PARD and Your Tax Dollars At Work

The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development continues to use taxpayer funded facilities for its own private campaign against Wal-Mart.

Below is an e-mail from PARD.

From: PARD Webmaster:
To: pawsmeet@pullman-ard.org:
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 4:25 PM
Subject: [PARD - PAWS Campaign] Wal-Mart Sweatshop Workers Panel Presentation

WAL-MART SWEATSHOP WORKERS PANEL PRESENTATION

Workers from Colombia, India and US to Confront Giant Retailer

WHERE: Washington State University, CUE 203

WHEN: Monday, February 26th at 7:30 PM

Two workers from Wal-Mart supplier sweatshops and farms abroad will hold speaking at WSU expose the abuses they experience in making products for Wal-Mart’s stores. One worker from a Florida Wal-Mart retail store will also speak of abuses to US workers.

The workers have traveled here to hold Wal-Mart publicly accountable for the human rights violations its policies encourage and abet in its supply chain and retail stores

Beatriz Fuentes from Colombia produces cut flowers for Dole and Wal-Mart at Splendor Flowers.

Kotagarahalli Ramaiah Jayaram from India worked in garment factories supplying Wal-Mart & other stores from age 18.

If you are not familiar with the WSU campus, the campus map is available online at: http://www.campusmap.wsu.edu/campus-map/FULL/quadrant-14.html

Fuentes and Jayaram have been touring the country touting their anti-Wal-Mart message, no doubt paid for by labor unions fighting Wal-Mart. Someone from PARD should ask if those "other stores" include Target in their "sweatshops" as well.

PARD has every right to trash Wal-Mart 365/24/7, but not on our dime, in buildings we paid for. You can't use state facilities for political purposes. Why is this any different? If PARD wants to have a "panel" on "sweatshops," then present both sides of the issue and allow debate. This is not education, it's pure propaganda. Will WSU allow for a rebuttal panel? Sure, right about the time I get my third set of teeth.

Write WSU Provost Robert Bates and let him know you don't appreciate taxpayer funded WSU facilities being used in this manner.

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