CEO of Wal-Mart Found On Arkansas Anti-Gay Petition

Mike Duke, Newest CEO of WalMart, Inc. Is Listed As a Signer of The Anti-Gay Adoption and Foster Care Petition

A one, Mike Duke of 16 Pinnacle Drive, Rogers, Arkansas with the birthdate of 12/07/49 appears on a petition sheet for the Anti-Gay Arkansas Adoption and Foster Ban or Act 1.  The actual petition sheet may be viewed here and on KnowThyNeighbor.org where one may find the alleged signature of Mr. Duke and the check mark put on by the State of Arkansas indicating that this name was verified and counted for the advancement and ultimate success of the anti-gay legislation in Arkansas in 2008 otherwise known as Act 1. 

Thanks to the notation of a commenter, Concerned Arkansas Citizen, on the KnowThyNeighbor blog

this was brought to our attention. Mike Duke became acting CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on February 1, 2009 though he was with Wal-Mart since 1995.  Other Board members affiliated with Mike Duke can be viewed here on Business Week.  

Wal-Mart claims to have an environment of "diversity" within its stores though the HRC only ranked Wal-Mart at 40% in its Corporate Equality Index in 2008. Shocking.  

Mike Duke of the same address, 16 Pinnacle Drive, Rogers, AR and listed as "Wal-Mart Management" made a $ 2300 campaign contribution to Mike Huckabee in 2008.  The name, Susan Duke also at 16 Pinnacle Drive appears on this anti-gay petition.  Susan Duke is the wife of Mike Duke and sits on the Board of the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter.

Tom Lang, Director 

Comments

[mh]

WOW!! Look at all the ire you've generated from redneck Arkansas Tom! Here's another good reason why I DON'T shop Mal-Wart!

[The Patriot]

"bearing false witness against your neighbor'?"

UH that would be you and Lang and Hosty and Toleos with your intimidation and hatred

[John Hosty-Grinnell]

You can beat that intimidation drum all you want, people stopped listening somewhere around 2006.

Besides, is it intimidation when you do the same exact thing over in Uganda? I suppose it's different then, huh? Yup, same thing, only in Uganda no one volunteered their signatures on a petition, it was simply outright intimidation.

So you keep beating that drum of lies, people know the truth.

[The Patriot]

Uganda LOL! - Thanks to you and your haters, Arkansas is now listening

[mh]

The fucktard inbred "state" of ArkansASS never stopped listening to begin with! That's their problem. They just keep listening to the wrong cabal of bigots day in and day out. Well now, thanks to Mr. Tom Lang and Co. the little breeder bigots can no longer hide behind the curtain of anonymity, and boy oh BOY are these rednecks PISSED! I hear the whitesheets are being unpacked from the attics.

[The Patriot]

you are an unstable freak and a perfect example of the hate that Christians face. Thank you for showing your hideous and intimidating face to Arkansas

[steve roberts]

This issue is NOT about Gay Marriage! Although this Amendment 1 actually provides ANOTHER reason to support non-traditional unions and same sex marriages. As long as ALL Americans have equal rights to help these children. By voting in this law, now unmarried cohabitating couples will have one more right taken away that they will want to push Marriage as a way for them to regain this right to adopt and provide foster care. Bestowing privileges for a special group of citizens (Married couples only) is a dangerous territory because it does open up the opportunity for discrimination. Many (but not all) would agree that an "ideal" family situation for raising children is for them to have both a positive male and positive female role model in their lives. However, there are MANY more needy children who remain with institutions because they can not find enough families and homes. Ask these kids how they feel. Until you actually can identify a face with a child they don't seem real. Most would tell you they just want a loving family and secure home. They want a chance to make their life a success. The key is that kids need a positive environment and there must be guidelines to avoid abusive homes.
In this day and age there are many other non-traditional families that can still provide a great home for deserving children who need an adoptive family or foster home. All scientific research has proven that a child is no less likely to be straight just because they are raised in a Married straight traditional home. It is also proven that kids are no more likely to be homosexuals just because they are raised in a homosexual single OR coupled home. So it seems that we conservatives (and yes I am one) have a fear of a God given sexual identity. The unknown or the preconceived stereotype of what we might think the homosexual lifestyle represents is homophobia. I do believe that same sex attraction is God given; just as God has instilled this trait in the "law" of nature. Nature, with all the beauty and wonder is also created by the hand of God.
I am also a Christian; although by some narrow definitions made by some individuals I may not be. I believe in God and I believe that Christ died for the redemption mankind. I have to ask why not let unmarried cohabitating adults adopt or provide foster care. Why not same sex couples and/or homosexual couples. There is no law preventing single homosexuals from adopting or fostering kids. This divisive Amendment 1 stirs up controversy only to rally us conservatives to fight to protest marriage between a woman and a man. Again this vote only supports the opposite. Homosexuals and any unmarried American couples now have another reason to want Marriage.
I believe The Bible was directed by the hand of God. But it was still written and translated throughout the ages at the hands of mankind. The Bible can not be interpreted as the literal English translation. Do we stone bad mothers? Do we go to hell for eating shellfish? I think not. Be prepared to explain yourself on Judgment Day when you have to answer for depriving children of a good home and family.

