No, No, Not The Blue Bell. Anything But the Blue Bell.
As you regular visitors know, Blue Bell ice cream is my favorite. Now I have to give it up. I just hate that.
Come to find out, the little creamery in Brenham just became a tool of the devil. They just gave $40,000 to John Boehner’s Leadership PAC.
If you want to drop them a little note and tell them while you feel real bad about it and you’re gonna miss Homemade Peaches and Cream real bad, you’re going to have to switch to Ben & Jerry’s to keep from giving money to stinkers like John Boehner, then I’m here to help.
Blue Bell Creameries
Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 1807
Brenham, TX 77834
I’m not going to threaten or get mad, I’m just gonna tell them how oh so very sad I am and how that sad is going to drip all over my friends when I deliver the bad news. However, if they would like to be fair and keep Texas money in Texas, they could donate $40,000 to the Texas Democratic Party and I could eat Blue Bell again. Which would make them a whole lot of money because I eat a whole lot of Blue Bell.
Please help me. I neeeeeed Blue Bell.
Thanks to Evelyn for the heads-up.
Oh man! I just finished a dish of my favorite Blue Bell – Pecan Pralines N Cream. From now on every time I think I just have to have a dish, I’ll remember their Boehner donation. Perhaps his picture on the freezer door would help me resist. Thanks for the address.
1I’ve got a crock pot thing going which is supposed to be a peach cobbler thing, upon which I plan to heap some no fat, no cholesterol, no sugar vanilla ice cream. I am a peaches freak in the summer time, and this makes me really sad.
This is my alternative:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-peach-cobbler/915e3a73-6289-4338-8623-2df67c469dce?sc=Fruit%20Cobbler%20Recipe
It’s in my crock pot…. as I type. It does suggest vanilla ice cream …. on top……. I’ve moved to the no sugar, no fat stuff…… so we’ll see.
2I’ve been a Blue Bell addict for years and have even taken the creamery tour once or twice when venturing down to Luckenbach. But that bit of information ended all that. In this latest incarnation of self, I am disinclined to give out second chances.
3I’ve got a freezer full of that stuff. I’m a good mind to toss it. Chit. Sorry, Momma. This is just sad.
Oh well, we are really putting our money where our mouths are now.
4The only place that sells that ice cream here is in WalMart.
5I figured it was bad news.
never had it and now never will.
If y’all came up here to our Delta County home, you’d be treated to the most amazing homemade ice cream known to man or woman. It comes in peach, too. Sgt. Mike, you’re the closest.
After trying this, you’d throw rocks at Blue Bell and even B&J.
6Just finished printing off the letter and am getting ready to address and stamp the envelope. Here’s the text of our letter. I really did try hard to remain a lady and make my case without the anger I felt. (Sorry, Juanita, I did not make a plea for the Texas Democratic Party but that is because I am not a Texan and felt I did not have standing to ask that.)
“My family and I love Blue Bell ice cream. We think it is a fine product.
“However, this letter is to notify your firm that we will no longer be purchasing it, and will be encouraging our family, friends, and acquaintances to no longer buy Blue Bell as well.
“Why? Because we just discovered that Blue Bell Creameries gave $40,000 to Speaker of the House, John Boehner’s Leadership PAC.
“Because Rep. Boehner has, in our opinion, been at the forefront of obstructing the business of the people of the United States and has failed to lead the House of Representatives for the good of all Americans, we protest Blue Bell’s donation to him or his PAC. There is no “leadership” under Boehner, there is only obstructionism, and regardless of party affiliation, such action is destructive to the good of the country.
“Unless and until Blue Bell rethinks underwriting such partisan “leadership,” we and those who care about us will not be buying any more Blue Bell ice cream.
“It is the only way we know to express our deep disappointment that a corporation would set itself against the American people. Both parties do not have to agree one hundred percent on everything, but they should work together. It is obvious that Rep. Boehner and his fellow Republican and Tea Party coalition members do not have cooperation in mind and do not mind making millions of Americans suffer while they put “win at all costs” above the general good.”
7@ks Very good letter.
Mine was not as well written, but will add to the number.
I get tired of the businesses, that make their fortune from the masses, politically support those that hurt those same masses. Cannot they connect the dots?
8Great letter, ks. Maybe it could be one of those MoveOn petition thingies?
9I cannot find an email address for them, can anyone help?
10Oh no, the two great loves in my life, Blue Bell ice cream and the Houston Dynamo, both made the list. The Dynamo is half-owned by Philip Anschutz, who gave $50,000. I will try to live without Blue Bell, but I can’t live without the Dynamo. Easier trying to live without my heart.
11That a very good point, Cheryl. They cannot or do not want to connect to dots.
