Honoring our Veterans

Today is Veterans Day --- the day we honor the brave men and women, living and dead, who have served in the armed forces. We display our flags, watch a parade and say a prayer, but for those whose lives have been touched by war, it never seems to be enough.

All of the men in my family, my father and three uncles, fought in WWII. The threat was real, our cause was true and the mission was clear. There was no hesitancy about taking up the fight. Everyone volunteered --- committed to the victory we knew would be ours.

But every cause, no matter how true, has a price. My uncle Johnny, my namesake and the baby in the family, was killed in action in Belgium. He was a young man who never had a chance to experience all that life offered. The grateful words of his commander and even the Silver Star for bravery could not ease my family’s pain.

Then came Vietnam, which ripped the country apart. We sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight a war where the mission wasn’t clear, the strategy was flawed and our government lacked the will to win.

I was an eighteen-year-old kid who joined the Marines. They were the toughest guys I ever met. They trained with a level of intensity most people never experience, yet no one was eager to go to war. They didn’t care about the politics and pushed the fear of dying out of their minds. There was a job to be done; a mission to be accomplished; and they were determined to be ready when the call came. In time, they bonded like brothers and came to feel invincible. But like every other war, there was a price to pay.

Young Marines, barely out of high school, were thrust into some of the most savage combat of the war. Before our training was even finished, body bags with members of our boot camp platoon were coming home.

From there it just got worse. Fighting increased, casualties mounted and before long it seemed that everyone had a father, son, husband or friend who was killed in action or had their life irreparably changed by the war.

And for what? To stop global Communism? Remember the “Domino Theory”? Because the South Vietnamese government asked us to be there? Yes, it’s true. We were even told that this was a counter insurgency action and we had to “win the hearts and minds” of the people. Sound familiar?

Years later we learned that John Kennedy’s fear of Communism was unfounded; Lyndon Johnson’s fear of failure paralyzed him into inaction; and Robert McNamara, the chief architect of the war, admitted in the last years of his life that going into Vietnam was a mistake. Maybe the death of 58,000 troops on his conscience was too much to bear.

Now we’re in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is ripping the country apart. We sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight two wars where the missions aren’t clear, the strategies are flawed and our government lacks the will to win. Didn’t we learn anything from Vietnam?

The wars have cost billions of dollars and the loss of thousands of lives. Casualties are rising and the enemy is getting stronger. No one can explain our mission, the President’s fear of failure has paralyzed him into inaction and our strategy is decided on congressional “fact finding” missions by politicians trying to show they are tough on terrorism. The local governments are corrupt, the heroin trade is flourishing and by all accounts the terrorists we’re chasing are hiding out in Pakistan with impunity.

We’re always hesitant to criticize a war effort for fear of dishonoring the memory of the brave troops who sacrificed so much for our country. But its time to say enough is enough. Our troops in all branches of the military have served with distinction and deserve our respect and admiration. Like my Marine Corps brothers and sisters, they have given real meaning to the terms Honor, Courage and Commitment.

If we really want to honor our veterans, then bring the troops home.

Semper Fi

Today is the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

As a veteran Marine I will always be proud to have served with this brave group of men and women who give meaning to the terms Honor, Courage and Commitment.

Yet, despite their unwavering commitment to the defense of our country, their valor on the battlefield and their great personal sacrifice in carrying out their mission, our government continues to ask the Marines to risk their lives when the President can't define the mission, Congress wastes billions of dollars in support of corrupt foreign governments and no one in Washington has the political courage to do what is necessary to win. Didn't we learn anything from Vietnam?

The Marines and all of our armed forces deserve more.

Happy Birthday Marines!

Baking with Paula Deen

We're pleased to report that Paula Deen, the popular Food Network star, has selected our scone mixes and organic jams for the "Great Gift Ideas" section in the special Holiday Baking Issue of her magazine. This special collector's issue contains 155 great recipes, tips and ideas for the holidays.

