Here’s what the citizens campaign committee on the ground in Flagstaff thinks of the Wal-Mart “apology.”

CITIZENS GROUP REJECTS WAL-MART’S SO-CALLED “APOLOGY” AS JUST ANOTHER CAMPAIGN MOVE

(Flagstaff,AZ)—YesOnProp100.com, the citizens’ group that’s been fighting to uphold a ‘big box’ ordinance against the Wal-Mart funded referendum says that a so-called “apology” is little more than last minute “damage control.”

The “No” campaign committee chair, local developer Frank Dickens, previously told the Flagstaff news media that “nobody was complaining about the ads” except Proposition 100’s supporters — that includes the Mayor, City Council members and most community leaders.

The political consultant who created the ads for Dicken’s campaign, Tom Farley, even bragged to the Arizona Daily Sun that they “were getting attention” and rejected any consideration of not running more of them.

And a spokesman for the Wal-Mart company denied any knowledge or responsibility for the ads during an interview reported by the Arizona Daily Sun.

“They have gone so far beyond decency that a last-minute apology motivated by fear of losing an election just doesn’t pass the smell test,” said yesonprop100.com committee consultant Bob Grossfeld. “Their campaign, consultants and the company that paid for them cannot be allowed to get away with this by simply trotting out a spokeswoman who can sound sincere while reading a carefully crafted press release.”

In addition to comparing the Mayor, City Council and supporters of the big box ordinance to Hitler’s Nazis in their book burning ads, the campaign has also launched similar ads leveling accusations of censorship and even political payoffs.

“They are not apologizing because they have done wrong,” said Grossfeld, “they are apologizing because they have been caught.”

There are no “accidents” in advertising. When you live by the image you project, you know precisely what message you’re sending. This was an unconscionable abuse of the public by Wal-Mart. Apology NOT accepted.

I have to agree with Will here. These are ‘smart’ people who get paid a lot of money to do what they do. Unfortun-
ately our society is so permeated with spin that so many
who ought to know better believe they can lie their way out
of anything.

This is disgusting and terribly ironic.

Way to go UFCW and wakeupwalmart for breaking this story wide open...it was amazing job…

COME ON NOW--WHAT DOES WALMART TAKE US FOR? That NAZI-BOOK BURNING AD of JEWISH BOOKS was no accident. It pictured the burning of ANTI-NAZI BOOKS in the Summer of 1933--as HITLER WAS CONSOLDATING HIS POWER. There is more than a whiff of Christian Fascism in the American air--seeping out of RED AMERICA--without WALMART giving the ANTI-Semites ideas/targets for a new purge. The WALMART ad was too clever by half. It’s now “TARGET” for me. George E. Lowe

their tearing out town apart as we speak.  this is not freedom.  and which side of the book burning are they really on?

On one hand, I think that any *smart* company would not pull this off.  On the other, I think that WM is smart, sick and knows exactly how to pull the emotional chain.  It reminds me of sociopaths and serial killers who are sometimes more intelligent than you and I.  We must acknowledge evil in all it’s forms.

Do you people even read what you post?  The fact that your comparing Walmart to sociopaths and serial killers shows alot of ignorance.  There are far worse problems in the world than Walmart.  Why not take some of the energy you are wasting here and put it towards something important?

Comparing the local government to Nazi Germany was perhaps in poor taste, but I fail to see how it is an “unconscionable abuse of the public”. 

Perhaps I have thicker skin than some of those posting here, but it really doesn’t bother me to see an image of Nazis burning books.  The act of burning the books, and a great deal of other things far worse that Nazi Germany did, does bother me.  And that was the point of using that image in the ad.  The point was to say that the government is restricting free enterprise, much as the Nazis restricted free press.

Pick up the newspaper or turn on your evening news, and you will see images far worse than that.  And the news media is using them not to make a point, but to increase ratings.  That to me is far more offensive.

I do find it interesting that an ad comparing the local government to Nazi Germany is considered offensive, yet comparing Walmart to “sociopaths and serial killers” isn’t considered offensive by the Anti-Walmart crowd.

the ad was terrible...it was great how wakeupwalmart.com broke the story...makes me wonder about other ads that walmart has run lately...get to it UFCW

It disgusts me that you people are so suspicious of this company. Do you really think they have some sort of Nazi agenda?

“While we appreciate that Wal-Mart has stopped running these offensive ads, this apology does not go far enough.  It does not explain why Wal-Mart and their allies felt the need to use such graphic and offensive imagery in a political campaign.”

Because it helps get their point across. Open any progressive magazine and you’ll see ads that are slightly provocative and suprising(and often offensive). They help to get the readers attention. They have already apologized. If you don’t believe their apology that is your problem, not theirs. 

Again, Wal mart is NOT evil. If you seriously consider the *facts*(notice I didn’t say conspiracy theories) I think you will see that.

-Matt

I find the fact that Wal-Mart used the cencoring of books as the argument in their add very ironic. I know they were using it as a metaphore, but thats exactly what they have been doing for years. they have pulled Maxim, Stuff, and FHM magazines off the shelf, and in the past year they’ve refused to sell books by George Carlin and John Stewart. I know WM supporters will argue that they have the right to sell what ever they want, and the consumer can chose to shop elsewhere. Well, they’re right consumers can shop elsewhere, unless you live in a town that WM has used they’re global domination tactics on and put all your other litature vending outlets out of business. I guess it really won’t matter for very much longer, soon we will have “low priced” America out of manufacturing jobs and won’t be able to buy books. Wake up America. Every dollar we spend at Wal-Mart costs us far more than we save. Your dollar is your vote. Vote Wal-Mart out.

Let me clarify my argument a bit. Once we send all of our jobs to China, we wont be albe to aford such luxuries as literature.

Not only does WM censor what we can read, but they also censor the music we can listen to. I do find it interesting though that they don’t censor the movies they sell. They won’t sell me a CD that says f**k, but I can go an aisle over and buy American History X, which contains a man on man prison rape scene. WM won’t censor movies tohugh, at least for the time being, because they’re using DVDs as leverage to try to drive the cost of CDs down.

you can see the original add at
http://www.azdailysun.com/coupons/popup_main.cfm?dadid=30627&ins=621286
and download it with Acrobat

I keep hearing that Wal-Mart should have the right to open whereever they like and do whatever they want from their supporters.  Well, that’s not completely true.  Don’t they have zoning laws anywhere else in the country?  Doesn’t the common good of the citizenry come before the private interests of a corporation?  Of course.  If the majority of people don’t want it around them, then Wal-Mart should go elsewhere.  If the majority of people do want it Wal-Mart will gladly show them what laws to change and who to vote out of office.

Wal-Mart needs to be renamed.  The new title should be called Empty Promises Corporation.  So many promises and nothing ever seems to get delivered to those that make you who you are.  Would Wal-Mart be the richest retailers if there were no workers one might ask?  It would be nice to poll all of those you call associates and management just to let the world know how much you really think about all they do for your corporation and how little you do for them or should that be kept quite because it might destroy the image you’ve based your wealth on.  Those who make you who you are are being treated like slaves while some having to take on 2nd jobs just to survive. 
I, would like to ask upper management how can each of you go to sleep at night with a clear mind and not think about those who make you who you are. Working hard is what one should do for a company but when abusing workers like Wal-Mart associates and lower management are done then it’s time to take action. 

DJ in Mountainburg, AR.
Thursday Feb. 24th 06:15 AM