Rob
Sherman Advocacy
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Rob
Sherman Advocacy
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"Fighting injustice, one victory at a time."
This week, Rob Sherman Advocacy challenged K-Mart's practice of selling the flag of the United States as a "throw." K-Mart quickly terminated the sale in response to our persuasion. Target is selling the same item from the bedding page of its web site, but has yet to act on our request.
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Michele Sweet, a Rob Sherman Advocacy activist from the southwest suburbs of Chicago, discovered the issue. Michele and I met for lunch, yesterday, to discuss the situation. We put together a plan. Then, Michele went into action.
Here is Michele's first Liberal News & Commentary report:
While searching for a product, a flag pole to be exact, I came across the following issue: K-Mart was selling "American Throw" blankets. Target is selling "Stars and Stripes Throw" blankets. Both are "washable". The product looks like an American Flag with little fringes. I was shocked when I saw the advertisements.
Target's
display, all bunched up like an old sheet.
K
Mart's display, draped over a couch and ready to be sat on.
To top it off, the Flag was touching the floor!
These are desecrations of the flag under Title
4, Chapter 1 of the United States Code, which is the Flag Code of the United
States.
Title
4, Chapter 1, Section 8 of the United States Code is entitled:
"Respect for flag." Section 8 begins with these words:
"No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of
America." Throwing a flag on top of something sounds pretty
disrespectful to me.
Title
4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Paragraph b of the United States Code states:
"The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the
floor, water, or merchandise." Not only did the K-Mart ad show the
flag touching furniture beneath it, the flag was touching the floor!
Title
4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Paragraph d of the United States Code begins with
these words: "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel,
bedding, or drapery." Target sells this item as bedding
(see second row, center).
Title
4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Paragraph e of the United States Code
states: " The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used,
or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged
in any way." A "Throw" Blanket just thrown over a
chair definitely has the potential to be "easily torn or soiled."
Title
4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Paragraph h of the United States Code
states: "The flag should never be used as a receptacle for
receiving, holding, carrying or delivering anything." Your rear is in
it when you sit on it or wrap yourself in it. It is holding something...
YOU!
KMart AMERICAN Throw item # 865588 stated: "Featuring woven cotton,
machine washable design, this beautiful throw will look great in any room of the
house. Made in the USA, the throw, and measurers a generous 67 inches long by 48
inches wide. You will love how soft it feels."
Target
Product Description Catalog # 517567 (Back-up
of original link) states: "It's a grand old
flag! The Stars & Stripes Throw is an all-cotton depiction of the American
flag, with 50 stars, 13 stripes and plenty of red, white and blue. Wrap yourself
up in it or use it as a spread: its soft cotton feel makes it hard to
resist. Features red, white and blue 2" fringe. 100% cotton. Machine
wash. Made in USA. 48Lx67W".
7/24/2003 2:30 pm
Contacted K Mart Corporate. Spoke to David Morsico's office, who then put
me through to Lenora. I spoke to Lenora about the situation, and she said
she would get back to me.
7/24/2003 2:43 pm
Contacted Target Corporate. They put me through to Guest Relations who
then allowed me to file my complaint. I told them that on their site the
American Flag Blanket is all bunched up like an old sheet and a Flag should not
be displayed as such. When I asked to speak to someone in charge they put
me through to media relations. Of course, they are on
vacation. I left a message. Target was not as friendly as
K-Mart.
7/24/2003 2:51 pm
K Mart Corp called me back. Lenora said she had a picture in front of her
but didn't see anything wrong with it. I asked her to describe the picture
she had, and it was the wrong one. I then asked her to go online to the K
Mart website and type in the item number in the search box. Her response
was, "Oh, my. I see what you mean," in regard to the fact
that the American Flag Throw was being shown draped over a couch and touching
the floor. She then said that she would get on this right away and would
be in contact with me soon.
7/25/2003
9:34 am
K Mart Corp called. Lenora said she had spoken to the IT Department and
that they are in the process of taking the product off of the website.
Lenora said she was contacting stores to see if and where the product may be so
she can address the issue. She also thanked me for my concern and said
that everyone she had shown the Internet advertisement for the "American
Throw" agreed that it should not be displayed in such a disrespectful
manner.
7/25/2003 1:45 pm
I went on the KMart.com site and looked up Item
#865588, the "American Throw." The product was no longer
found on their site. I want to thank K Mart for their prompt attention and
for their Patriotism.
7/25/2003 2:15 pm
Target has yet to respond.
-Michele Sweet
Congratulations, Michele for being successful on your first Rob Sherman Advocacy project. Not only that, you succeeded in twenty-four hours time, which is amazingly fast by social activism standards. Then, you typed up the report and e-mailed it in for publication in Liberal News & Commentary.
Michele will continue to follow up on the Target situation. If nothing happens by early next week, Michele may call in the Heavy Artillery to move things along. As any government official who has ever dealt with Rob Sherman Advocacy knows, the last thing you ever want is to have the Man With The Plan called in to deal with you.
Look out, world. When it comes to being an Rob Sherman Advocacy activist, Michele Sweet rocks! Meanwhile, you, too, can be a Rob Sherman Advocacy activist. I'll work with you to help you determine which issues have merit and how to successfully deal with the issues. If you are interested in joining a winning team, contact me in the manner described below.
Rob Sherman P. O. Box
7410
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-7410
A post office box is used
because
the street address uses a curb mail box,
which is not secure.
Telephone: (847) 870-0700
Fax: (847) 870-1156
E-mail: rob followed by the at symbol followed by robsherman dot com