LOCUST GROVE, Va. (AP) – Wal-Mart wants to build a Supercenter within a cannonshot of where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant first fought, a proposal that has preservationists rallying to protect the key Civil War site. A who’s who of historians including filmmaker Ken Burns and Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough sent a letter last month to H. Lee Scott, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), urging the company to build somewhere farther from the Wilderness Battlefield. “The Wilderness is an indelible part of our history, its very ground hallowed by the American blood spilled there, and it cannot be moved,” said the letter from 253 scholars and others.
Grant’s Union troops were headed to Richmond on May 4, 1864, when they confronted Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The Battle of the Wilderness involved more than 100,000 Union troops and 61,000 Confederates. The fighting, according to National Park Service estimates, left more than 4,000 dead and 20,000 wounded. Some 2,700 acres of the Wilderness Battlefield are protected as part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Preservationists regularly square off against developers in Virginia, where much of the Civil War was fought. This dispute, however, has stirred an outcry similar to the one in 1994 over The Walt Disney Co.’s plans to build a $650 million theme park within miles of the Manassas Battlefield. The entertainment giant bowed to public pressure and abandoned the project.
Wal-Mart…a class act……Always!
So we go from building a WallMart ON the CW Battlefield, to a CANNON SHOT, away, when in fact it is A MILE AWAY?
So==give us a number. How many miles away from just exactly what can a person sell their land for a legal purpose?
I’ll wait.
But, but, it’s good ‘ole, wholesome, Republican capitalism.
bobbo- its too close, try 100 miles away. Better yet, they should put it in your backyard.
# 1 bobbo said, “So==give us a number. How many miles away from just exactly what can a person sell their land for a legal purpose?”
I don’t think you’ll get an intelligent answer to that Q…
#3–McCullough==100 Miles??? That would be almost like outlawing WallMart on the East Coast. A Dynamic Plan with lots of popular support.
As to my locale–sorry. I’ve got a drainage ditch in my back yard that I’m sure has snail darters and spotted owls. No big black heat sinks for me.
There should be a protected zone around historic areas, imagine a Wal-Mart on the edge of the Grand Canyon, or the entrance to Mesa Verde. Maybe I’m just a sentimental history buff.
#6–McCullough==well everyone agrees with your sentiment. In fact–its the formation of the park itself that is supposed to set that distance limit.
I suppose there could be land set aside for the park itself, then a buffer zone of limited zoning–like single family homes on no less than 5 acres==or whatever. But its the “whatever” that is subject to dispute.
My dream profession would not be an archetect==rather it would be “a regional planner.” Issues like this are the basis for that interest. Moreso would be population density control so that mass transit could make sense, but recreation/historical planning is very much a part of that.
No matter what milage you pick, someone more sentimental than yourself will want a higher number. Recognize that all “zoning” is in fact a taking of private property. It should be done as early as possible so the market does not get jacked around so much.
If Wally-Mart were building near Gettysburg, would they mark down ‘four score and seven’?
J/P=?
McC.
Isn’t your real issue that you don’t like Walmart? I mean if you were truly against retail at the grand canyon then are you against the gift shop that is almost hanging off the rim?
State the philosophy that you are proposing. For instance, Retail stores should only be allowed to grow as big as ___. Or there should be no commercial retail within ___ feet of a historic landmark.
If you did that then we could have a debate. But off the wall ‘within 100 miles’ is silly (which is what you intended anyway).
I’ve been thinking about this as an argument against the against walmart (read any big retail we don’t like). To be against big retail is anti poor. I have a Walmart close to where I live and I noticed something, their prices really are lower. I can pretty much tell you that poor people are going there to buy their groceries. It’s what allows them to have the money they need to pay the electric bill and other necessities. Are you anti poor?
How much would anyone like to bet that there is an abandoned manufacturing plant or a string of dying strip-malls somewhere within 25 miles of this site? Any strip of land nearby that would be a suitable site for a Megalo-Mart? This happened here; we have a mall that is practically abandoned (which used to have a Kmart on one end, no less) that would have been perfect for a Walmart Supercenter. However it would have been downhill from the local archrival, Meijer’s, so they chose to build on the open farmland across the road. Point being that there is a certain pettiness when it comes to Walmart’s public relations. Alot of it could be overcome if more communities would simply enforce their zoning laws and stop being seduced, or cowtowed, by this behemoth.
Given the horrendous trade deficit we now have with the Chinese – in large part courtesy of Wal-Mart and our own greed – and given that we fund this deficit by borrowing from the Chinese…
It’s just a matter of time before the Chinese move in and effectively run the show.
Therefore, don’t be too surprised to find a Wal-Mart just about everywhere!
Washington DC?
Isn’t there a perfect spot on the plaza next to the Lincoln Memorial?
http://tinyurl.com/86efzj
It’s a mile away. Whether you hate Wally-World or not, it’s a fucking MILE away.
The sooner we pave over these “monuments” to the War of Northern Aggression, the better.
Isn’t this old news? I swear I’ve read this same story a few years ago or at least one very similar to it.