It seems it is all political advantage to many corporations in an attempt to improve their bottom line. I am so glad we are following Juanita’s lead and letting them know that tax advantages and deregulation and not paying employees fair wages or pensions, or not providing healthcare benefits as per Republican policies will do them no good if fewer people buy their products.
12Maybe they will name a new flavor after him: Orange Lush?!
We had already given it up because my scots blood boils at paying $7.00 for a bucket of Blue Bell. Not interested.
@Mary Croft, is your recipe a family secret or do you share?
13Well, JJ, several things. It appears you are in good company as Mayor Bloomberg (NYC) shares your disdain for Loopy Louie. See Politico.
Of all damn time for Winn-Dixie to have a sale on Blue Bell. Well, I ain’t gonna throw it out, but I will let the Little Creamery in Brenham know that no more BlueBell comes into my house until they either donate to the Democrats or throw themselves off a cliff.
And to exacerbate all of this, White Castle! Yes, White Castle. Ever had White Castle hamburgers? Little tiny things smothered in onions and on a steamed bun. Oh, my, I love White Castles. They make Krystals taste like cattle feed. But Krystals is here in FL and WC is up north.
Put me down as a Texan living in a strange land–Florida.
Time to open the bar for happy hour.
14My husband willingly shares.
15I found this on Blue Bell’s Facebook page:
Hotels
Marriott Hotels is a subsidiary of Marriott International, whose chairman J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. has contributed $1,000,000 to Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Omni Hotels is a subsidiary of TRT Holdings, a private corporation whose co-founder Robert Rowling has given more than $1,000,000 in total to American Crossroads and Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas is owned by Sheldon Adelson, who along with his wife have pledged $71 million to right-wing attack groups, including Newt Gingrich’s Super PAC Winning Our Future, Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future, Crossroads GPS, a group set up by former Eric Cantor aides named the Young Guns Network, and a group tied to John Boehner named the Congressional Leadership Fund. [Source]
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is a subsidiary of Marriott International, whose chairman J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. has contributed $1,000,000 to Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is owned by Sheldon Adelson, who along with his wife have pledged $71 million to right-wing attack groups, including Newt Gingrich’s Super PAC Winning Our Future, Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future, Crossroads GPS, a group set up by former Eric Cantor aides named the Young Guns Network, and a group tied to John Boehner named the Congressional Leadership Fund. [Source]
Household items
Angel Soft toilet paper is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, headed by Charles and David Koch who are planning to funnel approximately $400 million to groups like the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. [Source]
Brawny paper towels is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, headed by Charles and David Koch who are planning to funnel approximately $400 million to groups like the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. [Source]
Dixie cups is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, headed by Charles and David Koch who are planning to funnel approximately $400 million to groups like the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. [Source]
Georgia Pacific is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, headed by Charles and David Koch who are planning to funnel approximately $400 million to groups like the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. [Source]
Entertainment
Coachella Music & Arts Festival is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Regal Cinemas is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Food
Blue Bell Creameries, the ice cream manufacturer, gave $40,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Waffle House, the 24-hour breakfast food restaurant, gave Karl Rove’s group American Crossroads $100,000 from its corporate fund. [Source]
White Castle, the Ohio-based burger chain, gave $25,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Athletics
New Balance, the shoe company, is headed by Jim Davis who has donated $1,000,000 to Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Gold’s Gym is a subsidiary of TRT Hodlings, a private corporation whose co-founder Robert Rowling has given more than $1,000,000 in total to American Crossroads and Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Sports franchises
Houston Dynamo, the MLS team, is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Los Angeles Galaxy the MLS team, is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Los Angeles Kings, the NHL team, is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Los Angeles Lakers the NBA team, is an affiliate of AEG, whose parent company Anschutz Corporation is run by Philip Anschutz. He has made many political donations, including a $50,000 to the Boehner-linked Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC. [Source]
Orlando Magic, the NBA team, is owned by Richard DeVos, a Michigan billionaire who has given more than $1,000,000 to the Koch Brothers’ 2012 anti-Obama efforts. [Source]
Miscellaneous
Charles Schwab Corporation, an investment company founded and run by Charles Schwab, who along with his wife has given $250,000 to Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future. [Source]
Menards, the Midwestern home improvement chain, whose founder and owner John Menard pledged more than $1,000,000 to the Koch Brothers’ 2012 anti-Obama efforts. [Source]
16I was born and raised in Brenham just down the street from the original BlueBell on Creamery St. My Grandpa was one of those Brenham merchants who served BlueBell ice cream in his cafe back when very few folk had heard of it. I went to school with a bunch of the Kruse kids and they were all big shots in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. All that said, the story of BlueBell is not as charming as they would like you to believe….guess what, they are just regular folks who have problems…..but I have always laughed at how folks make gaga over the product…it was a staple in our house and business…yes the delivery man stopped at the house each week…..but the glow started coming off when I noticed contributions to the likes of George W and Gov Goodhair and then none other than Clear Channel heir in law Congressman Mike McCaul and then all of a sudden everything in Brenham started being named for the family or the business…..hell, they even tore down a perfectly good free city owned swimming pool in order to open the Blue Bell Aquatic Center next to the creamery which charges….my God…charge to go to the pool in Brenham. The end of my affair with Belle the contented cow was when they named the baseball field at A&M Blue Bell Park….now folks, ya’ll are just now getting upset over some chump change to the Orange Man? Look deeper and ye shall find lots more. Blue Bell is nothing diffferent than Pepsico and Joan Crawford which resurrected the career of one Richard Nixon….and a Pepsi has not crossed these lips in eons.
