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Locals hear Nader blast Wal-Mart, Bush, Kerry
LITTLE ROCK - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader made a flying trip to Little Rock Friday to boost his petition campaign to get his name on the Arkansas ballot and stopped long enough to take shots at Wal-Mart, President George Bush and Democrat presidential contender John Kerry. Eureka Springs Mayor Kathy Harrison, Alderman Karen Lindblad and City Clerk Mary Jean Sell heard about the press conference shortly before the Friday luncheon at the 70th Annual Municipal League meeting. It had been announced over local public radio and was going to be in the Capital Hotel, across the street from the State Convention Center. They were part of a group of about 20 persons who heard Nader accuse Wal-Mart of "failing to pay employees living wages, training employees in how to get welfare services and telling suppliers to move to China and meet China's price on serf labor." Nader said "Wal-Mart will import $15 billion worth of goods from China. Wal-Mart is hollowing out the communities where it locates. Wal-Mart is not in the mainstream of American economic history. It doesn't practice what it preaches at the bottom or the top. "The Walton Family is the eighth richest family in the country. They are hypocritical at the top and the bottom." In The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Saturday issue, a representative of Wal-Mart was quoted as saying Nader's "comments are totally wrong and do not reflect the facts about the company." President George Bush was Nader's first target of the day. "He is a corporation disguised as a human being," Nader said. "He doesn't care about people. "The government has turned its back on the American people. Large corporations dominate the government agencies and departments. 'For sale' signs are everywhere. "Will your future and your children will be better off if you grant the corporations control to operate or abandon projects as they see fit? "American politics are at a crossroads," he said. "Democracy has been shredded, elections bought and paid for. I believe Americans can no longer be flattered, fooled or flummoxed. "I urge all voters to be as diligent as sports fans. Study the facts, the records, be alert to what is going on." Asked if his candidacy would be taking votes from Kerry, Nader answered, "John Kerry will be taking votes from me. We are either all spoilers or none, if we believe we all have the right to run in this campaign. "I am the underdog candidate for all candidates." Asked if a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush, he said, "I wish Bush would vote for me." Pausing briefly to let the laughter die down, Nader continued, "We have to get over the idea that this is a two party country, we are turning into a one party country at the local and state levels as well as national level." He said he was glad to get the Reform Party endorsement and hoped "to go forward ecumenically with other small parties." Lindblad asked him "How would you get us out of Iraq?" "I know the area well. I know the people and the language," he said. "Iraq is looking at the U.S. as propping up maintenance puppets. We need to engage in a responsible withdrawal of both military and corporate personnel. "I would support immediate internationally supervised elections. I would continue the peace-keeping efforts. Iraqis are going to get their country back? Not with 14 military bases being built. "If Kerry doesn't get into this area, he will lose the campaign needed to end the war." Lindblad asked about the privatizing of the war. "More and more we are seeing it. The Army isn't feeding our troops, Halliburton is. Halliburton is paying $120,000 for someone to go to Iraq for six months to be a cook," he said. "The military should never be replaced by a corporation or privatized. The corporations are getting better secret information than the Army." Asked if he was going to win the presidency, Nader smiled slightly and said, "I'm not into clairvoyance. Maybe (Bill) Clinton is, but I'm not." As various members of Little Rock television and radio stations collected their microphones from Nader's coat lapels, one of his staffers asked those attending to contribute at least $35 to buy a copy of Nader's latest book "Crashing the Party," promising an autograph for immediate purchases. Mayor Harrison wrote out a check, got a book and a few moments to visit with Nader as he signed his name. She invited him to campaign in Eureka Springs, saying he could speak in the recently renovated auditorium. He wanted to know how many seats are in the auditorium. As she explained Eureka's location in the state, Nader recognized the names of Fayetteville and Bentonville, saying he would be campaigning in those communities. No charges filed for filter damage at treatment plant No charges will be filed against former Eureka Springs Public Works employee Rick Clark for allegedly destroying the trickling filter at the city's wastewater treatment plant on Highway 23 North in mid-May. Locals hear Nader blast Wal-Mart, Bush, Kerry LITTLE ROCK - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader made a flying trip to Little Rock Friday to boost his petition campaign to get his name on the Arkansas ballot and stopped long enough to take shots at Wal-Mart, President George Bush and Democrat presidential contender John Kerry. Game & Fish resurrects Holiday Island urban deer hunt possibility Members of the Arkansas Game & Fish Department attended Monday's Holiday Island Board of Commissioners work session to answer questions about a possible urban deer hunt. Column: "Sauntering": Ralph Nader has deep, brown eyes I don't spend a lot of time with the national news, particularly the political campaigns this far out from the actual election. My beat is Eureka Springs and its environs and that is where I keep my attention focused. |
