us.

-Anxiety