AT&T Customers tell the Wireless Provider Buck the Rodeo or I'm Leaving!

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AT & T Customers tell the Wireless Provider "Buck the Rodeo or I'm Leaving!"Here is just a sampling of the letters that compassionate consumers have sent to AT & T/Cingular. These people despise animal abuse more than they like AT & T's wireless service. Angered that AT & T sponsors rodeos Originally printed in the Letters to the Editor section of the Kalamazoo Gazette, June 10, 2007 I am shocked to learn that AT & T sponsors rodeos -- events that abuse and kill animals. In rodeos,

calves are violently roped to the ground by their necks as they run up to 30 mph. Leather straps are placed around bulls to cause pain to provoke them into ``bucking.'' Pain-inflicting devices such as electric prods, sharpened sticks, bucking straps, and other items are used in rodeos, according to The Humane Society of the United States. More information is available at ATTcruelty.com. I wrote to AT & T about their sponsorship. When they did not respond, I canceled my account with the company. William McMullin, Kalamazoo, MI Dear Cingular Wireless: We recently came across the following website: CingularSponsorsCruelty.com and am writing to let you know their campaign is making a difference for these poor and suffering animals. Because of what we learned here I have just switched our two cell phone numbers from Cingular to Sprint. We have been a customer of yours for

seven years on the XXX number and two years on the XXX number and were planning on staying on a month to month basis with you for years to come. We were very happy with your service, plan and rates, however we REFUSE to financially support your company in any way while you continue to support rodeos! Rodeo people are involved in the most heinous and disgusting criminal behavior against humans, including but by no means limited to, child abuse, child rape, attempted murder, rape/murder, racial hate crimes, intentionally endangering public health and desertion. Rodeo people are guilty of animal abuse and so much more! [You can see more about this at CowboyCriminals.com] I urge you as a company to become more humane and ethical by refusing to support or sponsor such horrors in any way or form. Until you have taken this step I refuse to come back to your company and will

encourage all family and friends to do the same. Shame on you Cingular! S.R.A once very satisfied seven year customer! SHARK notes: As this person's experience points out, those that are callous and uncaring towards animals are just as likely to be callous towards humans. Dear SHARK: We had 3 Cingular cell phones. When my husband called to cancel one phone, the "person" who answered the phone there asked why he was cancelling. my husband said -- "Because Cingular is sponsoring rodeos!" The "person" had him repeast what he said, she in turn repeated what he said, and she and others there LAUGHED! We have now cancelled all 3 Cingular cell phones, and now we LAUGH! Wonder if AT & T will change that now??? Thanks for keeping us informed, and for all the work you do for animals. God bless you. A Former Cingular Customer

Cancelled my AT & T cell phone 11/15/06 and told them [Cingular/AT & T] it was because of the news about them that I had just learned from SHARK. E. W. Dear Cingular, Enclosed please find my final payment of $2.69. That is $175.00 less than the amount showing on the final bill, and that is why I am sending you this letter. I will not pay your $175.00 termination fee. I terminated my Cingular/AT & T contract due to your persistent sponsorship of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). I cannot in good conscience support a company that sponsors rodeos. You are giving some of my money to animal abusers. Many people and I have brought the cruelty of rodeo to your attention, and in response Cingular/AT & T puts out a baseless lie parroting false rodeo propaganda. Shame on you. Rodeos cruelly treat and injure and kill animals.

The PRCA does not release reports about rodeo animal injuries and deaths, nor does the PRCA release information about humane rules violators. This is likely because the violators are rarely if ever disciplined. The termination of my contract with Cingular/AT & T was not my desire, but rather a necessity. Ethics and morality are clearly not principles to which Cingular/AT & T adheres and I therefore choose to deal with a company whose leaders haven’t replaced their heart with a calculator. By the way, Cingular/AT & T’s claim of having the fewest dropped calls is nonsense. I already see a huge reduction in dropped calls with my new service. It figures that a company that would lie about the quality of its service would lie about its corporate support and encouragement of animal cruelty. I was told by a Cingular/AT & T customer service person that the unpaid amount will be turned over to a collection service. Bring it on. I will

recount every step taken by Cingular or any entity connected to it on www.CingularSponsorsCruelty.com and www.CorporateThugs.com. If Cingular / AT & T had any ethics whatsoever it never would have come to this. In the end I am confident the company will severe its rodeo ties, but apparently only after it has lost more customers and your reputation. So be it. Regards,Steve Hindi Dear Mr. Sigman, I’ve been a Cingular customer for well over a year, and have been pretty satisfied with the service. Unfortunately, I’ve become aware recently that cingular is a major supporter of rodeos—in fact, Cingular is the exclusive wireless carrier of the PCRA (Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association.) I’m not comfortable with that. In my opinion, rodeos are as much a “sport” as bullfighting, and just as gruesome and cruel. I called the other evening and spoke to a Cingular customer service

