I received the following alert from the fine citizens at Gun Owners of New Jersey:

"K-Mart recently dumped Rosie O'Donnell in response to a boycott by gun owners. Why is Ace Hardware risking the same?"

They provided the following link: http://www.acehardware.com/paintbrand/paint/PaintRosie.asp.

I don't know what it is with companies lately; they seem to think they can flaunt anti-gun affiliations with no consequences. Just this week, stories broke about General Motors and an anti-gun sculpture, and then came the news about K-Mart's latest foray into dissing gun owners by dropping handgun ammo sales in a bid to please anti-defense zealots.

And now Ace Hardware? "The place with the helpful hardware man"? <sigh>

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So I followed to the link, and then sent Ace the following message via their website contact form: http://www.acehardware.com/root/contact_form.asp

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Rosie O'Donnell has said if you own a gun you should go to jail- while employing armed bodyguards to protect her family. She is a leading proponent of citizen disarmament- and you have allied yourself with her.

Ace Hardware using Rosie in their promotions means you are promoting someone who is the enemy of people like me- in an attempt to make a profit. Hear this and understand: any friend of Rosie's is no friend of ours.

Gun owners boycotted K-Mart, incidentally a firearms retailer, when they employed Rosie- with the result that the association has been terminated.

You people are free to affiliate with anyone you choose. But gun owners are also free to patronize hardware stores that are not giving aid and comfort to our enemy.

This is a big mistake on your part. Prepare for plenty of contacts from angry gun owners promising to boycott Ace.

Ask yourself if your profit margin is high enough to drive our business away to your competitors. Or don't- you'll find out soon enough.

David Codrea

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And I soon received a nice reply from Ace Internet Committee Spokesperson Mary Jo Williamson. mjwill@acehardware.com (Nice and misleading, as you will see.)

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Thank you for visiting Ace online.

We have received your correspondence in regards to Rosie O'Donnell as Ace's spokesperson. [Note: I never claimed Rosie was a "spokesperson"- DC]

Ace Hardware does not employ Rosie O'Donnell as a spokesperson, nor do we have any official relationship or affiliation with her. Recently, Ace Paint was featured on an OurHouse.com segment of the Rosie show. In response to customer inquiries regarding the paint used, we featured a link on our website that highlighted the paint specifications. This link is a direct result of customer inquires to the color schemes used, and our intent is merely to extend the helpful service you are accustomed to in our stores to our online visitors.

The appearance of Ace Paint on the show should not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of The Rosie Show's content, nor her personal views. I hope this clarifies our role and that we'll see you in an Ace store soon.

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Williamson
Ace Internet Committee

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I'm sorry, Ms. Williamson, but the facts of the matter make me wonder if your reply truly is "sincere." Y'see, there's more going on than you let up. My reply:

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Dear Ms. Williamson,

Thank you for your prompt reply. But an untruth, whether innocuous or intentional, is no way to respond to customer inquiries.

Reading your case the way you state it, I would almost believe that Ace Hardware has no affiliation with Rosie O'Donnell, and that the only reason you even featured her on your site is because she featured you on her show's "OurHouse.com" segment.

Almost.

You fail to mention that OurHouse.com is "backed by a 20 percent ownership stake from Ace Hardware" in a strategy of "billing itself as an upscale - and online - version of the corner hardware store," and in a deal valued at $100 million. You fail to mention what The Industry Standard (Dec. 14, 2000) described as "OurHouse's newly forged ties to The Rosie O'Donnell Show" in its bid to attract more women customers. (See http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,20864,00.html.)

You fail to mention that your OurHouse.com investment's website describes its partnership with Rosie, sharing equal credits with her for the article "Welcome Home, Jackie," and advising it's readers to "pick up the June issue of The Rosie Magazine for all the details...You might not have Rosie as your best friend, but you can make over your house just as easily with OurHouse.com Home Services."

Heck, Ms. Williamson, you make it sound like Rosie just happened to use Ace Paint, and the only reason you told anybody about it is because some customers asked about it. Care to back that turnip truck up again so I can climb back on and fall off properly next time?

Ms. Williamson, I intend to share these correspondences with other gun rights activists. I can't speak for them (although don't be surprised if more than a few of them share my feelings), but I can tell you that, contrary to your protestations, Ace Hardware is actively promoting and profiting from a business relationship with someone who is undermining my rights. As I said in my initial correspondence, you folks are free to affiliate with whomever you see fit.

As am I, Ms. Williamson.

Sincerely,

David Codrea

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Ms. Williamson fires back a stunning blow. Will it knock me out?

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In a public announcement approximately six weeks ago, we announced that there is no further affiliation with OurHouse.com.

Thanks

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Hmmm... this certainly stops me in my tracks. Or does it? Aside from the divestiture not appearing in the press release section of either Ace's or Ourhouse's websites, here are a few facts that do appear on those sites:

Fact- The Ourhouse.com website claims, as of this writing: "OurHouse.com is partnered with Ace Hardware, a company that brings over 75 years of home improvement experience - to us, and ultimately, to you."

Fact- The Ourhouse.com website, as of this writing, lists 150 Ace products in 45 categories.

Fact- The Ourhouse.com website claims, as of this writing: "Not every great partnership is built in the boardroom. Some are built in a community. Like ours. Over the past six months, OurHouse.com has teamed up with the Rosie O'Donnell Show to help special families in need."

Fact- Ms. Williamson's position on the Ace Internet Committee notwithstanding, the Acehardware.com website "Sharing the Vision" page, as of this writing, states: "We embarked on an aggressive e-commerce venture by partnering with OurHouse.com to become the premier site for home improvement products, services and advice on the World Wide Web."

Fact- Ms. Williamson's position on the Ace Internet Committe notwithstanding, the Acehardware.com website, as of this writing, presents an overview of Ourhouse.com operations on it's "Speeding Ahead with Technology" page.

Fact- Ms. Williamson's position on the Ace Internet Committe notwithstanding, the Acehardware.com website, as of this writing, references "Ourhouse.com affiliate stores" on its "Ace Domestic Retailers" page.

Fact- Ms. Williamson's claim of non-affiliation with Rosie and Ourhouse.com notwithstanding, the Acehardware.com website, as of this writing, has a clickable ad on its homepage [see top of this page] stating: "Paint your house ROSIE with Ace Paint Sponsored by Ourhouse.com & Ace Paint", replete with Rosie's "smugshot". Do you hear that. Ms. Williamson? "SPONSORED BY"?

Fact- Ms. Williamson's claim of non-affiliation with Rosie notwithstanding, the Acehardware.com website, as of this writing, has an advertising graphic for "rosie THE MAGAZINE" (their capitalization) which links to that site.

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Remember Ms. Williamson telling me "there is no further affiliation with OurHouse.com"? Well, I managed to get more than one Ace product into my OurHouse "shopping cart" before backing out of the transaction; it's not like they're going to get a dime from me. Like I said in my initial communication to Ace, anyone who gives aid and comfort to my enemy is no friend of mine.

Remember Ms. Williamson telling me "nor do we have any...affiliation with [Rosie]" in spite of Ace's co-sponsorship of "Paint Your House ROSIE" and that link to her magazine on their site?

Not affiliated with Ourhouse.com. Not affiliated with Rosie.

I guess it all depends on what the meaning of the word "affiliated" is.

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David Codrea
codrea4@earthlink.net
Guns- good AND good FOR you!
Find out why at:
www.guntruths.com/
www.citizensofamerica.org/
www.keepandbeararms.com/