I would not patronize a company that did not support our troops.

I was a person who commented on Sarah Gilbert's article. Or should I say, I had to comment on the people making the same old tired remarks about Starbucks not supporting our troops.

I want to state that I am, in no way, a Starbucks supporter. I don't drink coffee and have never been one to follow the trends that happen throughout our country - which exactly how I'd define Starbucks. I'm also not a supporter of, as you stated, the restructuring efforts in Iraq. But of course I support every man and woman who have dedicated themselves to protecting our country.

With that said, my newest pet peeve is this rumor of Starbucks not supporting our troops. Every article I read about Starbucks is followed by people making this claim. And to be quite blunt, it's very clear who most of these people are by their style of writing - sentence structure, grammar, etc. They are the people who really don't care what the article states, they simply hop on the board to make the bogus comment and then leave. They're not interested in adding anything to the discussion, they just want to keep the rumor going.

As for my stance on whether or not to do business with any company that openly states that they do not support our troops - of course not. How could anyone want to see a company like that succeed? But - and this is a big but - I'd need much more than silly rumors to believe such a statement. I'd need for the company to actually make a written statement or someone representing the company to make it VERY clear where they stand. Starbucks doesn't get any of my money, so they are a non-issue for me. But my common sense tells me that they ARE supporting our troops. They are no longer a just a Seattle coffee shop or even a coffee shop only located in large cities. They are a nationwide company that have shops in small towns all over the U.S. and there is no way they could have ever become this successful if they made such poor business decisions as to openly not support the troops.

Can they have their own personal views? Of course and they have every right to them but I believe it's certain death for any business person to openly state their opinion on religion and politics.

There are several entertainers that have spouted their political or religious beliefs and after that, I will no longer support them in any way. A few singers who opened their mouths were my absolute favorites and I will no longer listen to their music and they certainly aren't getting a dime of my hard-earned money. And it's not because I disagree with their opinions, but because by making such statements, they are openly saying that they don't give a damn about their fans who have opposing beliefs. They should stay far away from any public statements and ENTERTAIN - That's what made them famous.

I am a business owner and as far as my customers are concerned, my company has no stance on anything other than providing them with the absolute best products and customer service that is second to none. Well, I should correct myself - there is one cause that I will openly state in any situation and that is breast cancer awareness. My mother died of it when I was a 9 years old and I hope that someday there is a cure so no other child will ever lose their mother to such a horrible disease.

I don't expect anyone to agree with my opinion, but I certainly can't sit back and let people who have no business sense make such silly remarks. I do wish Starbucks would state that the rumors are false, but by doing so, they are jumping into a political issue so I can see why they can't do such a thing.

I am well aware that I have given far more than my 2 cents on this subject and maybe now that I've been able to ramble on like this, I'll stop letting it eat away at me.

Snopes has an entire page on the Starbucks rumor. They even have a statement from the person who claims to have started the email campaign.

For anyone who believes that Starbucks doesn't support our troops, please click on this link to learn the true facts: http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp

I take exception to the notion that Starbucks doen't support our troops.I was in iraq and spent
Two years,mostly in the Green zone in Baghdad
and Mosul.We were constantly receiving care
packages of coffee and lots of cards,wishing us a safe return.They usually wanted to know if there was anything they could do for us !!
I'm sure that there are many others who can
confirm and elaborate on my sentimates

Did you know that does care packages with the starbucks logos are from the employess. They buy the coffee when it is on sale they make the packages to the troops and send them. Starbucks only supports non-profit organizations which, they say they help schools, which they are goverment. The point is that my research doesn't show that starbucks is involved in any nonprofit or military support, other than the employees they are the ones that do it, out of the kindness of their hearts. I also have a son in Iraq.