Posted on 03/12/2002 7:17:44 PM PST by dalmook
Washington, D.C.-In a stunning defeat for the gun lobby, H&R Block, the nation's largest tax preparation firm, today severed a controversial marketing agreement it had entered into with the National Rifle Association (NRA). H&R Block's withdrawal from the program came as a result of widespread protests spearheaded by the Alliance for Justice's Gun Industry Watch, and supported by the Million Mom March united with the Brady Campaign and the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
"Let this send a loud message to other corporate partners of the NRA," said Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron. "If you support the NRA, we will work to make sure that your employees, customers, and all of your stakeholders know that you support an extremist gun lobby that is out of step with mainstream America."
"The termination of this agreement is a tremendous victory for everyone who was outraged that a reputable business like H&R Block would support an extremist organization like the NRA," said Michael D. Barnes, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March. "Marketing your products to a specific group of people is an accepted business practice, but H&R Block crossed the line when it agreed to pay royalties to the NRA."
"Corporations doing business with the NRA should be very concerned by the large efforts of hundreds of gun safety activists that came out in defiance of H&R Block's agreement with the NRA," said Bryan Miller of the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
H&R Block had entered into an agreement with a marketing company called Memberdrive to market its products and services to NRA members. However, the agreement also provided for "royalties" paid by H&R Block, through Memberdrive, to the NRA. According an H&R Block advertisement that ran in the March issue of America's First Freedom, the NRA's magazine, H&R Block "will make a contribution to the NRA for every Member who becomes a new customer." Memberdrive's Senior Vice President of Marketing is Susan LaPierre, wife of NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.
Gun Industry Watch, a student network, first exposed the agreement in late February, staging a protest outside of an H&R Block outlet in Washington, DC, and planning dozens more. Over the past two weeks, thousands of activists including those from the Million Mom March and the Brady Campaign joined with Gun Industry Watch and called, faxed and e-mailed H&R Block to express their objections to this agreement and to educate the company on the extremist positions that the NRA has taken in the past. With Gun Industry Watch recruiting students, Million Mom March recruiting its members and support from the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, protests of H&R Block offices in more than 50 cities had been planned for mid-March. These protests have now been called off.
"This victory shows the power of the gun control movement's grassroots," said Aron. "When you engage students and moms together, it's a potent combination."
"H&R Block now understands that, by agreeing to this royalty scheme, it was furthering the reckless political agenda of the NRA's leadership," said Mr. Barnes. "Congratulations to Gun Industry Watch and to all of our Million Mom March activists and members for making their voices heard."
Quite apart from the NRA flap, I am going to see to it that the H&R Blocks in this country go out of business by ensuring that the income tax is replaced with a National Retail Sales Tax and the IRS is abolished!
That'll fix 'em!
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” [Thomas Jefferson, letter to Benjamin Rush, 1800.]
Click here to help us scrap the Code, scrap the IRS and abolish the VLWC!
We will never be a truly FRee people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS.
The only company trying to compete nationally is Jackson Hewitt. The ones here are located at Wal-Mart.
ROTFLAMO! NRA "extremist"? Guess they don't know about CCRKBA/SAF, GOA, or most especially JPFO, do they?
With Gun Industry Watch recruiting students, Million Mom March recruiting its members and support from the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, protests of H&R Block offices in more than 50 cities had been planned for mid-March. These protests have now been called off.
Well, wouldn't want the public and the newsies to be disappointed. Seems a massive FREEP is in order. Maybe a bit later than mid-March to allow a couple of weeks to get organized, calenders cleared, and such as that. They will only wish the Million Moms (all 250 of them) and a few mushy headed "students" showed up at their offices. I'm not much of an organizer, but I'll be a warm body and chanter, just like back in November and December of 2000. Might even make a sign this time. :)
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Click her for JacksonHewitt.
< note>
I saw this headline in an article on a news site:
Gun Violence Prevention
Groups Claim Victory
H&R Block Severs Ties with National Rifle Association
As a member of the NRA and as a long time customer of H&R Block, I have to ask myself: "Whose side am I on?"
I could pick a group that protects the Constitution of the United States, or I could pick a business that makes its money by exploiting an over complicated taxing system AND caves to a group that seeks to destroy a Constitutionally protected right of the people.
Seems pretty easy. Next stop, finding your competitor in my area.
</note>
By the way, here is a place for feedback: submit a question
Thank you for contacting us.
We originally had a relationship with H&R Block where we would receive royalties from our members who utilized their services.
Currently H&R Block has discontinued our agreement and the benefit is no longer offered.
Best Regards,
Whitney
NRA Member Communications
Looks like someone else will get my business this year.
Time to Put H&R Block on Notice
Tax Service Company Caves-in to Anti-Gun-Rights Extremists
March 13, 2002
Wide distribution permitted and encouraged.
This is not about the NRA. Even if you are one of those gun-rights activists who dislike the NRA, believing them to be too compromising, you need to take action on this.
This about businesses caving in to the political agenda of the anti-gun zealots at the Brady Campaign, Gun Industry Watch and others.
If we let this stand unpunished, more businesses will bow to the extremists.
The facts: H&R Block had an agreement with an organization called Memberdrive. Memberdrive made an agreement with the NRA by which the NRA got a royalty for each member who used H&R Block. The anti-gun-rights extremists threatened protests this Saturday in numerous cities. H&R Block caved, severing the deal.
See the joint Brady Campaign, Gun Industry Watch press release about the cave-in here. See the H&R Block letter announcing the cave-in to Brady here.
Action step 1: Sign the online petition I have created at link.
Action step 2: Write a letter to Linda McDougall, H&R Block V.P. of Communications (who wrote to Brady about the cave-in), telling her that H&R Block has lost your business. Fax or snail mail this to her – email gets ignored, but paper doesn’t, so if you email her, send paper too. A phone call wouldn’t hurt either. (My letter to Ms. McDougall is below.)
Whatever you do: keep it polite but firm, clean but frank.
Linda McDougall
V.P. Communications
H&R Block
4400 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: 816-932-7542
Fax: 816-753-8628
Email: lmcdougall@hrblock.com
Action step 3: Go to your yellow pages. Call your local H&R Block branch and explain that you will not give it business because of this decision by headquarters.
Action step 4: A) If H&R Block already is doing your taxes – especially if you gave it business because of this deal – stop the process. Explain to your representative that you have decided to take your business elsewhere because of H&R Block’s decision. B) If you already have paid for these services, demand a refund – after all, now that H&R Block has changed the situation, you turned over your money under false pretenses.
[snipped by-line and letter]
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