representative who sympathized with me and agreed with my views, saying he hadn’t been aware Cingular was such a major supporter of rodeos. Although it will cause me to lose at least $80 if I terminate my contract with Cingular in January—paying a penalty of $10 for each month I quit before the contract is up—I’m thinking this might be a wise move. I don’t want to give another dollar to a company that sponsors cruelty, plain and simple, and there are other carriers that don’t; Working Assets, for instance, donates a percentage of its profits to organizations for social change and, in their words, to “help make the world a better place.” Please pull the plug on your sponsorship of rodeos, or I’ll have to pull the plug on my cingular service and find a more acceptable carrier. Sincerely,B. No to Rodeo Sponsorship!To:Stan Sigman, President and CEO Dear Mr. Sigman: As an attorney and the Vice Chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Animal Law Committtee, I am writing to express my profound disapproval of Cingular's sponsorship of rodeo. Rodeo is not entertainment--it is institutionalized animal cruelty. If rodeo "cowboys" abused a dog or cat the way that they do calves and other animals, it would be a felony in 45 states. Don't wait for us to get prosecutions--withdraw your affiliation now. Sincerely, C.T. Dear Mr. Sigman: I received a solicitation letter from Cingular and I might add, an outstanding offer, for new wireless service. As it happens my contract with Sprint is now over and we are shopping several different companies for our new service. Your offer is a good one; however, there is no way we could go with a company that supports the aggregious cruelty perpetrated in this country called "good ole" American

cowboy fun. I understand that Cingular supports and glorifies rodeo in this country by corporate sponsorship and advertising. I have first hand knowledge of rodeos because my wife used to barrel race her horse at rodeos. After she witnessed the horrific cruelty inflicted on innocent animals first hand, she quit. Furthermore, rodeos have gotten a boatload of bad press lately because people have actually filmed these torturous acts and made them public. Is it any surprise that rodeos no longer allow video cameras? Your marketing and public relations people certainly have not done their footwork. Associating Cingular with this unquestioningly cruel theatre is a stupid move. One would think a company of your size would have done a better job of investigating an industry to align themselves with--have you even seen some of the pictures? Did your marketing folks even try to see them? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that shocking

an animal's testicles to make it buck or chasing a baby calf at high speed and then throwing a rope around its neck (very often breaking it), throwing its full body weight on the ground and wrenching its neck to tie its feet together isn't kind. It isn't macho either. America is changing. There may be a certain demographic that enjoys and endorses this, but it is shrinking. One would think you would look for a less narrow market than that one. There is enough shocking cruelty in the world already. Even though I'd love to get two free camera phones as your offer stipulates, we'll continue looking for a wireless service, but it won't be Cingular. Sincerely, M. T. December 20, 2006Dear Mr. Sigman, I am attaching a copy of the bill for a new cell phone and service for my daughter... I wanted you to see that yes indeed you ARE losing customers based on your support of the

rodeo. I was appalled that Cingular would get involved with such an abusive, cruel and unnecessary event as the rodeo. The wild west days are over with and the public is fast becoming aware of the animals injuries, death and fear they are put through each time they are forced to perform for laughs and prizes. Please consider canceling any support or connection your company has with rodeo and gain back a reputation for compassion and good business sense... I would like to hear your stand on this important matter to me and many of my friends and family. My other daughter's contract with a cell phone company is up in February and we would definitely consider going to Cingular BUT only if your tie with rodeo is finished... I look foward to hearing from you... Thank you. Sincerely,L.F. Dear Mr. Sigman: I have sent an email to you, but it is possible that it will not get to your

attention. I hope regular mail will. I would like to add my voice to the many who are contacting you to protest your sponsorship in the form of advertising and any other support you offer to Rodeos. It is unacceptable to me. I am a Cingular customer with a cell phone. It disturbs me to know that your practices are so backward that you would sponsor events that actively promote cruelty to animals and cause tremendous pain, suffering and even death to many animals. It is shameful. Although the Rodeo Association goes to great pains to deny that their events cause injury and death, it is well-documented that it is so. Particularly heinous is the Omak Stampede, also known as "The Suicide Race." What message are those events giving to impressionable children, let alone adults. Your company’s commercial present the company as a sophisticated business and service entity, but the reality of your participation in animal cruelty belies that. If Cingular does

