I’m not one to jump on the anti-Wal-Mart bandwagon because as one who now lives in a very small town in a remote area of one of the least populated states, I appreciate the fact that the presence of the Bentonville Behemoth tends to keep local merchants from jacking up prices affordable only to the trendy jet-setters who fly in here for weekends and holidays. And, overall, I believe that Wal-Mart is truly a good thing for America, especially for those folks who can’t afford to shop in the trendy, upscale department stores.

Admittedly, I did send a registered letter to H. Lee Scott, Jr., Wal-Mart CEO, earlier this week advising him of the deplorable management of his local investment, but that has nothing to do with the cause of today’s dismay. Well, actually, in a way, it does. My complaint to Mr. Scott centered on the deplorable out-of-stock situations we locals have to deal with because his manager can’t seem to master the basics of inventory control.

The problem today was also related to an out-of-stock situation but what truly enraged me and another customer, a young firefighter, was an in-stock situation. You see, this firefighter and I were looking for flags to display Monday, September 11th, to honor our nation and the brave Americans who gave all for their country that day. The firefighter was displaying more outrage than I, which is understandable considering the heavy casualties inflicted on his chosen brotherhood on that tragic day.

So what was the problem? Well, as I said, it was an out-of stock: no American flags of any size shape or description in this Wal-Mart store, this in a city where the primary employer is the United States Air Force. Now wouldn’t someone with just a modicum of marketing savvy possibly anticipate that, on the weekend prior to the fifth commemoration of the Pearl Harbor Day of the 21st Century, there might be a slightly elevated demand for patriotic symbols like, say, American flags? Well, nope, not here; not a single American flag was to be found within the cinder block confines of this merchandising mega store.

OK, OK, somebody slipped up; stuff happens, right? So, you must be asking, why were the young firefighter and this tired old veteran so pissed? Well, Scottie Boy, it may just have been the numerous MEXICAN FLAGS that were IN STOCK, occupying most of the shelf space in the area designated for patriotic materials. Yep, Mexican flags in various sizes, just hanging there waiting for the many local Wal-Mart customers whose primary allegiance belongs to that bifurcated government a thousand miles to the south.

Worse, there was even a selection of Brazilian flags. Brazilian? Yeah, that’s what I said, too, BRAZILIAN? GOOD FRICKIN’ GRIEF!!! And here I thought all these Wal-Mart clerks who don’t speak English were Mexicanos. Guess that could also explain the proliferation of all those Brazilian grilled meat restaurants that I seem to be seeing more and more of in my business travels.

Later at the Home Depot, where I did find American flags, and only American flags, I encountered the angry young firefighter again. He was still seething and promised that Wal-Mart management would be getting an angry letter of righteous outrage. As I walked out to my car with my flags, I thought, “Bet he’ll never get an answer.” Then I thought, “You, know, maybe if we put something at Old War Dogs, we could give this angry young firefighter a soapbox beyond anything he could hope for on this weekend leading up to a day in which firefighters should be honored as something special to all Americans.

So here it is Dogs. How about your Wal-Marts? They have more Mexican flags than American?

Russ Vaughn

Contributed by Russ Vaughn on September 9, 2006 at 05:17 PM in 9/11, Best of Old War Dogs, Islamism Delenda Est, Remember the Alamo, Russ Vaughn | Permalink

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