operation pomegranate
Ben's post reminded me about a series of emails I got last week. (This post has been sitting on my computer for a week.)
When I signed up to volunteer for the antiwar protest concert a few months ago, (they've got a few of my pictures up on that site, by the way,) I was put on a mailing list which has let me know about a number of local “fight the power” type events going on around town. Last weekend they had a protest against Walmart, that happened to be at my neighborhood store. I guess they did some kind of street theater. I don't know, I didn't go. Walmart does many things worth protesting, so I don't have any issue with other people making some noise out front if they want to. But I protest by not shopping there.
So the day after the protests I get an update on the mailing list, which includes quotes from a newspaper article. The article contains details about the protest which hadn't been communicated in the previous mailing list recruitments.
“We are asking consumers to question the products they are purchasing and demand that the stores they frequent carry organic, local, and Fair Trade or Fair Made alternatives,” said Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the Organic Consumers Association, which launched the campaign.
Wait a minute. What?? The whole protest is because Walmart doesn't carry organic fruit? Hey, Ronnie, maybe you don't realize this, but there is a Safeway right across the street from that Walmart, where every week I buy my cage free chickens, hormone free eggs, and organically grown pomegranate juice. Why don't you just go over there?
It goes on…
Wal-Mart, which controls about 20 percent of grocery store sales in the United States, has recently announced that it intends to become the dominant retail force in organic products. This is troubling to organic consumers and farmers, given the company's notoriety for driving down prices to producers and selling low-grade products at discount prices, Cummins argues.
What the… so Walmart is going to sell organic stuff… and that makes you even more angry? Because prices are going to go down? So this whole thing is run by the farmers?
Always look for the puppet masters.