If we weren’t allowed to build anywhere there was a battle of some sort or another, most of the Earth’s inhabitants would be stuck in Antartica.
John, how is this relevant? Who cares?
Only the Wal-Mart haters care.
History? Buffers? jeez, I can’t walk out my front door without stepping on a piece of history. Where does it end?
#9 – Gooddebate
>>I have a Walmart close to where I live and I
>>noticed something, their prices really are
>>lower.
I disagree. The Minneapolis Star Tribune did an “experiment” a couple of years ago where they went out and bought about $150 worth of the same crap at Wal*Mart, Target, and K-Mart. Target was the cheapest, Wal*Mart was a little pricier, and K-Mart was the most expensive of all.
People seem to go to Wal*Mart because they figure if all that trailer trash shops there, it MUST be cheap. Apparently that’s not the case.
I went into the local Super Wal*Mart, and the food prices were about the same as the two nearby grocery stores. Some things were quite a bit more expensive (e.g., bagged salad was about $0.50 more [$2.88 vs. $3.39] and sliced cheddar cheese was enough higher that I noticed the difference right away, and I don’t pay that much attention to food prices).
I agree with Mr. Mustard on this one.
Grocery shopping at Wal-Mart just plain sucks. The local grocery store has better selection and pricing.
Also, Wal-Mart was the price leader but that has slipped enormously.
Simple solution. Preservationists should buy the land. I suspect the people who do not want this would have a real problem with someone telling them what to do with their property. As for Walmart they are one of the few stocks that have made money this year. O’ we can not have a company actually making money. The other company that made money this year McDonalds. I love America.
#17 Floyd….
How do you define a ‘historic site?’
So, should I pack my shit up and leave and tear down my house because a Civil War battle was fought literally out my front door on the left and on the right out my front door is the absolute beginning of the Trail of Tears?
#21
yes right now. . .
Since I’m only 170 pounds I’m not heavy enough to trip the weight sensor for the door at Walmarts. Maybe if I used one of those little trampolines…
#23 – QB, you need to take Twinkies with you and throw one on the sensor. Shortly, 4 or 500lbs. of blubber will attempt to pick it up and the door will open. Just a word of caution, don’t let the mammoth fall on you or crush you against the door frame.
Mr Truther…the land is already zoned. IMO the problem isn’t Walmart, it’s that zoning variances are far to easy to get, to the point that there’s no point in zoning at all when it comes to big corps. You and me, fuggedaboutit.
There’s no history like that where I live, just a few old Indian settlements here and there. But if we care about history, and IMHO we should, Walmart should be told to put on their creativity hat and look elsewhere.
BTW, Walmart’s house brand mozzarella is high-quality stuff. Not that shredded crap, but the pound chunks. I’ve been buying the groceries for about a year now, and you have to watch their prices compared to the competition. They never have sales, and their cheapest stuff creeps up.
Special Ed, absolutely brilliant. I’ll keep my jumper cables handy in case they have a cardiac arrest.
Wasn’t there something in the news a few years back, about Disney wanting to build a “park” of some sort, in roughly the same location? And everyone hated the idea of it, back then too. If so, now it’s Walmart’s turn to trample over the sacred battlefields. Not that I care. Perhaps we should stop glorifing war, by making such a religion out of past wars. But here’s what I’m thinking. I recently rewatched the movie “Caddy Shack”. And Roddy Dangerfield’s character, a land developer, says, “Country clubs and cemeteries are the biggest waste of prime real estate.” Well I have to agree with him about the country clubs. But you can bet Walmart will be building over old cemeteries and battlefields, long before it ever touches a single country clubs’ acreage. And I’ll wager more new country clubs get built, than new college campuses. What’s so damn important about preserving the game of golf, at the expense of all else? I personally know of several private airfields and airports, than have been developed over, in the last three decades. And yet, I seriously doubt a single country club has been sacrificed in my state. Where would the politicians go to hob-nob with corporate execs. with plenty of golf courses? And don’t give me some crap about it promotes exercise. They got golf carts to avoid too much of that. And if they’re not playing golf, they’re riding horses. Something’s always doing the hard work for them. Caddies carry the clubs, for the little walking the golfer do. You get as much exercise, bowling. But an alley does take up as much room. And certainly alleys don’t need the public water to keep it green!
You would think if a site was in the government’s interest to prevent development on, then the government would buy it and make it a national park.
#27 – Glenn E
>>What’s so damn important about preserving
>>the game of golf
Good question. I’ve never understood why a “sport” that’s really only suitable for golden agers (and then only when the shuffleboard courts are full) and insufferable pricks seems to get such preferential treatment.
Not only are they a waste of space and populated with douche bags I wouldn’t have a beer with, they’re NOT GREEN! ARRGGHHHH!!!
I broke my leg playing golf and swore I’d never play again. I fell off the ball washer.
Mr Mustard,
You realize that you’re arguing my anecdotal evidence with your own anecdotal evidence, right? So, you could be right in your area, maybe even all over. The only thing that I can add to my evidence is that the other stores in my area were priced higher until the Walmart came. I’d be willing to say that the existence of a Walmart drives down prices even though they may not have the best price on every specific thing.