Harvest Festival Tickets

Thanks to all of you who entered our drawing for free passes to the 2009 Harvest Festivals. There were several hundred entries, but only 36 passes to give away. Based upon our random drawing of names, the winners are:

Terry McElhaney
Shirley Yee
Debbie Orlando
Diana Woods
Karen Adams
Linda Petruna
Jane Eckert
Tine Hayden
Christine Castillo
Jeff Warner
Suzanne Green
Donna Woodworth
Jacalyn Morri
Wendy Mathis
Katy Volpi
Sharon Walsh
Marty Feinmark
Liz Bonilla
Karla Wade
Lori Kodama
Sharon Gaffney
Delene Wolf
Gina Hicks
Rosanne Compitello
Karen Escobedo
Arleen Eblacas
Vicky Stiles
Margie Anderson
Marybeth Anicich
Chris McCoulf
Gloria Matson
Tisha Hee
Sheryl Gray
Bernadette Cassidy
Linda Terry
Nancy Dalton

We look forward to seeing you at the shows.

Cupcakemania

The interest in cupcakes continues to grow --- despite the recession --- or maybe because of it!

The August issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine features our "finger-licking good" lemon ginger cupcake mix. All-natural and easy to bake, our mixes are made with the finest available ingredients, like freshly-milled unbleached flour, organic sugar, Australian crystallized ginger and real lemon.

They're perfect for the value conscious consumer who wants a gourmet version of the classic American dessert that's not too sweet, low in salt and costs a fraction of what you pay for cupcakes from your local bakery.

Make some this weekend. After all, baking is about sharing and spending time with family and friends. Enjoy this beautiful Summer.

For information on our products visit www.iveta.com and check out our schedule of Fall shows.

Surviving the Recession with Scones

With the economy beginning to show signs of life, we invite you to join us at the Gourmet Housewares Show from August 8-10 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

San Francisco in August is the perfect time and place for retailers to kick off the critical 4th Quarter buying season. The Gourmet Housewares Show is the West Coast's marquee gourmet event, featuring upscale housewares, including gadgets, cookware, cutlery, bakeware, tabletop, small electrics, kitchen textiles and specialty foods.

Visit us in Booth 3877 to take sample our wide variety of award-winning baking mixes, including our Lemon Ginger Cupcake Mix which is featured in the current Better Homes and Garden Magazine, and our Cranberry Orange Scone Mix, which is a Gold Finalist in the Best New Specialty Food Category at this year's Gourmet Housewares Show.

As an added bonus, attendees at the Gourmet Housewares Show will have free access to the restyled San Francisco International Gift Fair which is also taking place at the Moscone Center.

Everyday Values at sconecentral.com

The internet, particularly in these difficult economic times, has become an indispensable tool in helping small businesses like ours compete effectively with our much larger competitors. Over the past few years our wholesale web site, www.sconecentral.com has enabled us to:

• improve sales and marketing while reducing costs;
• communicate more effectively and improve customer service;
• offer timely information on discounts and special promotions; and
• reach a national customer base with a small staff.

As a result of our experience we have made some changes to our wholesale site to provide every day value to large and small customers alike:

1. It is now possible to split cases (12 boxes/case; 2 flavors, 6 boxes each);
2. There are volume discounts for as little as 24 boxes per flavor;
3. Freight rates have been lowered to approximately 10% below standard UPS rates;
4. Purchases over $1,000 have one flat rate, regardless of the amount of the order;
5. There is a new in-store baking program which provides foodservice customers who purchase one of our ovens with a year’s worth of free baking mixes; and
6. The minimum order is only $150.

These special values are available only on orders placed on www.sconecentral.com. In addition, we will continue to offer monthly “internet only” specials, twice a year “internet only” sales, gourmet recipes and serving ideas, as well as other cost savings that we realize from making better use of internet technology.

To encourage you to visit www.sconecentral.com we are offering, in addition to all of the items listed above, a discount of 10% on orders for all of our baking mixes placed online through the end of March, 2009. We look forward to hearing from you.