17Foregt Blue Bell! Ben & Jerry’s is better AND they give to progressive causes. Try CREDO as your cell phone service.
18Nooooo!!!!!
I will also write a letter, but ks sunflower…your letter was spot on!!!
Well done!
19Hey Juanita- the letter is written, stamped and waiting on tomorrow morning’s mail run. Can’t decide if this is fate, the sweet baby Jesus, or just plain old politic’s way of telling me to cut back on the dairy products, but I’d be a fool not to listen. Thanks for the heads up.
20I’m proud to be a lifelong Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked kiddo.
21http://www.benandjerrysfoundation.org/
As I was reading the comments, my first thought was target their Facebook page. The letters are good, probabaly better than FB comments, but everyone gets to see the FB comments!
I will not eat Blue Bell again and that really saddens me.
22I’m curious as to why anyone would feel this private industry needs to donate to both sides “to be fair”.. they have a right to support the party they believe in (and that is indeed fair).. I’m glad they are politically involved and donating. By suggesting that people bombard their website with discontent is just shy of bullying!
23No problem for me, they don’t have Bluebelle here and I live in the same town as Ben and Jerry. The guilt from eating the cream rich ice cream is off set by knowing the causes Ben and Jerry support.
24No Blue Bell for us. We’ll go with homemade from now on which is better anyway. Just finished up a batch of cinnamon ice cream and it’s resting quietly in the freezer awaiting tomorrow afternoon’s onslaught of children. Will put pen to paper and perhaps post on their FB page I guess. For sorrow over lost ice cream – well I feel that deserves the old-fashioned dignity of stationary.
25Janel, woman, what the dickens did you do with your thinking mechanism? Yes, they have a right to donate to the Orange Man and I have a right not to buy their ice cream. They own a large ice creamery. I own a refrigerator and a 20 year old hand crank ice cream maker. Who is the bully?
26JJ feel your pain. I’ve been buying New Balance running shoes on-line for years. At least some were made in America at a point in the distant past. To my announced boycott, Customer Relations suggested that I was stepping on CEO Davis’ right to participate in the political process. Yep a million corporate bucks to the “non-coordinating” liars PAC for a tax cheat and off-shorer sure is what politics has become. So Davis parted with his million and I kicked my brand loyalty.
27It’s ok JJ honey, remember that story about the goose and the golden eggs? when those of us in the middle class are too broke to buy gasoline, bread, and milk, for crying out loud, there won’t be anyone to buy Blue Bell in the quantities to support poor old Belle, who will then go to the knackers…seriously, these people are morons, and when they finally figure it out it will be way too late. Janel is right, but I would be a little more circumspect, myself! In fact, I am – as a self-employed small-time landscaper, I really can’t afford to rile up my more conservative clients by displaying the bumper stickers etc I agree with- it would be suicidal here in aggieland. So if we don’t want to support THEIR political habit, we buy something else…I love yew Blue Bell?
And @ cewdem, we feel the same way about OLSEN FIELD, dammit – AND my husband and I suspect they jacked the price up here and in the surrounds to make us help pay for their remodel. Apparently, it supports their politics as well.
@MaryK Croft, how do I get the heavenly recipe? 😉
28Wow! Great lists etc. Another place we boycott (I do anyway and any kid who happens to be with me) is CICI’S PIZZA because they run Fox News all the time. My grandson complained loudly when I asked them to please change channels and they got something just as bad so we walked out. His mom said “They have the right to show whatever they want to show” and I said “and i have the right not to eat there. And re: Georgia Pacific, it’s only symbolic but in public restrooms I wash my hands and then wipe them on my clothes rather than use GP paper towels.
