Pat Boone: The Grinch, the 'gays' and Wal-Mart

WorldNetDaily ^ | 11/18/06 | Pat Boone

[wagglebee]

I played tennis with Sam Walton

Yes, the man who conceived, founded and built the mighty Wal-Mart. What a man he was! Everything he did, he gave his all to. That, I found out, included tennis. I'm remembering a match on his home court in Bentonville, Ark., when my pro partner, John Newcomb, and I faced Mr. Sam and his partner, Rod Laver. Mr. Sam had to be in his late 60s by then, but he ran for everything, and if he got his racket on the ball, he was likely to put it away. The other three of us will never forget what a competitor, what a happy scrapper he was.

I played in the annual golf and tennis tournament actually hosted by John Phillips and his grocery store chain, but Sam Walton took a very active part, as he did in anything that involved his beloved Bentonville. He and I shared a private early breakfast at a diner he frequented, and we talked about marketing, especially gospel music. He always wanted his vast and growing empire to be family friendly, offering every good product at the lowest possible prices, and we constructed a plan to feature gospel music more prominently.

Already at more than 4,000 stores, his music department offered most everything, and he was personally concerned that some of it was anything but family friendly. Increasingly, he would be informed by customers that a number of albums contained profanity, strong and explicit sexual material, angry and violent imagery, all kinds of stuff he didn't want to sell anybody – but he didn't know what to do about it, since neither he nor his employees had time to listen to all the records the national distributors would place in his racks.

So I told him about, and subsequently introduced him and his top buyers to, the PMRC. That's the Parents Music Resource Committee, created by Washington wives, including Dee Jepson and Tipper Gore, wife of Albert. These ladies, mothers all, made it their business to check the lyric contents of all the records being marketed relentlessly to their kids and other mothers' kids. They lobbied successfully to force the record business to either print the lyrics on the outside of the records, or more often, put advisory labels or stickers on the covers – so that kids and their parents were warned about what their children would be hearing – before any purchase was made.

For several years, they advised Wal-Mart and helped keep it "family friendly."

Sensible, right? Responsible, sure. And Sam Walton loved it. The record companies grumbled, complained and used the dreaded "censorship" word. The late Frank Zappa, he of the Mothers of Invention, actually testified before some congressional committee, invoking (like "Hustler" magazine's Larry Flynt later) the First Amendment as if somehow letting people, especially young people, know what they were buying was encroaching on their "rights."

But Sam's folks, prompted somewhat by me, reminded the committee that food companies had to put their ingredients on soup cans and cereal boxes. It wasn't "censorship"; it was truth in advertising. It was responsible; it was family friendly. It was right – simply the right thing to do.

I loved Sam Walton for that.

So, years later, when other people began to complain about the size and prices and almost unbeatable competition Wal-Mart displayed, and stories kept popping up in publications charging the juggernaut with "unfair competition," non-union employees, of not treating employees right – all kinds of bad publicity, whether well-founded or not – I called the top brass at Wal-Mart and offered my services, my name and reputation, if they could use them, to help counteract these negatives. And they took me up on it, adding me to a sizable group of volunteer citizens who confer from time to time, sharing ideas about how to keep Wal-Mart's family friendly image strong and true. I still love the Sam Walton I knew, and I feel protective toward him, since he's not here to personally direct his own business.

This year, instead of bowing and kowtowing to militant atheist and super liberal "political correctness," so-called, I'm thrilled to see that Wal-Mart has banished "the Grinch" that threatened to steal Christmas, and will be advertising Christmas sales and playing Christmas music – and not conforming to the total "Holiday" imagery and advertising of other milk-toast wimp marketers. Again, the family friendly vision of Sam Walton lives on! I believe he's smiling somewhere, possibly in the presence of the One whose birth Christmas celebrates.

So imagine my surprise, my shock really, when I read yesterday that this venerable company, the international outgrowth of Mr. Sam's personal vision, has agreed to automatically donate 5 percent of online sales directly to the Washington, D.C., community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people! The cash donation will come from online purchases made at Wal-Mart through the homosexual group's website. Every purchase made online for books, music, videos, clothing and accessories, children's clothing and toys, and electronics will automatically send 5 percent of the sales to the CCBLBT organization.

