Boycott Walgreen's -- Part 2

Company attempts to side-step the real issues

By Tom Kovach

Within only a few hours after their corporate offices opened on Monday morning, a spokesman for Walgreen's had sent a reply — on behalf of the CEO — to the e-mail that is published in Part 1 of this series. It was my hope that there would not even need to be a Part 2. But, the reply sent by Walgreen's indicates to me that they are not yet ready to pay attention to reason, nor to even follow their own rules.

Another columnist at Renew America, in October of last year, also pointed out that Walgreen's is violating their own policy regarding financial contributions. Walgreen's is a publicly-owned corporation (stock trading symbol: WAG). If I owned stock in Walgreen's, and learned that the company was giving away $100,000 to support an event like the "Gay" Games, then I'd be furious. Besides the giveaway, I'd worry about a boycott driving down my stock value. So far, though, Walgreen's seems to have no fear of investor uproar, nor of customer alienation.

Walgreen's corporate headquarters is in Chicago. Perhaps the culture in the "city of big shoulders" is willing to tolerate Walgreen's support of the "Gay" Games. Walgreen's has a big presence in the Nashville area; their stores seem to be on almost every corner. But, the culture here in "the buckle of the Bible belt" is different from that of other cities. (The transit buses in Nashville have "God bless America" flashing on their lighted destination signs.) So, I think that a boycott will work in Nashville.

And, that's what I'm calling for at this point.

The e-mail that I got today from Michael Polzin, corporate spokesman, was obviously a "canned" reply. It pulled at the emotional strings, but was very short on facts. The text of the e-mail is printed below, followed by my analysis. (The bold print and underlining were in the original.)

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Tom,

Below is a response to your letter from our CEO, Dave Bernauer. Thank you for expressing your concerns.

Michael Polzin
Walgreens [sic] Corporate Communications
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Thank you for your email regarding Walgreens [sic] role as the official HIV/AIDS Prevention Sponsor for the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. As Walgreens [sic] CEO, I want you to know why we are doing this. Whether you disagree or agree, we think it only fair you understand our reasoning.

First, let me clarify our role: Walgreens [sic] is the official HIV/AIDS Prevention Sponsor for the Games. I cannot be more emphatic when I say that this sponsorship has everything to do with healthcare. We are advocating HIV/AIDS awareness. We are taking no position on the gay lifestyle.

Last summer, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of Americans living with HIV infection has surpassed 1 million. Even more sobering was their finding that at least one-quarter of these people are unaware of their infection. Consequently, they are not accessing lifesaving treatment, and could be spreading the virus unknowingly. Our awareness role at the Games includes providing onsite temporary pharmacies that will supply HIV/AIDS information and healthcare counseling by our pharmacists. We will also provide health and wellness services to participants and attendees, including testing for the HIV virus.

These efforts are similar to what we do every year to raise awareness of heart disease, cancer and diabetes through our campaigns for the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

We have no doubt that our HIV/AIDS education efforts will save lives. This is an excellent opportunity to raise the awareness of the pharmacist's role in the prevention of a disease that is a major threat in the U.S. and a much greater threat in other parts of the world. We regret that our action has been painted otherwise.

Thank you for contacting me.

Dave Bernauer
Chairman and CEO

Walgreen Co.

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Let's begin at the beginning. Mr. Polzin is an experienced corporate communication specialist. He began the e-mail by addressing a Congressional candidate, whom he has never met, and with whom there is a somewhat adversarial relationship, by my first name. I don't expect people to kowtow to me, but I would think that someone in Mr. Polzin's position would want to maintain business decorum. The move was subtle, but set a condescending tone.

Walgreen's continues to use the phrase "prevention sponsor," as though that is somehow different from a regular sponsor. But, the fact remains that money given to the "Gay" Games organization will help promote the event. And, the fact remains that corporate sponsorship carries with it an implication of ideological support, despite their wimpy disclaimer that, "We are taking no position on the gay lifestyle." Actually, they are taking a position. The event bills itself as a "sports and cultural event" (emphasis added). The "culture" that it promotes is homosexuality. Thus, promoting the event is promoting homosexuality — period. And, inviting a bunch of AIDS-infected people to come to America to have sex is going to spread more AIDS — period. The following analogy should highlight the company's duplicity.

