I protest.

Moved house on Saturday, had a 2 hour break to go and march around the city's Starbucks stores in protest of their non- cooperation with Ethiopia. All over the globe these protests were happening. People were pretty receptive, interested in the issues. Some people were a bit rude- like one yelled at Tim "Get a job and a haircut"- can you beleive it! So Tim yelled back "I teach your children!" No, not really, but he should have. People making assumptions about protests being the domain of hippies.

Anyway, the Salvation Army did a Media Release on it, which is pretty flipping radical if you ask me:

"The Salvation Army adds its voice to the Starbucks protests

The Salvation Army in New Zealand supports the recent public protests at Starbucks’ stores around the country. “The campaigners have reminded us of the ease with which a billion dollar coffee company can advertise its support of subsistence coffee growers whilst simultaneously withholding their support for an action that could overturn an unjust policy of disempowerment” said The Salvation Army’s Overseas Development Officer, Major Daryl Crowden.

In November international aid agency Oxfam began a campaign to raise awareness of Starbucks’ non-cooperation with Ethiopia’s attempts at development. On Saturday Kiwi campaigners sought to bring this injustice to our attention as they joined with thousands of other activists outside Starbucks’ outlets across the globe. These demonstrations are coupled with over 85,000 people around the world who have been willing to add their signature in protest at Starbucks’ ability to ignore this injustice.

Campaigners are asking the coffee company to endorse Ethiopia’s application to trademark their finest coffee beans, a move that could mean an extra $132m annually for the nation. For a nation that receives up to 50% of its income from coffee beans this strategy would make a significant and positive difference to the 80% of its citizens living on less than $2 a day.

The Salvation Army supports strategies that actively assist emerging national economies in their development and can only deplore an $8.6 billion company that would seek to inhibit this progress."

Deplore! Yes, deplore! Starbucks make me mad.