The American Family Association Action Alert, a widely read Internet news source, says this latest move follows Wal-Mart's joining the National Gay and Lesbian "Chamber of Commerce," and agreeing to give generous financial help to that organization also. The AFA, and I predict many other family organizations, are calling for a post-Thanksgiving boycott of Wal-Mart. In fact, they're lining up 1,000,000 families who will pledge not to shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club on the Friday or Saturday following Thanksgiving.

If the boycott succeeds, it won't bankrupt Wal-Mart; but it may send them a message, loud and clear.

And I suspect Mr. Sam is not smiling about the sudden flak, or the actions that caused it. The man I knew was a conscientious deacon at the Methodist church, and his own family are wonderful people, still honoring their mom, Helen. He was a rock ribbed "traditional values" guy, and while he loved everybody and loved serving them, his own staff has told me of situations in which he took a stern, fatherly, moral stance with employees who weren't representing his American Christian values. He considered them his "family" and tried to lead them accordingly.

There's a distinct line between allowing people to live their own lives as they choose, and underwriting and endorsing, even promoting, choices and actions with which you fundamentally disagree. Mr. Sam was determined that his stores would always be "family friendly"; and suddenly, the millions of families he always catered to are seriously pondering the mixed messages coming out of Bentonville. I think he would have remained benignly neutral and non-condemning toward homosexual groups – but would never have donated to their causes.

How ironic, if Wal-Mart banishes the Grinch – but has its Christmas sales stolen by the gays!

[wagglebee]

Sam Walton is rolling over in his grave.

[wagglebee]

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[ansel12]

It is amazing how much more effective this posting is, instead of the AFA postings.


Pat Boone got my attention.

[Abby4116]

I agree in theory, but I wish they would clarify the 5% a little bit better. It reads as if 5% of all sales online goes to this group - rather 5% of the sales generated from the link on that group's website goes to the group.

But I do applaud Walmart and Sam's Club on the family friendly content in their stores.

[antiRepublicrat]

How long are we going to play whack-a-mole with this story? It's Wal-Mart's affiliate program that just about anybody with a web site can join. You fill out a form at Wal-Mart's web site, and you get some code and images you can use to put the click-through on your web site. It's a very common sales tactic with online retailers.

[randog]

Pat Boone got my attention.

I've read a few of his articles, and, yes, Pat has an incredible talent for writing, especially in getting his ideas across with anecdotes and no-nonsense logic.

[ansel12]

"I agree in theory, but I wish they would clarify the 5% a little bit better. It reads as if 5% of all sales online goes to this group - rather 5% of the sales generated from the link on that group's website goes to the group."






You are right, because it wasn't in the headline I skimmed over the pertinent paragraph, but it is as misleading as the other postings, about what still appears to be an unfounded attack.

I looked into the program and antiRepublican is correct, even my little personal web page qualifies for the download, and then I get my 5% too.

Before the publicity, the homosexual web site in question had less than $42.00 in total sales going through it.

[gondramB]

>>It is amazing how much more effective this posting is, instead of the AFA postings.


Pat Boone got my attention.<<

Its a shame its likely not remotely accurate.

Walmart is now the third largest online retailer on earth and they are not giving 5% of their total online sales to anybody for charity or politics - there would be a share holder riot. They only pay for people who generate sales for them

The lack of fact checking here is terrible.

I understand people don't like homosexuality. I don't like looking at two guys together and the bible is clear that homosexual acts are sins.

But to have a million people do a boycott without fact checking is a disgrace to people who claim to be doing this in the name of Christianity.

Walmart is as conservative as a for profit corporation can be they should market to whomever is willing to buy their merchandise.

There have been several fake stories like this about Walmart and I'm starting to wonder if they are organized.

The 5% number is suspicious since that's the percent Walmart pays its affiliate sites. Freep could be an affiliate and would receive 5% of purchases made by Freepers who clicked on a Walmart link here and then made a purchase.

Let's not be gullible or hateful at Christmas.

Let's love our fellow men, even the sinners and lets try to check our facts. We expect that of other media sources. If Walmart sells something that turns out to be explicit- bring it to their attention they will likelyy pull the item. And don't blame them for selling to whoever will buy - that's caplitalism and a key part of the American way.


