On Wednesday evening, one of the most recognizable and outspoken gun-control activists in the country, thanks to CNN, David Hogg, posted a message on Twitter indicating he would be heading to Memphis, TN to stage a protest against Federal Express.
Memphis, Tennessee is home to Federal Express Corporations.
https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1001954489325277184
https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1001956201385676801
It is unclear why Hogg chose to post the address he did, as the company’s headquarters are located just off of Hacks Cross Rd, rather than Ridgeway.
David Hogg has, for months, been urging his followers to boycott the world-wide transport company. Federal Express Corporations offers discounted costs to customers whom belong to a variety of organizations, including the National Education Association and the National Rifle Association (NRA), among many others.
It is FedEx’s discounted cost offering to customers belonging to the National Rifle Association which has landed the company in Hogg’s crosshairs.
Hogg did not state when the protest would be held, but he indicated more information would be forthcoming.
In February, David Hogg appeared on MSNBC’s “AM Joy.” During his interview, Hogg exhorted FedEx to end its discount program for Americans belonging to the National Riffle Association.
Also during his interview, David Hogg claimed, erroneously, “The CEO is one of the biggest donors to the NRA, and we have to take care of them.”
Fred Smith, CEO and founder of Federal Express, is neither a member nor a financial contributor to the NRA. Back in February, spokesman Patrick Fitzgerald stated, unequivocally, that Mr. Smith “has never been a member of the NRA, nor has he ever contributed to the NRA … and his political contributions are a matter of public record.”
On February 26, 2018, in response to the David Hogg’s accusations, the company issued a statement which included the following:
FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views.  The NRA is one of hundreds of organizations in our alliances/association Marketing program whose members receive discounted rates for FedEx shipping.  FedEx has never set or changed rates for any of our millions of customers around the world in response to their politics, beliefs or positions on issues.
Late Wednesday, after Hogg’s tweets, Federal Express Corporations issued a statement reiterating the company’s earlier statements:
FedEx is aware there are some continuing concerns related to the NRA, and we want to provide important, clarifying facts… the pricing program that is the focus of these concerns is not for the NRA itself – it is for American small businesses and consumers that are members of the association.
FedEx has also pointed out that UPS does in fact have a contract with the National Riffle Association.
David Hogg has not targeted UPS.

My Take:

This dude is about to become Memphis Bar-b-que!
When my father, who was a decorated USAF Captain, returned from Vietnam, he found himself, like many other veteran pilots of that time period, unemployable. He was 30-years-old, which, at that time, was considered too old for a new higher. My dad worked at a laundry mat until, by God’s divine intervention, he was introduced to Fred Smith, a guy who was just starting up a new company and needed pilots.
Fred Smith is also a Vietnam veteran.
Acquiring a position as a pilot entirely changed the trajectory of my family’s life. It was a genuine gift, a blessing.
We aren’t alone.
FedEx employs thousands of hardworking people in the Mid-South. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t related to or friends of a FedEx employee. Thousands of families depend on this company for employment.
And… Most people don’t take kindly to others interfering in their jobs, their income.
Fred Smith and Federal Express have generously given back to our community, contributed millions of dollars for education and other charitable causes.
In fact, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, the PGA golf tournament benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, kicks off next week. 2017’s purse was $6.4 million.
Federal Express Corporations has generously funded technology education through the University of Memphis’ FedEx Technology Institute, where students are trained in “data analytics, information security and testing, intermodal freight transportation, mobile sensors and quality data management” (Bizjournals.com).  Through a FedEx-University of Memphis Research Foundation partnership, students act as interns in a state of the art call center.
There are countless examples of the generosity FedEx has afforded schools across the country, such as here, here, and here.
Then, there is the matter of guns…
This is Memphis.
THIS IS MEMPHIS.
T-H-I-S  I-S  M-E-M-P-H-I-S!
There are thousands of bad guys with guns – especially illegally-obtained guns! In addition, our police force has been hemorrhaging officers for several years now.
Here, both Democrats and Republicans own guns: black, white, Hispanic, et al.
We may be a Democrat-driven area, but no one wants to be the chump who protects his home with flowers and sunshine.
We’d all love to have the bad guys’ guns taken away. We all cringe at the thought of any more babies losing their lives, whether by stray bullets or gangs or school shootings. Still, the fact remains, we live day-to-day knowing we must be equally armed in order to protect ourselves.
Gun-control isn’t very popular here. Sure, it has its cult following and we all know the criminals support disarming the law-abiding, but most people prefer to live in reality…
So, in conclusion…
Federal Express won’t be the one getting skewered.
It will be David Hogg, himself, who will find himself on a hot burner.
He’d be wise not to live by such lofty expectations.
In Memphis, we aren’t so “high on the hogg,.”