Pat Boone and Wal-Mart: Ain't That a Shame

Working Families for Wal-Mart, a new nonprofit group "partly funded by the Bentonville-based retail giant," has "a mission to support Wal-Mart Stores Inc." and "famously wholesome singer Pat Boone" is a member. Working Families is getting media help from The Herald Group, a PR firm established by "three DC PR execs, including two Bush Administration officials," according to O'Dwyer's. The firm identified Bishop Ira Combs Jr. as Working Families' leader. Bishop Combs said, "Some friends I worked with on the 2004 Bush campaign phoned me and asked me if I knew about any good things Wal-Mart was doing in my community. I said Wal-Mart is supplying jobs that may not pay a union wage but they pay twice the minimum wage. They asked me if I would be part of this group." Another Working Families member, former Marine Captain Courtney Lynch, "estimated that her consulting firm got 7 percent of its revenue from Wal-Mart this year."