And once we figure out the actual story it would be nice to know spread the story and why. Soimebody is trying to jerk the chains of conservatives Christians and there is almost always a money motive.

[wagglebee]

So it wouldn't bother you if groups such as NAMBLA, Aryan Nation, the Ku Klux Klan or al Qaida signed up for the same program?

[gotribe]

Sam's dead.

[gondramB]

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_walmart_gay_affiliate.htm

>>Comments: The above message was mass-emailed to about 3 million recipients by the American Family Association, a conservative Christian organization, on November 9, 2006. It is misleading on several counts.

The headline, "Wal-Mart Contributes 5% Of Online Sales To Homosexual Group," falsely implies that a percentage of Wal-Mart's online sales goes to the Community Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People in Washington, DC. The truth, as reported by Cox News Service, is that the organization receives a 5% revenue share of e-commerce sales generated only by users who purchase Wal-Mart merchandise by clicking a link on the CCGLBTP Web site.<<

We need an answer from the AFA as to whether they did this by mistake or whether they it was on purpose.

[taxesareforever]

It is too bad that even Pat Boone has been snookered into believing this lie. All one need do is go to snopes.com and read what it has to say about this misconception. The following is taken from the snopes (urban legends) website.

Less than careful readers might miss that the 5% donation applies only to sales made through the Metro DC GLBT web site — that is, purchases made at Wal-Mart stores or through Wal-Mart.com are not part of the "5% donation" scheme.

[Valpal1]

Doesn't matter to ma that it is only the affiliate program.

WalMart should have a more careful approval process for affiliates. Period, end of story for me.

Does this mean hate groups, skin heads and terrorists could also sign up for their affiliate program?

Sam Walton is dead and the corporate leaders are free to market the company as they please and I will shop where I want accordingly.

[Politicalmom]

Perhaps you should try reading it again. Pat Boone has it EXACTLY right.

"The cash donation will come from online purchases made at Wal-Mart through the homosexual group's website. Every purchase made online for books, music, videos, clothing and accessories, children's clothing and toys, and electronics will automatically send 5 percent of the sales to the CCBLBT organization."

[gondramB]

>>Doesn't matter to ma that it is only the affiliate program.

WalMart should have a more careful approval process for affiliates. Period, end of story for me. <<

That's different - you have every right to judge their affiliate program and shop or not shop wherever you choose.

My problem is with the AFA that seems to deliberatley tried to sabotage a basically conservative corporation with misleading emails - 3,000,000 of them.

[ansel12]

"Unsuitable sites include, but are not limited to, those that:

Promote sexually explicit material;
Promote violence or hate toward any persons or groups;
Promote illegal activities;
Promote alcohol, tobacco, gambling/lottery in any way;
Promote the use of pyramid, "ponzi", or similar investment schemes;
Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age;
Contain, in our sole judgment, material that is defamatory, fraudulent, or harassing to us or any third party;
Include "walmart", "wal-mart" or variations or misspellings thereof in their domain names;
Otherwise violate intellectual property rights of Walmart.com, Wal-Mart Stores or its suppliers;
Disparage Walmart.com, Wal-Mart Stores or their suppliers;
Are under construction or not live at the time of application;
Require a username and password to access;
Are non-US based or are sites that primarily serve a non-US based audience; and
Are unable to direct a reasonable amount of traffic by way of sales volume, clicks and page views to our site.

In addition, we will not accept sites that provide a portion of their Referral Fees as defined in Section 5 or affiliate benefits to sites or organizations that violate any of the above criteria."

[taxesareforever]

PERHAPS you are the one in need of a reading and comprehension lesson. What I stated was copied right from the snopes website. Just because you don't want to admit the lie doesn't make it true.

[wagglebee]

I didn't ask if it would bother Wal-Mart, I asked if it would bother those of you who minimize the 5% donation.

[sono]

No worries, Pat ... boycotting Wal-Mart is a non-starter - just ask John Edwards.

[ansel12]

"I didn't ask if it would bother Wal-Mart, I asked if it would bother those of you who minimize the 5% donation."



The groups you named, can't be in the program.