Patrick Henry failed as both a small business owner and farmer before he eventually secured a license to practice law and found his calling as a very effective politician from Virginia. Indeed, Patrick Henry went on to become one of the Founding Fathers of the United States because he was a gifted public speaker with revolutionary ideas about individual freedoms and good self-government. On March 23, 1775, 248 years ago today, Patrick Henry famously proclaimed “Give me liberty or give me death” (not to be confused with the New Hampshire state motto: “Live Free or Die“) while giving an impassioned speech in favor of Virginian troops joining the U.S. Revolutionary war for independence from England. He served as both Virginia’s first governor (1776-1779) and sixth governor (1784-1786), and was a prominent Anti-Federalist who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution because it granted too much power to the national (i.e., federal) government. Although the Federalists ultimately prevailed, Patrick Henry’s ideas, persistence and influence helped to amend the Constitution through the creation of a Bill of Rights to guarantee personal freedoms and limit the federal government’s constitutional powers over the States and U.S. citizens. What occupations or professions did you try before becoming an independent owner of PF’s U.S. DSD sales and distribution network? If you lived as an American colonist during the great debates that preceded and followed the Revolutionary War, would you have wanted liberty from the British crown? After securing that liberty, would you have aligned with the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists? Or, is it more likely that you would have completely avoided the debates? If so, would you have returned to England or moved to some other British colony to continue living under the rule of a monarch? Do you believe that a monarchy offers a better life than our constitutional form of self-government? Or, do you consider those forms of government to be essentially the same? Would the U.S. government be wildly different or basically the same today if there was not a Bill of Rights to the Constitution? Is liberty important to you? Is there anything in the world that you want so dearly that you would demand: give it to me or GIVE ME DEATH? 

Last Saturday, March 18, 2023, POAA published a special announcement about Do-It-Yourself rugged equipment and support options from Data Capture Solutions (DCS) that conform to the specifications for the Bronze Plan that was recently presented in the CPB Snacks division’s mysterious Mobile Transformation Initiative (mMTI) relaunch mandate. For those who may be unaware, DCS has been a strategic partner of POAA by offering every PF Independent DSD Partner the opportunity to obtain higher quality and lower cost equipment, supplies and technology support services than the low quality and high cost solutions available through CPB/PF’s corporate partners and technical support department. Yesterday, however, DCS contacted POAA leaders to advise PF DSD owners that no one from DCS can participate on the ZOOM CALL scheduled for tonight due to unforeseen and apparently dire circumstances. POAA leaders, however, will still host a ZOOM CALL TONIGHT at 7pm EST to lead discussions about CPB/PF’s DIY Bronze Plan – but there are new details to login to tonight’s Zoom Call, which are below. To be clear, TeamPOAA regularly encourages every PF Independent DSD Partner to be proactive about increasing their profitability by keeping their cost-to-serve and other operational costs as low as possible. For that reason, TeamPOAA also urges every PF IDP to consider opting for the DIY Bronze Plan over the exorbitant perpetual equipment leasing plans with data-only cellular service plans offered by CPB Snacks division and its corporate partners (like Korber), and to rely on the most cost-effective equipment and support solutions from highly reputable and independent providers like DCS. FIRST AND FOREMOST, however, TeamPOAA urges every independent DSD owner to understand that CPB Snacks is apparently using the dirty trick known as a CLIPWRAP AGREEMENT to amend the terms and conditions of their existing consignment contracts. Please be vigilant and consult with your trusted legal professional about the impact of sneaky click-through agreements, and specifically ask him/her whether the mMTI click modifies your existing contracts. Find out for yourself how CPB/PF executives respond to a request for information about those CLIPWRAP AGREEMENTS. If the Bronze Plan is truly a DIY option, are you curious to know why CPB/PF expects you to pay weekly fees for equipment that you own? Do you think CPB will honor your request for hardcopies of the proposed lease agreements for you to share with your legal professional before you decide to sign it? Is there anything that impacts the hard-earned capital invested in your small business so much that you would demand: knock it off or GIVE ME DEATH?