Posted on 08/29/2006 10:02:50 AM PDT by NYer
(CNSNews.com) - After months of criticism from union-backed groups over its employee pay and health care practices, Wal-Mart now faces a potential "rollback" of support from conservatives because of the retail giant's partnership with a homosexual business coalition.
"I don't think this is something that will sell on Main Street America, where most Wal-Mart stores are located," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council (FRC). "I don't think cheap prices on goods from China will be enough to stop a rollback in their customer base if they choose to go down this aisle."
Joining the FRC in criticizing Wal-Mart's new alliance with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is Americans for Truth, which describes itself as "the only national organization devoted exclusively to exposing and countering the homosexual activist agenda."
"Wal-Mart has always been a favorite of God-fearing Middle American customers who hold traditional family values," said Peter LaBarbera, the group's founder and president. "I'm very surprised that Wal-Mart would now bite the hand that feeds it and thumb its nose at those very customers.
"It seems to me that Wal-Mart should reconsider its unsavory alliance with these extremist homosexual activists in today's heated and polarizing culture war," LaBarbera added.
However, Bob McAdam, vice president of corporate affairs with Wal-Mart, told Cybercast News Service that the world's largest retail company joined the NGLCC "just like we have joined a number of other groups representing all parts of the spectrum of our customers" - including women's organizations and minority groups.
The conflict began on Aug. 21, when the NGLCC issued a news release announcing "a partnership with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., as part of the company's ongoing commitment to advancing diversity among all of its associate, supplier and customer bases."
As part of that agreement, Wal-Mart will pay $25,000 to NGLCC - "the largest LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender] business development and economic advocacy organization in the world" - and has agreed to sponsor two of NGLCC's annual conferences.
"We are honored to have Wal-Mart's support of the NGLCC," said the group's co-founder and president, Justin Nelson. "Our partnership will not only provide more opportunities for the Chamber, but the business community as a whole."
When asked by reporters why Wal-Mart had not issued a statement on the new partnership, Nelson said that it's "normal procedure" for the NGLCC to handle such announcements.
Since then, conservative organizations have become increasingly vocal in their criticism of the new partnership.
Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute at Concerned Women for America, said that by joining forces with the NGLCC, Wal-Mart is "validating the idea that homosexual activists have the right to shake down corporations out of fear of being called bigots."
Perkins called the alliance "an odd new domestic partnership." He's asking FRC's supporters to download a flyer from the group's website that asks why the retail chain is supporting homosexual activism and place a copy of it at the customer service desk of the nearest Wal-Mart.
As Cybercast News Service previously reported, the retail giant has been no stranger to controversy over the past year when union-sponsored groups such as WakeUpWal-Mart.com and Wal-Mart Watch have charged the corporation with needing to meet "higher expectations" and being unsafe for shoppers.
McAdam said he expects the popularity of the company - which has about 3,900 outlets in the United States alone - will trump any criticism from either side of the political aisle, just as when Wal-Mart added homosexuals to its non-discrimination policy two years ago.
"I think our attraction to Americans in general speaks for itself, and that's why comments from either side of the political spectrum or whatever philosophical debate are less important than the daily approval we see from our customers," McAdam said.
"Wal-Mart continues to serve the vast majority of Americans regardless of their political persuasion or their personal beliefs," McAdam noted. "Last year, about 85 percent of Americans bought something at Wal-Mart. We have more than 138 million customers a week at Wal-Mart.
"With numbers of that size, we're dealing with just about everybody, and to that extent, we want to be as welcoming as we can to every part of the spectrum, and we will continue to be broad in our outreach," he added. "We welcome people of all persuasions and all philosophies."
Not all homosexual activists are pleased with the new arrangement, though.
"Our community is a smart community, and we can see a shameless marketing opportunity when it comes," Jeremy Bishop, program director of the "Pride at Work" subsidiary of the AFL-CIO, told Cox Newspapers.
