BREAKING NEWS: Rockstar tries to silence our boycott!

Don't Drink Hate. Boycott Rockstar

Charles Tsai, founder of a Facebook group Don’t Drink Hate. BOYCOTT ROCKSTAR recently received a lawsuit threat from the law offices of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, LLP forcing him to make a public apology for allegedly committing a “business libel against Rockstar,” in his call for a Boycott of Rockstar where Russell Weiner (don’t you love his last name?) is CEO. Weiner is the son of hateful bigot and radio personality-disorder, Michael Savage, who was fired from MSNBC in 2003 as talk show host for suggesting a caller he labeled a sodomite should die of AIDS.

Michael Savage’s quote:

Oh, you’re one of the sodomites,” Savage said. “You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How’s that? Why don’t you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it.

Below is Tsai’s explanation of what happened:

One month ago, my friend showed me a little article filled with quotations from Michael Savage Weiner and his son Russell Weiner. I was utterly disgusted. I also read that Russell Weiner was the CEO of Rockstar. Then after more readings, I made a personal choice to boycott all Rockstar products. I made a group to let others know and be able to make a similar choice if they wanted; the group was formed and it quickly grew to over 12,000 members. In it, we put together a list of quotations from Michael Savage Weiner as well as his son that we strongly did not agree with. We also put commonly known information such as the fact that they co-founded the extremely conservative Paul Revere society. More information was included as well.

Then, last week I woke up to not being able to log into my facebook account. It was and still is “disabled,” this is my new account — I lost all my photos, friends and priceless memories. I sent multiple e-mails to Facebook without any response. And then upon inquiring, I found out that the facebook group was suddenly taken down without my or any of the administrators’ knowledge.

A few days later, I received a lawsuit threat from the law offices of Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, LLP — Robert Shapiro was one of the attorneys who successfully defended OJ Simpson.

I researched, and apparently other individuals — primarily bloggers and reporters (e.g. SF Examiner’s Kelvin, wiqaable.com) had received threats of legal action as well.

I’ve been forced to make this apology.

I’ve been forced to make “an immediate public retraction…” and “apologize for the business libel you committed against ROCKSTAR.”

I’ve been “advised that ROCKSTAR will pursue all necessary legal action to redress the violations of its rights, including, without limitation, an action for general, special and exemplary damages and equitable relief.”

To The ATTN OF: ROCKSTAR and Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro, LLP

Let this group stand as evidence of an apology. Because FB took down the original group, I cannot– like you wanted — message all the members. Thus, this group is my means of fulfilling that request.

I, Charles C. C. Tsai, hereby apologize for the business libel that I committed against ROCKSTAR and retract, publicly, the statements from the original Facebook group.

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Now, I personally also apologize for the following:

I apologize for having an opinion.

I apologize for standing up for my communities and the communities that I consider myself an ally to.

I apologize for wholly disagreeing with statements made by your CEO Russell Weiner and his father, Michael Savage Weiner. Let me clarify: I apologize for wholly disagreeing with statements made by your CEO Russell Weiner and his father, Michael Savage Weiner — I am apologizing that I disagree with the beliefs, statements and thoughts of these two INDIVIDUALS.

I apologize that you feel the need to THREATEN and SILENCE individuals & organizations who you know are POWERLESS in comparison to all your various forms of capital.

I apologize that I created a group as a means to explore my FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

I apologize that over 12,000+ individuals were SILENCED WITHOUT EXPLANATION.

I apologize that you may have been confused with the semantics of the term “co-founder” in the sense that Michael Savage Weiner and his wife Janet Weiner helped create/invent the ROCKSTAR formula which is being used to make ROCKSTAR drinks.

Here’s PROOF from YOUR OWN WEBSITE as it is archived.
Click the 2nd star from the left:

http://web.archive.org/web/20021211144041/www.rockstar69.com/new/rockstar.html

I apologize for many other things but above all, I apologize that legal threats will not force me into submission. I apologize that I will not be silenced. I apologize that the incredibly smart, strong willed and amazing individuals and communities that dislike your CEO Russell Weiner, his dad Michael Savage Weiner and his mom CFO Janet Weiner will not go quietly into the night. They will NOT BE SILENCED.

Yours truly,

Charles C. C. Tsai

PS Facebook, NOTHING in this group violates your Terms of Use. Please don’t DELETE this group and/or DISABLE my account again. Please don’t CENSOR.

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For more information to further understand the context of this letter:

“the truth about rockstar”

http://www.thetruthaboutrockstar.com/

“official rockstar website”

http://www.rockstar69.com/

“michael savage banned from britain” – huffington post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/05/michael-savage-banned-fro_n_196631.html

“the guardian on michael savage” – the guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/may/06/michael-white-michael-savage

“dear rockstar, please don’t sue us” – wiqaable.com

http://www.wiqaable.com/2009/05/wiqaablog-dear-rockstar-please-dont-sue.html

“newsome returns $25,000 from Rockstar CEO” – associated press

http://cbs5.com/local/newsom.san.francisco.2.1017618.html

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*DISCLAIMER: This group is in no way, shape or form calling for a boycott on ROCKSTAR, the original group name is being used for identification purposes only. The ROCKSTAR* trade name, company, its employees and beyond are not affiliated with this group. Everything said/written is either my OPINION or straight quotations from other individuals apart of, represent, or are family members to the CEO of ROCKSTAR.

Duh.

PS Dear Facebook, NOTHING in this group violates your Terms of Use. Please DO NOT DELETE this group and/or DISABLE my PERSONAL FACEBOOK account AGAIN. There are NO photos containing drug use, nudity, or other graphic or sexually suggestive content are not allowed on the site, nor are photos that depict violence or that attack an individual or group. Please do not CENSOR, especially when nothing here violates your terms of agreement. I am only using the ROCKSTAR* trade name as a means to apologize to its legal firm that has demanded me to do so ON FACEBOOK. There IS A DISCLAIMER as well for this group, see above. If you delete this group, you will have violated your own terms of agreement and believe me, though I don’t have the money to, I will find a way to take legal action (just like ROCKSTAR probably did).
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SoCal Voice would like to commend Mr. Tsai for his courage in standing up for what he thinks is right. A website, The Truth About Rockstar Energy Drink, and SoCal Voice are directly still calling for a boycott. THEREFORE, SoCal Voice is committed to covering the continued BOYCOTT of Rockstar Energy Drink. We’re not scared of Robert Shapiro. So, sue us!

The LGBT community will not be silenced! We will exercise our freedom of speech as is guaranteed to all of us under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

United We Can, Overcome We Shall!