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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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 OPINION 
15

Ben Stein to Wal-Mart: Hands Off Civil War Battlefield

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(Newser) – Ben Stein loves Wal-Mart—just don’t put one smack-dab in the middle of a historic Civil War battlefield in Orange, Va. The 1864 Battle of the Wilderness was a turning point in the conflict, Stein writes in the American Spectator, and the “battlefield is incredibly important environmentally and historically and emotionally. It reeks of the blood of men fighting for causes they considered sacred.”

“I am, as noted, about as devout a fan as there is in the national media. But a store is a store and blood is blood,” Stein writes. “Now may be the time to show that Wal-Mart has a heart as well as a calculator. The blood of those men burned to death, shot through and through, some alive but leaving without their limbs, in what is still America's greatest tragedy, cries out for sanctity.”

A Wal-Mart store in Weymouth, Mass.
A Wal-Mart store in Weymouth, Mass.   (AP Photo)
A Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
A Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mechanicsburg, Pa.   (AP Photo)
Reenactors at the Cedar Creek battlefield in Virginia.
Reenactors at the Cedar Creek battlefield in Virginia.   (AP Photo)
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The Wal-Mart would be almost 140,000 square feet, not counting parking. It would be right across the street from the park entrance. It would be visible from much of the battlefield park. - Ben Stein

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15 comments
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IN RESPONSE:
emptycalm
Jul 7, 09 9:39 PM CDT
Wouldn't supporting a corporation that has destroyed countless small business, which I was always under the impression was a main part of the "American Dream", be a very anti american or anti patriotic thing?
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+1
Thinker
Jul 7, 09 4:29 PM CDT
Ben Stein is nothing but a clown and an idiot. Anyone who respects him either doesn't know anything about him or is a religious wing-nut half-wit. Reply
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-5
IN RESPONSE:
Rob
Jul 7, 09 6:19 PM CDT
idiot, wing-nut, half-wit: words that you throw around when you have nothing important to say. You, sir or madam, have no clue. You may not agree with Ben Stein -- I left his movie raving at the lies -- but he is not a clown or an idiot. While you, sir or madam, are in question given you penchant shown here for spouting facile sound bites.
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+5
MarkFL
Jul 7, 09 4:30 PM CDT
Allow me to say the total opposite of Corona King, which is usually perfectly necessary: As usual Ben, you are complete idiot and a true hypocrite. The notion of God blessing you is as ridiculous as the notion of a god itself. Please stop pretending to matter, Sir. At least in this case, Stein is standing up to WalMart. Apparently he cares more about his community than all of the other communities. Please save your breath. Reply
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-7
IN RESPONSE:
Yourself
Jul 7, 09 6:02 PM CDT
actually, it's nowhere near 90%, but i'll let you keep believing that if you'd like. With that said, calling someone else a "confused sick puppy" doesn't win any credit for yourself either. Stooping to call others names will never help you win an argument, instead bring forward some FACTS, and don't just make them up.
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United States • America • Virginia • development • Civil War • Ben Stein • Wal-Mart • national park • Ulysses Grant • Battle of the Wilderness • Robert E. Lee

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