Phillips advocated "equal rights for women, minorities, people with mental illness and those who are physically challenged, " and her column "promoted AIDS awareness and education, hospice care, the living will, organ donation and also raised awareness about gender apartheid suffered by women in Afghanistan, " the syndicate said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"Buckets for the Cure" website states, albeit at the very bottom, that individual consumer purchases will not directly increase the total donation -- rather that the money is determined by purchases of buckets by KFC restaurant operators.

CNN: Activists call foul on KFC bucket campaign

There will be patterns of the federal government's owning disproportionate pieces of companies headed by big-donation-making CEOs.

FORBES: Fact and Comment