B.J.'s Wholesale Club's Response to Complaints about Confederate Flag Ban

BJ's Wholesale Club has a canned response to inquiries to Member Services (MemberCare@bjs.accentonline.com ):

"BJ'S Wholesale Club is committed to providing a comfortable workenvironment
where all our team members are treated fairly and with respect.All employers need to balance personal expression with the need to make theiremployees feel comfortable in the workplace. Like all employers we have guidelines of appropriate personal behavior and expression at work. While thepolicy does not identify any specific type of expression, it generallyprohibits expression that is rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating. Underthese guidelines, we asked this team member to not display the confederate flagin our parking lot. We understand that in the last few days the team member hasbeen parking offsite.We are confident that we have struck the right balance for all of our teammembers and their work environment."

Sincerely,

BRANSON B. BJ's Member Care Services

It may be more productive to write their President & C.O.O. Laura Sen ( lsen@bjs.com ) as well as Investor Relations ( cmaloney@bjs.com ). Carbon copy (Cc) mediarelations@bjs.com . Let me know if you get a different reply.

Here's the letter I sent. Feel free to use portions, but it is always most effective to use your own words. Deo Vindice!

Dear Reader:

BJ's claims to want to have a sensitive and non-hostile work environment for all its employees. So, why is it okay to insult Southern sensibilities regarding one of its most revered symbols? Some cultures are more equal than others at BJ's.

BJ's, by its actions, is in violation of Florida State law. Statute 256.10 reads:

"Mutilation of or disrespect for confederate flags or replicas.--No person shall publicly mutilate, deface, defile, defy, trample upon, or by word or act cast contempt upon the flags of the Confederacy, or replicas thereof, for crass or commercial purposes; provided however nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent or prohibit the use of such flags for decorative or patriotic purposes."

Note, Statute 256.10 specifically prohibits "disrespect" of Confederate flags. It goes on to specify "no person shall publicly…by word or act cast contempt upon the flags of the Confederacy, or replicas thereof, for crass or commercial purposes…"

B.J.’s Wholesale Club, in its statement, called the display of the Confederate battleflag "rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating." Banning it from company property certainly shows "disrespect" and "contempt" of a Confederate flag. Obviously, B.J.’s thinks it is protecting its bottom line by avoiding employee lawsuits. Being a Northern company, it undoubtedly believes that most of its customers might be offended if they saw the Confederate battleflag on its property. Thus, B.J.’s disrespect is "for crass or commercial purposes." Clearly, this violates both the letter and the spirit of Florida’s Statute 256.10.

It shows such an ignorance of history and culture. I was raised in "Land of Lincoln" Illinois and grew up with the Northern version of history. Fortunately, an American History teacher in Colorado taught me in high school to question and examine what I thought I knew. Doing so, I set out in my senior year to research and write a term paper on "The War Between the States: the Southern Viewpoint." I came to understand that most of what I had been taught about the causes and origins of this terrible conflict was wrong. Today, I live in Northeast Florida. I have continued to study this era in history and have visited many of the sites where this great conflict occurred. One of the things that fascinates me is the number of blacks who owned slaves in the South.

Did you know that the largest slave-holder in Jacksonville, for example, was a former black slave woman, Anna Kingsley? Interestingly, despite her obvious economic interests in preserving slavery on her multiple plantations, she supported the Union during the war. Why did she side with the supposed enemy of slavery? Because she feared that if the South was a separate country, the North would impose stiff tariffs on the production of her plantations, and she was dependent on those New England markets for her sugar, rice, and indigo. As with all wars, it was primarily about economics.

Of course, to attempt to ban or denigate the Confederate flag because it was the supposed flag of slavery is silly. More U.S. flags flew over slave markets than any Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) flag ever did. The flag in question was a battleflag, not a national flag. Actually, it was originally a naval jack for Confederate boats only.

The War between the States was the first modern war of attrition. The Confederate generals were men of honor and character. They did not target civilians; their goal was to engage rival military forces. Sherman, with the complicity of Lincoln, deliberately targeted civilians and introduced the concept of "total war." Today, under the Geneva Conventions, they could be brought up on charges of war crimes and would be found guilty.

Today, the Confederate flag represents the desire for self-determination and freedom from tyranny to those of us who proudly display it. True, the KKK and other such groups display the Confederate battleflag at times. However, their own rules require them to have an American flag and the Bible at every official event. Should we, therefore, ban the American flag and the Bible from display because they misuse them?

If you wish to learn more about these issues, I recommend THE SOUTH WAS RIGHT by the Kennedy brothers and DiLorenzo's excellent THE REAL LINCOLN.

Deo Vindice!

Southern Heritage Alert: Boycott B.J.'s Wholesale Club

Yet another Southern white male is under attack by the politically correct crowd. Bobby Tillett of Jacksonville, Fla., works for B.J.’s Wholesale Club at their warehouse. Tillett proudly displays a Confederate battleflag mounted on the back of his pick-up truck. Recently, his employer advised him he had to take the battleflag down if he wanted to park in the employees’ parking lot on company property.

According to a written statement from B.J.’s spokesperson:

"Like all employers, we have guidelines of appropriate personal behavior and expression at work. While the policy does not identify any specific type of expression, it generally prohibits expression that is rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating. Under these guidelines, we asked this team member to not display the confederate flag in our parking lot. We are confident that we have struck the right balance for all of our team members and their work environment."

