THIS MAY BE OF INTEREST!

["Weiner, Ruth" <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

Dear RADSAFERs,

We have received a list from Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive
Dumping (CARD) with the heading

		ANOTHER BUSINESS AGAINST W.I.P.P.

and Wild Oats Market, 6300 San Mateo NE in Albuquerque (where I had been
shopping) is on this list. The list does say that stores listed display a
pink sign with the above legend, and I have never seen such a sign at that
particular Wild Oats. However, the listing indicates clearly to me that Wild
Oats Market doesn't want my business or, at least, if they knew that I both
supported opening the WIPP and had worked on it, they wouldn't want my
business.  There is a sort of "hate" aura about this.

I called Wild Oats  and yesterday got a return call from Wild Oats in Santa
Fe.  The gist of the call was that several years ago they had indeed
supported another anti-WIPP group, CCNS, and that such support was given
after polling their employees and getting a lot of phone calls and mail from
customers. I was promised a copy of a letter from Wild Oats legal department
stating their position, but the individual I spoke with did not paraphrase
or state that position for me.  I was asked what I wanted Wild Oats to do
and I responded that they should get their name off the list.  I also said I
would not shop there any longer as long as they had not repudiated the
position represented by the listing, and I would inform as many colleagues
as I could of their position.  So that's why this RADSAFE posting.  I also
suggested that for a food market to take a clearly political stance would
alienate some people and could possibly result in loss of customers.  There
was a lot more to the conversation, but this is the important part. 

I have not heard from Wild Oats since the call yesterday or received a copy
of the legal letter.  By contrast Keller Farm Stores (a local market)
responded immediately and faxed us a copy of their letter asking to be
removed from the list.  Note that I am not asking for support for the WIPP,
but asking only that Wild Oats not advertise its opposition.

Wild Oats (Alfalfa Markets in some places) has stores in many states. They
have a web page listing their stores; the URL is http://www.wildoats.com.  

cc: Sandy Valencourt, Wild Oats Market

Clearly only my own personal opinion.

Ruth F. Weiner
Sandia National Laboratories 
MS 0718, POB 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
505-844-4791; fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov

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