by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump and people of his ilk, those who prefer their drinking water to come from golden faucets, have special places where they can retreat to avoid rubbing elbows with common folk. In the rarefied air of places like Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago Trump can relax and enjoy life among people who, though not his equals, are nevertheless head-and-shoulders above the unwashed masses who elected him to the highest office in the land. Those dumb asses ain't getting on a Trump property - unless they come to clean rooms!
But Bill Joe Bob and Wanda Jolene have their own sanctuaries, too, places where they can congregate with their friends and neighbors to show off their MAGA ball caps and ill-fitting tee shirts. The social clubs where Trump supporters meet and regale themselves with stories about how much better America is today than it was when the Muslim Negro was in the White House are called Walmarts - and the high-falutin' ones are called Supercenters.
And they truly are social centers.
Recently I read an article regarding research in some rural areas where the local Walmarts had been closed for business reasons. A closed Walmart represents not only a significant loss in local taxes, jobs, and commercial activities, a closed Walmart also deprives a community of its meeting place - the place where people go to push around a cart while they look for old friends and acquaintances to visit with.
But besides being a nice place to stop and chat, Walmart is where much of America goes to buy its guns, ammo, Viagra, birth control, liquor, tobacco, groceries, pet food, sweat shop clothing, and tiki torches.
Obviously not every Walmart shopper is a Trump supporter, but it would be naive not to think that a Trump sighting in the parking lot would all but empty many a Supercenter, particularly here in the Midwest. He is their guy because he is just like them - from the ridiculous hair to the expansive gut and broad butt - to internals like a big streak of meanness and bigotry cloaked in "cultural pride." The only thing missing is the money, and the lottery is going to fix that someday.
With all of that Trump love flowing up and down the aisles of Walmart, and with the store being controlled by one of the least charitable coven of billionaires in the world, it was quite a surprise when the CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillion, yesterday sent out a letter to store employees (2.3 million worldwide) that was critical of Trump's latest flipflop on the racist-fueled atrocity that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend. In his letter McMillion said Trump has "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists."
That had to hurt. Trump had personally attacked several of the other CEO's who had left some of his boards and commissions as a result of his soft-pedaling the actions of the fascist groups who converged in Charlottesville, but with the rebuke from the Walmart CEO, Trump just brushed it off saying McMillion was making a "political statement." Walmart, after all, is almost family. The corporation, which once had a young Hillary Clinton as the only female member of its board of directors, openly supported Trump's candidacy, and even sponsored a ball for the inauguration.
And McMillion, too, showed some restraint. He did not vacate his position on Trump's economic and advisory council, a group officially known as the Strategy and Policy Forum - apparently feeling that there was more to be gained by working from the inside. (If McMillion was waiting for a more dramatic moment to jump from that particular ship, however, he has missed his opportunity because the ever-petulant Trump disbanded the group today.)
But make no mistake, Doug McMillion has thrown down a marker, and the man whom Walmart - and its "shoppers" - helped propel to the White House would be well advised not to ignore the warning.
Minorities work at Walmart, and minorities shop there, too. And they vote. Donald Trump would do well to listen to Doug McMillion and to the Americans who still care about real American values - values that have truly made America great.
And bigotry is not one of those values.
Citizen Journalist
Donald Trump and people of his ilk, those who prefer their drinking water to come from golden faucets, have special places where they can retreat to avoid rubbing elbows with common folk. In the rarefied air of places like Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago Trump can relax and enjoy life among people who, though not his equals, are nevertheless head-and-shoulders above the unwashed masses who elected him to the highest office in the land. Those dumb asses ain't getting on a Trump property - unless they come to clean rooms!
But Bill Joe Bob and Wanda Jolene have their own sanctuaries, too, places where they can congregate with their friends and neighbors to show off their MAGA ball caps and ill-fitting tee shirts. The social clubs where Trump supporters meet and regale themselves with stories about how much better America is today than it was when the Muslim Negro was in the White House are called Walmarts - and the high-falutin' ones are called Supercenters.
And they truly are social centers.
Recently I read an article regarding research in some rural areas where the local Walmarts had been closed for business reasons. A closed Walmart represents not only a significant loss in local taxes, jobs, and commercial activities, a closed Walmart also deprives a community of its meeting place - the place where people go to push around a cart while they look for old friends and acquaintances to visit with.
But besides being a nice place to stop and chat, Walmart is where much of America goes to buy its guns, ammo, Viagra, birth control, liquor, tobacco, groceries, pet food, sweat shop clothing, and tiki torches.
Obviously not every Walmart shopper is a Trump supporter, but it would be naive not to think that a Trump sighting in the parking lot would all but empty many a Supercenter, particularly here in the Midwest. He is their guy because he is just like them - from the ridiculous hair to the expansive gut and broad butt - to internals like a big streak of meanness and bigotry cloaked in "cultural pride." The only thing missing is the money, and the lottery is going to fix that someday.
With all of that Trump love flowing up and down the aisles of Walmart, and with the store being controlled by one of the least charitable coven of billionaires in the world, it was quite a surprise when the CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillion, yesterday sent out a letter to store employees (2.3 million worldwide) that was critical of Trump's latest flipflop on the racist-fueled atrocity that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend. In his letter McMillion said Trump has "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists."
That had to hurt. Trump had personally attacked several of the other CEO's who had left some of his boards and commissions as a result of his soft-pedaling the actions of the fascist groups who converged in Charlottesville, but with the rebuke from the Walmart CEO, Trump just brushed it off saying McMillion was making a "political statement." Walmart, after all, is almost family. The corporation, which once had a young Hillary Clinton as the only female member of its board of directors, openly supported Trump's candidacy, and even sponsored a ball for the inauguration.
And McMillion, too, showed some restraint. He did not vacate his position on Trump's economic and advisory council, a group officially known as the Strategy and Policy Forum - apparently feeling that there was more to be gained by working from the inside. (If McMillion was waiting for a more dramatic moment to jump from that particular ship, however, he has missed his opportunity because the ever-petulant Trump disbanded the group today.)
But make no mistake, Doug McMillion has thrown down a marker, and the man whom Walmart - and its "shoppers" - helped propel to the White House would be well advised not to ignore the warning.
Minorities work at Walmart, and minorities shop there, too. And they vote. Donald Trump would do well to listen to Doug McMillion and to the Americans who still care about real American values - values that have truly made America great.
And bigotry is not one of those values.
1 comment:
Bravo
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