Tillett courageously declined to remove his flag. Instead, he is parking on public property and walks ten minutes to the warehouse. He told a reporter, "It's about heritage; it's about pride. I don't look at it much different than the American flag. There's been a lot of blood spilled over that flag, too, and I love that flag, and I'll fly it 'till the day I die." According to Tillett, fellow employees had not complained about the flag and, in fact, supported his display of it. For the full story, go to: http://www.news4jax.com/news/16116836/detail.html .

B.J.’s Wholesale Club is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts. This Yankee company operates more than 170 Clubs in 16 states from Maine to Florida. It is happy to take Southerner’s money but disrespects our culture.

Obviously, B.J.’s Wholesale Club needs some history, cultural diversity, and legal education. The flag Tillett flies from the rear of his truck is, first, historically correct. He is flying a square flag, not the more commonly seen rectangular flag that has been misused. The true battleflag, originally a Naval jack, was square. This flag never flew over slave quarters, on private plantations, or Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) government buildings. It was strictly a military battleflag.

In more recent years, some have misused the Confederate battleflag. Opponents usually cite its use by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as the reason it should never be displayed today. However, these same politically correct but ignorant people conveniently forget or do not know that the KKK also misuses the American flag and the Bible. Few realize that the KKK requires the presence of the U.S. flag and the Bible at all their rallies or events. They do not require the use of the Confederate or any other flag! Would those who wish to ban the display of the Confederate battleflag also ban the American flag and the Bible? No, they never suggest that, but that would be more fair.

B.J.’s Wholesale Club is in violation of Florida state law, also. State statute 256.10 reads:

“Mutilation of or disrespect for confederate flags or replicas.--No person shall publicly mutilate, deface, defile, defy, trample upon, or by word or act cast contempt upon the flags of the Confederacy, or replicas thereof, for crass or commercial purposes; provided however nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent or prohibit the use of such flags for decorative or patriotic purposes.”

Note, Statute 256.10 specifically prohibits “disrespect” of Confederate flags. It goes on to specify “no person shall publicly…by word or act cast contempt upon the flags of the Confederacy, or replicas thereof, for crass or commercial purposes…”

B.J.’s Wholesale Club, in its statement, called the display of Tillett’s Confederate battleflag “rude, abusive, hostile or intimidating.” Both their words and the act of banning it from company property show “disrespect” and “contempt” of a Confederate flag. B.J.’s thinks it is protecting its bottom line by avoiding employee lawsuits. Being a Northern company, it undoubtedly believes that most of its customers might be offended if they saw the Confederate battleflag on its property. Thus, B.J.’s disrespect is “for crass or commercial purposes.” Clearly, this violates both the letter and the spirit of Florida’s Statute 256.10.

Southerners who love their heritage and Northerners who value their own civil rights should rally to support Tillett against B.J.’s Wholesale Club. For those who do not like the Confederate flag, I remind you that if B.J.’s can do this to one cultural symbol, it can do it to others. Perhaps you want to wear a cross to work or while shopping. Perhaps your preferred flag is the Black National flag or the Mexican flag. Let B.J.’s get away with banning the Confederate flag, and they will be empowered to ban other cherished symbols.

Here are my suggestions on actions to take against B.J.’s Wholesale Club:

If you are a member, call and speak to your local store manager to protest the ban on the Confederate flag. Tell him or her you will not join and/or shop at B.J.’s until they change their policy. I have found that contacting local management works better than anything else to get the message sent up to top management. Grassroots’ protests get attention. For those in the Jacksonville, Fla., area, B.J.’s has stores at:

• 560 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park, FL 32073 (904) 272-4900
• 12200 Atlantic Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32225 (904) 221-2444
• 8046 Philips Hwy., Jacksonville, FL 32256 (904) 485-1180.

Let your membership expire or turn in your membership card with a note that you will no longer shop at a retailer that tramples workers’ civil rights. In other words, hit them in the pocketbook. Be sure you let them know why you are taking this action.

Write or call B.J.’s top management:

• Herb Zarkin, Chairman & C.E.O. and Laura Sen, President & C.O.O.
  B.J.’s Wholesale Club, Inc.
  P.O. Box 9601Natick, MA 01760
  (508) 651-7400

Call or write the Manager at the Tillett’s job site:

• B.J.’s Wholesale Club Warehouse
  4500 Directors Rd.Jacksonville, FL 32220
  (904) 378-4448

If you own stock in B.J.’s Wholesale Club, email a protest to Investors Relations cmaloney@bjs.com or call Cathy Maloney, VP-Investor Relations, at (508) 651-6650.

Email B.J.’s Media Relations department at mediarelations@bjs.com to object to their arguments in their statement given to the media.

Organize flag-waving protests in front of local B.J.’s Wholesale Club stores on busy shopping days, especially Saturdays. As long as you are on public sidewalks or right-of-way and are not impeding traffic, you have the right to picket. This helps educate shoppers who may not know of B.J.’s actions against Tillett. I always talk to the local sheriff or police chief beforehand. I let them know what our plans are, ask for protection or extra patrol, and reassure them we want a strictly legal protest. I warn any participants that they are to be respectful, polite, sober, and unarmed. I ask them to leave before we start if they cannot abide by these rules.

If you have other suggestions, please leave a comment. And, if you take action, please let us know what you did. Deo Vindice!