(Freedom Walk) Walking the Wrong Way - NYT/ed.

[Catchawave]

August 21, 2005
Walking the Wrong Way
The Bush administration has announced plans for a Freedom Walk on Sept. 11, which will start at the Pentagon and end at the National Mall, and include a country music concert. The event is an ill-considered attempt to link the Iraq war to the terrorist attacks of 2001, and misguided in almost every conceivable way. It also badly misreads the public's mood. The American people are becoming increasingly skeptical about the war. They want answers to hard questions, not pageantry.

It is perfectly appropriate for the Defense Department to organize a memorial for Americans who died on Sept. 11, since many were Pentagon employees. It is also fine to pay tribute to the sacrifices being made by the troops in Iraq. What is disturbing is the Bush administration's insistence on combining the two in a politically loaded day of marching and entertainment.

Having failed to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the administration has been eager to repackage the war as a response to Sept. 11. The Freedom Walk appears to be devised to impress this false connection on the popular imagination.

The walk will end with a concert by the country musician Clint Black. Mr. Black is a gifted entertainer, but his song about the Iraq war, "I Raq and Roll" - which contains such lyrics as "our troops take out the garbage, for the good old U.S.A." - sends a jingoistic message that is particularly out of place at a memorial service.

The Freedom Walk is being organized at a time when popular opinion has been turning against the war. In recent days, Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, has attracted enormous attention with her protest outside President Bush's Crawford, Tex., ranch. The increasing war toll and the sad stories of multiple losses in some communities are reinforcing the message that the invasion of Iraq has not been pain-free for all of the country. The mother of a fallen marine, Lance Cpl. Edward Schroeder II - one of 16 Ohio-based marines killed in a recent three-day period - said last week that the president should either "fight this war right or get out."

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/opinion/21sun1.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

[MASSAFRA]

1. One of the sponsors is Subway

let them know how you feel. Here is the corporate e-mail.
[e-mail]

[unhappycamper]

11. There's thread in the activism forum on Subway.

Boycott Subway - Korporate Sponsor "America Supports You Freedom Walk"
Link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x21522

[leveymg]

2. Here's info on the area franchize owner - it's his decision

Subway is responding to complaints sent to its corporate site that Subway isn't actually sponsoring the march. It says the sponsorship "is a local promotion supported by the franchisees in the DC area."

The form letter they send out:

Dear Subway Customer,

This is just one of the many activities and charitable events that local
Subway markets support across the country.

The event you are referring to, the America Supports You Freedom Walk on
Sept. 11, 2005, is one that is a local promotion supported by the
franchisees in the DC area.

As part of this event, the local franchisees will provide bottled water to
the walkers. They chose to be part of this
event because it will raise money to build a 9/11 memorial in the Pentagon.

The local Subway market supported the rescue workers during 9/11 and even
operate a Subway restaurant in the Pentagon.

Subway restaurants are individually owned and operated by franchisees who
are proud to be part of the communities they serve.

Sincerely,
Heather Mills


Many of Subway's restaurants are in urban locations that are majority Democrats and presumably even more anti-war than the country at large. It's likely that these folks would object to their local Subway being linked to this event.


There are sixty-seven Subway restaurants in Washington DC. Their locations and contact information is available at: http://www.subway.com/Applications/locator/index.aspx

Alan Warmund is the head franchizer in the DC area. Larry Feldman is the CEO and biggest Subway franchize owner in the DC area. He's the man you want to talk to, with a Cc to Warmund.

Here's an article about Feldman:
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2001/07/09/story4.html

Sub king's hair salons to pepper D.C. region
Eleni Chamis
Staff Reporter
Larry Feldman was semiretired and sitting on his couch one afternoon when his wife told him to make a move. Off the couch.

Good thing for him two friends showed up soon after with a business plan they had been working on for 10 years. It was an idea for a hair salon specializing in color, one of the most profitable elements in any salon.

The 51-year-old Feldman, whose dad was a hairdresser and whose wife once had her own salon, immediately saw the potential for franchising in the hair color concept.

"I'm like that guy with the Remington razor -- I liked the idea so much I bought the company," says Feldman, who owns about 650 Subway franchises in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, and now lives in Boca Raton, Fla.

*****

Alan Warmund, CEO, Subway Development Corp., McLean, VA
http://bizjournals.bison.com/press/pr10-25-02subway.html
For franchise information visit Subway on BISON.

WASHINGTON (October 25, 2002) - The fifth annual Subway Development Corp. (SDC) of Washington ,D.C., golf tournament raised $50,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society's breast cancer research and program initiatives. Over the past 5 years, the tournament - held in Bristow, Va.- has raised approximately $200,000 for local charities.
Subway Development Corporation (SDC) of Washington, D.C., is the nation's largest independent franchise development agent for Subway( Restaurants. The SDC franchise territory includes Delaware, Maryland (excluding Baltimore), Virginia and Washington, D.C., and the company currently represents more than 700 Subway franchises that employ more than 10,000 people. Headquartered in McLean, Va., SDC plans to expand its territory by adding 200 restaurants over the next three to four years. Pictured from left to right are: Chris Decre, vice president of SDC and tournament director; Karen Brau, golf director for ACS; Alan Warmund, president of SDC ; and Larry Feldman, CEO of SDC.

[Catchawave]

3. Sounds like sponsorship to me....

from your post:

"As part of this event, the local franchisees will provide bottled water to
the walkers."

It's bad enough my tax dollars are supporting this government sponsored "event", the red flag went up for me when I saw corporate goons climbing on board the "patriotic" wagon :sigh:

Ya suppose Subway will pass out bottled water on September 24th?

:banghead:

[leveymg]

7. Good idea. Wanna ask? n/t

[Lindacooks]

4. Chimp et al is reminding me of old Mickey Rooney movies.

'Come on, guys, let's put on a play!!'

[Skittles]

5. ill-considered is the polite way to put it

sickening and disgusting and shameful is what I call it

[loudsue]

6. What happens if they put on a parade, and nobody comes?

Of course, you can count on about 500 (ya think?) hardliner repukes... probably getting paid, or applying for jobs with the Heritage Foundation.... that might show up.

But...wait 'til you see what happens in September when the ANTI-WAR people show up!

THEN you'll see a "parade"!!!!

:kick:

[Catchawave]

8. I thought of that too....and

who are these "morans" who will show up and think Sept 11 is a day to "celebrate" with country music? It's really a very sad, sad date in American History, they should save the flag waving for the 4th of July.

I hope we get close to a million for Sept 24 !!!!! Thanks to Cindy, maybe we will :)

[Skittles]

10. have those Jersey Girl (9/11 relatives) spoken up about this?

it is disgusting using the deaths of their loved ones to promote an illegitimate war

[Catchawave]

12. Haven't heard anything from them lately,

which surprises me since that new information was given to the 9-11 commission recently. They were Kerry supporters AND upset with the commission....I hope we do hear from them :)

[Catchawave]

9. Here's another article.....

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2246

"Pentagon ‘Freedom Walk’ Registration Policy Raises Concerns"



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There's a couple of other related articles at this link too.