not immediately end all support, advertising and any financial or other involvement in rodeos, I will end my contract with Cingular when my contract expires and not renew, until I hear of a turn-around in your policies. I will, further, advise all those I know of these practices and encourage them to do the same. Thank you for your attention to my concerns. Sincerely, C. B. TO CEO SIGMAN: I worry for Cingular Dear Mr. Sigman, I regret to say that Cingular doesn't know what it has gotten itself into as a new sponsor of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Here's a friendly warning about who you will hear a lot from in coming days: "head" SHARK Steve Hindi and his baby "sharks." If you haven't heard yet, SHARK stands for SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness. Steve Hindi is its founder and president. SHARK is the major animal rights anti-rodeo

organization in the country. Steve and his supporters are going to come after you with a vengeance. They are not going to let up until they persuade you to take your advertising dollars elsewhere. If Campbell Soup and Starbucks have finally relented to SHARK's unswerving attack and ended their relationships with the PRCA, you can imagine how much their image (and sales) suffered. I'm positive Cingular will receive the same amount of negative publicity. I'm not a Cingular customer, I am grateful to say, so I do not have to be concerned with backing out of a contract. I'm a happy long-time customer of one of your competitors. Though I like the idea of roll-over minutes, I haven't been tempted to switch to Cingular because I've heard too many reports from your customers, friends of mine, telling about dropped calls. I hope you can resolve that problem. I'm not being facetious when I say that perhaps if you stop

affiliating with an organization that "drops" animals onto their heads, terrifying, hurting, injuring and even killing them in the process, then you will also find a way to stop your "dropped" calls problem. I've found that "doing good" (ethically) inevitably leads to "doing well" (economically). Just thought you might appreciate having this non-confrontational heads-up from someone who loves everyone -- people and animals alike -- and who cringes upon seeing any species being mistreated in any way. Mr. Sigman, I fully understand your rationale for getting involved with rodeo. It seems like fun family entertainment in cowboy country. But if you do some open-minded research on the subject of animal abuse in rodeos and apply the Golden Rule to the animal kingdom, I believe you will come to the opposite conclusion. Thanks so much for your time and consideration. Respectfully yours,S. C. Dear Sir or Madam: I just learned you sponsor rodeos. I am an animal lover and full of compassion. If you do not change your sponsorship, as Campbell's Soup did, then I will find another cell phone carrier. I hope you will reconsider your sponsorship of rodeos and pull out. Sincerely yours,NFR To Stan Sigman, President and CEO If you continue to dismiss your customers' ethical objections to rodeos, and continue to plan to keep financially supporting rodeo organizers and placing Cingular ads at rodeos and in pro-rodeo media, I will have my entire family discontinue service with your company. Your attitude is not in keeping with corporate responsibility measures, and if you think your customers' demands are tough to deal with today, I can tell you that it will only get worse for you moving forward. Of all the sponsorship opportunities you have, this

is simply silly and irresponsible for you to argue on behalf of rodeos. Thank you,D. B. I will no longer support your company or buy its products if you continue to sponser rodeo cruelty. This is cruel and evil and a blight on mankind. T. M. As a Cingular customer and a humane individual, I am appalled that Cingular supports rodeos, one of the cruelest and brutal "sports" that exists today. Rodeos are senseless and achieve entertainment by torturing innocent animals. I will end my contract with Cingular as soon as possible as long as the company continues to espouse animal brutality. I ask that Cingular please reconsider its stance on such a horrendous "sport." Thank you. W. H. Dear President: My family and I have has the cell phone (phone number omitted here) for many years. We are good customers

and implore you NOT TO SPONSOR or have anything to do with the cruel activity of rodeos The Humane Society of the United States, the American Humane Association, SHARK and other animal welfare organizations have documented the barbarism inherent in rodeos. We need you to immediately disassociate yourselves from rodeo sponsorship. Sincerely,G. M. Dear Sir: I was appalled to discover that you sponsor rodeo and the PRCA. Have you ever attended a rodeo? It is one of the most gruesome examples of abuse of animals on our planet today. If you would like, I can send you a video showing what cannot be described with words. I have a renewal of my service coming up at the end of this year, and if you support rodeo, I MUST make a different choice for cell phone service. And I will encourage everyone I know to make a different choice as welll... C. G. Go Back SHARKPO Box 28 Geneva, IL 60134 Tel: 630-557-0176 Send E-Mail PleaseSupport SHARK! SHARK - PO Box 28 - Geneva IL 60134 Tel: 630-557-0176 Send E-Mail - Mail In a Donation http://www.iklipz.com/MovieDetail.aspx?MovieID=b78dcab6-a408-4659-b1f4-72d1fe7cfe0c http://ourdailybread.at/jart/projects/utb/website.jart?rel=en & reserve-mode= & content-id=1130864825121. www.themeatrix.com

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