Walgreen's claim that they are helping in any way to "prevent" AIDS by sponsoring the event is totally specious. Walgreen's claiming to prevent AIDS by selling condoms is like an auto-parts store claiming to prevent collisions by selling seat cushions. Both products make the user feel more comfortable while hurtling toward destruction. To carry the analogy further, Walgreen's "preventing" AIDS by sponsoring the "Gay" Games is like that same auto-parts store "preventing" collisions by sponsoring a demolition derby! In both cases, the event is a gathering that is guaranteed to produce more of the very thing that the sponsors claim to want to prevent.

Equally specious is Walgreen's claim that they are "advocating HIV/AIDS awareness" as a means of preventing the disease. This deadly virus has been known for more than 25 years. Virtually every educated person on the planet already knows about AIDS — a disease with its own political lobby, and with Hollywood movies made about it. (Can you name another disease that is so "popular"?) AIDS is spread by behavior. The spread of AIDS cannot be prevented by sponsoring more of the very behavior that causes AIDS in the first place. That would be like sending your child into the public schools for the specific purpose of not contracting chicken pox. (If they wanted to prevent the spread of AIDS, then they would send counselors, not pharmacists, to advocate that they abstain from homo-sex. Somehow, I'm confident that such a plan is not on Walgreen's agenda.)

The company's e-mail made no mention of the specifics of any "healthcare counseling by our pharmacists," or of the "health and wellness services" that they plan to provide. Does the company plan to distribute free condoms? If so, is the cost of those condoms included in the $100,000 that the company has already pledged? Or, is this an extra corporate expense, on top of the "platinum-level" sponsorship? And, will the "temporary pharmacies" on-site tell the participants and attendees that a condom can prevent AIDS? If so, and someone later contracts AIDS, will Walgreen's become liable in a lawsuit? (Given that it is scientifically impossible for a condom to prevent AIDS, would spreading the "condom myth" be considered false advertising? Would it be considered improper and/or incompetent healthcare advice? Could it cost those pharmacists assigned to the games their license for spreading information that a reasonable person should know is false?) And, have any investors raised these questions at a stockholder's meeting?

let the boycott begin

I am calling for everyone in the Nashville area (including Davidson, Wilson, Cheatham, and Williamson Counties) to stop spending their money at Walgreen's from now until the end of April. It will take at least a couple of weeks before the pinch is felt at the corporate level. So, to have any real effect, the boycott must last more than a month. And, for now, it must remain local. (If necessary, the boycott can be expanded nationwide later.) We will see where things stand at the end of April.

I'm calling on Nashville-area churches and synagogues to proclaim this boycott to their congregations. I'm calling upon Christian organizations (such as Focus on the Family, and the American Family Association) to promote and support the boycott. I'm calling on political groups (including Eagle Forum, and Concerned Women for America), discussion groups (especially conservative blogs), and civic groups to publicize this boycott to their members. And, I'm calling on homosexual groups to pay attention to the scientific facts, to stop the "Left vs. Right" squabbling, and to stop advocating practices that are killing your people.

I'm calling upon Walgreen's to withdraw its sponsorship of the "Gay" Games. If there are signed contracts in force that prevent withdrawal, then I call upon Walgreen's to issue a public apology for that sponsorship. I call upon Walgreen's to recognize the nit-wittery of the "condom myth," and to recant any claims that condoms can prevent the spread of AIDS. And, I call upon the stockholders of Walgreen's to send a strong message (by a sell-off, if necessary) that they will not tolerate their investments being used in such a risky fashion to promote risky behavior.

for the record

I do not own stock. (I should, but I don't.) There is no hidden agenda here. (I'm not going to bash the pharmaceutical companies, threaten them with increased regulation, and then cash-in on the windfall from the drop in stock prices — as Hillary Clinton did, during her attempt to become Tzarina of Healthcare.) This is not a shakedown, ala Jesse Jackson, for corporate money. (A family of four could spend more money at an NFL game than I've received in this campaign so far. Yet, I've accomplished more than many people thought possible.) This is not exclusively a conservative issue. This is not exclusively a Christian issue. This is an issue of a small group of people turning public policy (personal healthcare, public health, immigration, truth in advertising) upside-down for the sake of their own "fun." This is an issue of a corporation bypassing its own rules, and plunking down a large chunk of it's investors' money to promote a cause that the vast majority of Americans find repugnant. This is an issue of a company ignoring the majority of its customers — until now.

Walgreen's is free to go against their own rules, and to flout both their investors and their customers. But, I'm free to prevent them from doing it with my money. How about you?

© Tom Kovach