[Jiimy the Gay]

Jesus never married, never reportedly had sex, hung out with beggars and miscreants. He NEVER spoke out against homosexuality.

Jesus was GAY!

[The Patriot]

LOL

[Tom Lang]

Jesus was gay. And straight... if you believe that he was the son of God. God represents us all, male, female, gay, straight, black white, etc etc.

[Kevin Thomas]

I am glad for this article, but disgusted by most of the comments left on here.

[Concerned Arkansas Citizen]

As the Concerned Arkansas Citizen I must admit I am a coward. As a business person directly reliant upon Walmart for my very living I can not afford to risk alienation from Mike Duke and his subordinates. Anyone that unprofessional and with questionable judgement as Duke would surely retaliate against me and my organization. He should have known that any public petition is public record and subject to scrutany. Some one at his level should be smarter than that. Yes he is entitled to his opinion, but he should not mix it with business unless he is prepared to deal with a changing demographic in this Country and the World. Time for Duke to apologize publically OR retire.

The fact that I am afraid to give my name doesn't make what Duke did any less disgusting. Forcing his personal values on all the homeless children, unmarried cohabitating couples and other non-traditional families in the state of Arkansas is archaic. Don't preach respect for the individual if you really can't back it up fully. Use a footnote to point out that we will respect individuals as long as they are not cohabitating couples. Not only does this reflect poorly on his customer base but also the very employees he claims to respect. It is obviously all an illusion to make people (and the courts) think that Walmart might actually believe in diversity. Which they hope will lead to less litigation and complaints against them. All a cover up? You decide. Someone else has posted the # to call Walmart. It is 1-800-WM ETHIC. How ironic.

[Julie Bridger-Smith]

As if there weren't enough reasons to loathe Wal-Mart, your money goes to making people like this richer by the minute. Is that what you really want? To give people like this zealot power and prestige?

WAKE UP!!!!

[MH]

to add insult to injury, check out the video of that idiot, lying petition gatherer for washington state's lil' ol' 71 referendum! Check out the name of the shopping center parking lot this creep's runnin' around in.

[Patriot]

Has the LGBT community and advocates let this issue disappear? Has any media source followed up on this story and interviewed or reported Mike Duke's and Walmart's LGBT actions since? We cannot give up so easy just because it is old news.

[:)]

You people are fucking idiots. This guy is a loser, Walmart blows goats and hopefully all you hateful intolerant jackasses will die out in time. Original definition my ass. Open your minds and close your god damn mouths. Ignorance is everywhere. Fucking brainless hillbillies.

[John Hosty-Grinnell]

You have me howling with laughter on this one, thanks for that. Most of these people that don't know the facts can be reasoned with, it's the select "cream of the crop" asshole like Paul Jamieson that makes these lies against our community believable to them. There are many respected religious leaders who are abusing their posts by using their influence as a means to profit from at the expense of the innocent. That's pretty God damned disgusting.

[aimee]

Yet another reason to not shop at Walnasty.

[Justin]

Heck, let's vote to bring back slavery! Woo hoo!!!

[The Patriot]

LET THE PEOPLE VOTE!