Food for Thought

Check out some of the points raised in this Seattle Times article from last Saturday.

She said the group raised money from local business owners and the United Food and Commercial Workers union to wage a regulatory battle against Wal-Mart on the grounds that it posed significant environmental risks.

Okay, first of all, why would a labor union care about environmental regulations? We all know the answer to that question. And let's not forget that it was Claudia Newman, one of PARD's attorneys, that represented the anti-Wal-Mart group in Mill Creek:

Talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors, talk to people at your church (about Wal-Mart)," urged Heather Golden, an organizer with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1001.

In addition to a petition drive, attendees made preliminary plans to stand on local street corners waving signs opposing Wal-Mart.

Tuesday's decisions are the result of a national movement battling the company and its business practices. Spearheaded by national labor unions like the UFCW and the Teamsters, the movement, called Wake-Up Wal-Mart, seeks to change those practices.

"A number of local unions in this area have contributed money to our efforts," said Golden. "So far we've used that money to hire a land-use lawyer. (Claudia Newman)."

In fact, A December 23, 2005 Everett Herald story reported:

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union in Seattle has been paying the bulk of the cost for an attorney to fight approval of the store.

Instead of the PARDners calling me a "liar," I think everyone knows who the real liars are by denying their union support. Now that we are at the bitter end, can they just tell the truth for a change?

Then there was this:

But a county hearing examiner ordered Wal-Mart to study the store's potential environmental effects — ensuring a delay of up to three years, Spall said.

Now do you see why PARD was so hot to get an environmental impact study ordered by the Hearing Examiner?

And lastly, more reason to be confident:

She added that if Wal-Mart had owned the land, "it would have been a different story," meaning it would have kept up the fight.

Wal-Mart purchased the land on Bishop Blvd. back in April 2006. Yet another PARD miscalculation.

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