The story of a 73 year-old veteran who was fired from his job at a Cracker Barrel store once again illustrates the minimum value a right-wing business places on not only elderly veterans, but on common decency. Vietnam vet Joe Koblenzer was fired after giving a corn muffin and some packets of condiments to a person that appeared to be homeless outside the store in Venice, FL. Cracker Barrel defended the firing by alleging that Koblenzer had given small items of food to others in the past.
One would think that a highly profitable business could spare an occasional corn muffin. In the case of Cracker Barrel, one would be wrong. Moreover, Cracker Barrel is very active in right-wing causes, most prominently as a major supporter of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC has been vigorously pushing right-wing legislation in state legislatures for years, including anti-labor, anti-environment and voter suppression laws.
The next time you see companies like Cracker Barrel posing as "patriotic," remember that their patriotism doesn't extend beyond their cash registers to veterans whose past service they value less than a damn corn muffin.