"For us, it's a matter of social and economic justice," Bishop added, "and Wal-Mart has a long record of not treating its employees - gay or straight - with equity and dignity."
The fact of the matter is that homosexuals are seeking to triangulate businesses.
Here is the message "only christians object to homosexuals so you only loose a tiny amount of looney christian business. Homosexuals are nacisistic hedonists who depend on being consumers for self validation, homosexuals spend money with abandon, christians don't spend money."
However, the reality is that sticking a homosexual flag outside a business is a guarantee way of NORMAL people staying away.
However, the reality is that sticking a homosexual flag outside a business is a guarantee way of NORMAL people staying away.
Depends on the business and depends on the flag. Target did it with a nice, light touch -- fashion lines by Todd Oldham and Isaac Mizrahi.
Wal-Mart is probably incapable of that kind of thing.
"It is obviously trying to do what is best for the company, not the bi-partisan critics."
It has obviously been infiltrated and intimidated.
"I have nothing against people being gay"
Why not? It's a terrible tragedy.
"it's a corporation and it's only needed philosophy is to make money for its shareholders."
No a corporation also needs a philosophy of refraining from working evil.
It can go either way, I guess. You might be right about NYC, LA and SF...........
I live in the middle of no where, literally...and the local WalMart actually does have an excellent selection of spcialty and ethnic foods. It also has a great paint department - the guy in charge is a retired Hardware store owner and knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to mixing paint...I won't buy paint anywhere else - or at least I won't up until the time this guy fully retires.....
???????
Okay. I'm having a tough time tracking the mix of metaphors, here. Somebody help me out.
So far, I 've got a straw man sporting a Trojan riding a horse of a different color down a road paved with good intentions.
My only remaining question is, "Where in Hell are they going?"
So now they are all for Gays? I will have to quit them again today? I just quit them this morning when I saw an ad coming out for this Christmas where they again call it Holidays. I am cancelling my Credit card.
So where can I shop now? I Loved Wal*Mart. I need help!
Where do you think most of the gay guys in large cities are from? Basically many of them are guys from the "middle of nowhere" who left because they felt unwanted. The first detailed lecture I ever received on trailers (uh, manufactured homes)and trailer parks was from a gay guy dressed head to toe in Helmut Lang who drew up in a trailer park.
drew = grew
WalMart.
Most of my gay friends swear by WalMart and Sam's Club.....most of them are small buisness owners, and just like WalMart seek to maximize their profits by keeping their overhead down.
It's the same reason I buy most of my jelly making supplies in WalMart.......not only does it save me money, but I can sell them at a lower price and still make a profit on each jar.
I thought their subsidiary Sam's Club went back to "holiday season" BS.
No more christmas lights, just holiday lights or decoration lights.
People just don't decorate or celebrate as in the past. They left has been successful at wiping out christmas. (they still push commie cwanza still)
It's the same reason I buy most of my jelly making supplies in WalMart....
I know I hit you up on this before regarding the jelly making, but buying the jars at wal-mart might be a mistake.
The big thing now in retail foods is packaging. Look at the packaging for bottled water. Unique packaging/jars could allow you to charge a great deal more in some markets.
It would be a shame for Walmart to now discriminate against NAMBLA... /sarcasm
I don't buy my jars in WalMart.just the sugar, food coloring, pectin and vinegar. I buy my jars at a local supermarket..$2 a case cheaper than WM for the identical items. just standard jelly jars.
For my more exotic ones, I use very different jars.
Ah! Yes. Right.
So, WAL MART now has an establishment in Hell; next door to the FORD dealership, no doubt.
I'm hip to the concept of a "global economy", but that's stretching it just a bit, IMO. And I think marketing in Hell is going to be, er, well, hell. I mean, it's not like Christmas is gonna be much of a hit, now, is it? And I've some real reservations about the popularity of sleeping bags and long underwear; cold-weather gear in general is very likely to be a non-starter. Their best bet is to stock the whole place, floor to ceiling, with fire extinguishers, but I doubt the local government would approve.
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