Verizon Spokesman Defends Sponsorship of Anti-Environment Hate Speech Event

I don't understand why Verizon Wireless doesn't get it when it comes to its sponsorship of a Labor Day anti-environmental rally in West Virginia.
It's nice that the company was among many that have dropped sponsorship of the Glenn Beck hate-mongering show, but being involved in an anti-environment rally that features one hate-peddling speaker and a '70s rock singer whose hate-filled and threatening concert rant against then-Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton drew more than just a little attention.
Here's Verizon Wireless' response to protests against its involvement in the anti-environment hate speech event, as reported in the Huffington Post:

...Verizon Wireless spokesman Jim Gerace, "said his company simply paid $1,000 for the right to be able to sell its products at the rally." Gerace added: "It's nothing more than that ... and the groups who are trying to make it more than that are misguided. I'm definitely bothered that people are trying to put us in the middle of an argument."

Hmmm. Verizon Wireless cuts off sponsorship of one hate mongerer, Glenn Beck, but keeps sponsoring more hate from the likes of Sean Hannity and Ted Nugent? Again, why would a corporate giant like Verizon Wireless want to be associated with such trash as Nugent and Hannity and the others behind the anti-environmental event?
The Huffington Post piece continues:

After nearly four decades of enduring daily rounds of millions of pounds of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil explosives ripping through their communities and mountains, dealing with blasting, flyrock, silica dust, selenium pollution, contaminated watersheds and streams, entrenched poverty and a devastated economy blocked from any diversification or job development, coalfield residents are sorta bothered, too.
Does Gerace know that a Massey subsidiary in eastern Kentucky dumped over 300 million gallons of toxic sludge into the area's waterways and aquifers in 2000, or that Massey paid $20 million in penalties for dumping more toxic mine waste into the region's waterways in 2008; or that Massey paid a record $4.2 million for civil and criminal fines in the death of two coal miners in West Virginia? That's just for starters.
(This week, Massey's union-busted thugs harassed nonviolent tree-sitters.)
Millions of Americans, including millions of Verizon Wireless customers, are aware of the egregious human rights and environmental violations caused by mountaintop removal, which former Vice President Al Gore called a "crime, and ought to be treated as a crime."
And their outrage at Verizon Wireless's sponsorship of Massey Energy's carnival is growing.

The huge public relations black eye Verizon Wireless could suffer as a result of its continued sponsorship of this event could be one that it may be hard pressed to recover from.

Ask Verizon Wireless To Disassociate From Anti-Environment, Hate Speech Peddlers

In the volitle political climate we live in today, if you were a company, would you like to be associated with pundits or entertainers who have been associated with making highly offensive and hateful remarks?
That's the problem of Verizon Wireless sponsoring a pro-coal, anti-environment rally on Labor Day.
Here's part of a statement made by an organization called Credo Action criticizing Verizon's participation:

Why is Verizon Wireless co-sponsoring a pro-coal, anti-environment rally on Labor Day?
It's called the Friends of America Rally and over 25,000 people have already RSVPed to attend a political event to promote climate change denial and mountaintop removal mining.
Massey Energy, a dirty coal company and the most egregious violator of the Clean Water Act in history, is the moving force behind the event.
The rally features speeches by prominent global warming denier Lord Christopher Monckton and conservative pundit Sean Hannity. Ted Nugent will provide musical entertainment.

Hannity's involvement in the rally given the hateful rhetoric he has often used against President Obama and others is bad enough. What's even scarier is Verizon's association through this event with Ted Nugent who last year in a rant encouraged violent attacks against then-Democratic presidential candidates Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Here's the video of the Nugent rant:

Is Verizon really sure it wants to associate itself with the hate speech of Ted Nugent? I suggest it disassociate itself with this event posthaste?
The Credo Action piece continues:

Companies like Verizon Wireless may say they are not making a political statement when they participate in events like these. But it's never just about marketing. After all this is the same company that made a decision to block NARAL Pro-Choice America's text messages from its network. Verizon Wireless has choices. And once again, it's made a very poor one.
Tell Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless to issue a public apology and immediately withdraw all support from this extremist, anti-environmental rally.

I've already let my feelings be known to Verizon Wireless. I hope you do too.