29The recipe. Yes. If you click on my name, it goes to my music website. There is a contact page. I’ll get your message (which will no doubt ask about ice cream as opposed to the majority of messages I get, trying to sell me something to Improve My Search Results. I’ll pass your email on to my husband, and he’ll get the recipe to you.
Or you can go to his website, royaloil (dot) org and get his email address from there.
30One more comment: Learning to make your own fabulous ice cream is a political statement, a way to empower yourself. So is any way of disconnecting from those who make their money through propaganda of any kind.
31If y’all start boycotting Koch Brothers, prepare to join a nudist colony. Those boys have a hand in all fibers, except cotton.
32It may be a distinction without a difference to some but I would much prefer to think and say that I don’t spend my dollars with merchants that oppose my political, ethical, or moral views. I will from time to time break down and buy ice cream. I just won’t buy Blue Bell any more. There are 5 or 6 brands in the freezer at Kroger, it’s not like I’m gonna suffer, Kroger will still make a sale, and Blue Bell won’t not flourish just because I or frankly all of us stop buying their product. For me this is not and will never be a boycott. And sometimes I whore myself: I oppose WalMart* for all the destruction they do to small towns around the world, but I’m still there Sunday afternoon buying groceries and what not because they are inexpensive and I don’t have trillions stashed overseas or anywhere else.
33Well this just breaks my heat…Goodbye Natural Bean Vanilla and Butter Pecan. I’m a bit dismayed to find Natural Balance shoes on the list, I guess my family won’t be buying those either. We’re already boycotting all things Koch at our house.
@ Sgt Mike….I know it probably won’t make a hill beans difference in their profit line if a slew of us stop buying their products, but on a personal level, I least I know I took a stand however minor it might be to stop their take down of democracy in our country. There are things I’m forced to have to do–shop at Walmart, buy gasoline etc. But you can bet when I can shoot the finger at the other side and take a stand, I’m going to do it.
34There are some companies whose actions are so egregious that I don’t shop there or use their product.
Walmart has extreme labor issues and knowingly uses contractors who abuse workers.
Chic Fil A is openly anti-gay.
Blue Bell is owned by people who give money under the company name to those who would remake our country into a grotesque parody of itself.
I vote at the polls and with my wallet. I doubt if Walmart will miss the money they don’t get from me but I know at the end of the day I did one more thing to keep the bad guys from taking over.
35Sam, that is exactly right! They may not miss my little dibs abd dabs, but they would miss a lot of them! Folks, you can live without Walmart! I am herar to tell you it is possible!
Interesting note–I have been a Blue Bell fan on Facebook for a couple of years, and once in a huge blue moon would they ever post anything. There are a whole bunch of folks starting to comment over there about their political activity, and suddenly, guess who is posting about National Ice Cream Month and other events? Yep. Blue Bell. So if you think they are not looking at their own FB page, they are!
36Haven’t bought Blue Bell in a very long time. Have you ever let a bowl melt? IT’S ALL AIR! Buy Haagen dazs or Ben & Jerry’s if you must. Made with cream and won’t give you gas! 🙂
37Interesting note. Blue Bell Creameries has been “run” for 83 years by the Kruse family, now into the third generation. But they do not own Blue Bell Creameries.
38The stock is 40% owned by employees, and 60% by an unknown company. It is not publicly traded. I did a quick search yesterday and was unable to find out who actually owns the company. The donation to the PAC may have been made by a company in another state, even another country. This is not a “Texas” company as near as I can discover. Would someone out there know more about this? Blue Bell has production plants in three states and distribution centers in 49 cities. Some of the info I could find was old. I will keep searching. This is a mystery.
I found Bluebell in Merida,Mexico when visiting my daughter. Much ado, I think. Corporate (persons) thinking,”republicans = money, therefore chose side you can get the most from”. It is an erie kind of logic,y’all.
39Glad to have the list, as a starter, tho. Thanks.
I just brought home some BB but when that is gone I’ll prolly buy some Highland. Sure hate this but I can’t stand Boehner so I have put on my big girl panties and will stand against Koch. It may not make any diff to BB but it does to me!!
40I had to give up Johnsonville bratwurst (pretty good for a national brand) because the owners are big supporters of WI Governor Walker.
41Oh, no – not Johnsonville, too.
Well, that’s the last dime of mine they get. Damn. I liked them.
42This ain’t anything new. A quick Google search shows that they have their own PAC, and have for years, almost all of it going to Republicans. I found one $250 donation to John Whitmire, and that’s it, although I admit I didn’t do an exhaustive search going back to the beginning of the PAC. It’s a small PAC as those things, go, only a couple of hundred thousand, but it all seems to go to Republicans, and always has.
43The above is about Blue Bell. I didn’t look up Johnsonville, I’ve never been that enamored of bratwurst.
44