• 4/26 5:31pm   I have retirement funds invested in a 401(k) plan managed by Fidelity and most of my holdings in the plan are in Fidelity's mutual funds. I was shocked to learn that Fidelity doesn't have any policy against investing in companies that enable or support rape, torture, murder, or genocide. (In fact, until recently Fidelity was the largest U.S. shareholder of a company named "Petrochina" which was providing money to Sudan which Sudan used to pay for the ongoing genocide against Darfur.)
    Shareholders of many mutual funds have made shareholder proposals asking the Board to "institute procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in the judgment of the Board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights."
    At a Fidelity shareholder meeting in Boston on 14-May-2008, this proposal will be voted on for the following fifteen Fidelity funds:
    - Blue Chip Growth - proposal 3
    - Blue Chip Value - proposal 3
    - Capital Appreciation - proposal 3
    - Contrafund - proposal 3
    - Dividend Growth - proposal 3
    - Diversified International - proposal 5
    - Equity Income - proposal 3
    - Growth and Income - proposal 3
    - Growth Company - proposal 4
    - Low Priced Stock - proposal 3
    - Magellan - proposal 4
    - Puritan - proposal 3
    - Real Estate Investment - proposal 3
    - Utilities - proposal 3
    - Value - proposal 4
    Fidelity shareholders can vote their shares by returning their proxy or attending the shareholder meeting. If you have already discarded your proxy materials (as many do), or have already voted and wish to change your vote, you can do so right up until the meeting on 14-May-2008.
    It is clear that most individual investors do not want their family savings used to help support genocide. However, many of the votes on this proposal will be cast by large institutional shareholders and other industry insiders who tend to vote with management. Therefore, each vote cast by an individual investor is very important.
    Momentum is building for genocide-free investing. The Fidelity votes have received widespread press coverage and national religious and human rights organizations including the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, American Jewish World Service, Physicians for Human Rights and the Armenian Assembly of America have backed the proposal.
    For details about this important vote and more information on genocide-free investing, please visit investorsagainstgenocide.org.
    I urge you to consider voting for the shareholder proposal to ask the funds not to invest in companies enabling genocide or crimes against humanity.
    Thank you.
    - DR


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