... or Waldenbooks. Borders sucks up to Islamofascism.
Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.
“For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority,” Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham said Wednesday.
The magazine, published by the Council for Secular Humanism in suburban Amherst, includes four of the drawings that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in September, including one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban with a lit fuse.
Islamic tradition bars depiction of Muhammad to prevent idol worship, which is strictly prohibited.
“What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression,” said Paul Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry. “Cartoons often provide an important form of political satire ... To refuse to distribute a publication because of fear of vigilante violence is to undermine freedom of press — so vital for our democracy.”
Bingham said the decision was made before the magazine arrived at the company’s stores. Borders Group, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., operates more than 475 Borders and 650 Waldenbooks stores in the United States, though not all regularly carry the magazine.
“We absolutely respect our customers’ right to choose what they wish to read and buy and we support the First Amendment,” Bingham said. “And we absolutely support the rights of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoons. We’ve just chosen not to carry this particular issue in our stores.”
I would estimate that I have purchased over 2000 books, CD's, and magazines, and at least 10,000 cups of coffee at Borders over the years.
I will never make another purchase there again, unless they come to me in their humiliation and apologize for what they have done. Then, they can pay me the Infidel jizya, and then and only then, if they are lucky, I will deign to steal books from them.
Fuck Borders. Say it with me now,
FUCK BORDERS!
One of the theology profs at the Bible college I attend was at Borders last week, looking for a copy of "Islam & Terrorism" (ISBN:0884198847). He was told by the friendly sales associate that they "keep that book in the warehouse, but do not keep it in stock on the shelves."
ReplyDeleteYeah, "F*** Borders" was about his reaction, too.
What a disgusting display of cowardice. Imagine if a new Chomsky tome was taken off the shelf. And to be honest, I would be pissed if they did that. Reminder to folks... we are talking about CARTOONS. This is modern day book burning. The purveyors of books have decided that we have no right to see certain things.
ReplyDeleteAnd the irony of it all.... is that they are images which are far far far short in depicting the horrors of those acting under the name of Mohammed.
Dammit, and I just bought "While Europe Slept" there.....Oh well, what can you expect from a chain store that glorifies the works of Toni Morrison, who has made som nay racist statements? This many be good though. with enough boycotts I'm going to save some money in the near future.
ReplyDeletePim's,
ReplyDeleteThat's funny; protest as budgeting.
Maybe i could supply you with some coupons for Barnes & Noble.
While Europe Slept is an essential book. Glad to hear you're reading it.
have you emailed them. and told them, hope so
ReplyDeleteThere is just ONE bookstore here in the outer reaches...BORDERS (B&N building)..so I am going to to try to take a differnt tack .. I'm headed in there later today to ask for this issue, and then ask the mgr WHY NOT, and then ask him to obtain it.
ReplyDeleteLet's try some PERSONAL embarassment. I have a feeling when actual people have to face the actual act of cowardice face to face with others who demand freedom of expression, it might cause some thought in between lattes.
If we all walk into Borders and EMBARASS the mgrs, who knows?
Doesn't cost a cent.
BTW, that's where I got Bostom's book which is absolutely effing deadly stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe indian jihad material is hair raising, but this is nothing like PIG. This is iron hard history.
Fact and fact and fact with personal letters and journals.
DEADLY.
I just bought Fallaci's latest book at Borders. And the clerk who helped me to locate the book was a sympathizing infidel. I wonder what SHE thinks of the Borders policy you've posted here.
ReplyDeletePastorius, actually, that's where I discovered the latest Pim column in partial translation that Herr Winn translated fully for me. Excellent so far, though I've skipped around.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll stick to Amazon. Saves time. But Epa, I do usually take your tactic. It's great when you obviously sound educated and rational and even polite but firm. I just did this the other night at Target over their elimination of smaller sizes in clothing. My Ralph Lauren fetish will bankrupt me if I don't try to add some things from places like Target! But not even shorts! Bastards.
But try turning it into stand up comedy. That always works the best. and embarrasses the managers the most, I've found.
Well, PIM, all I can say is that happens when you are size 2 petite. Go back to the Souvlaki, babe.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I bet that the Borders people here don't have CLUE about this policy. That should HEIGHTEN the embarassment.
Now some work
I like the way you guys are thinking. Maybe I overdid it.
ReplyDeleteI remember, once, the Borders near my home put up a display of a new book by David Duke. I told the manager that I did not object to them stocking the book, but thought the idea that they were promoting was disgusting.
The manager responded that it was free speech.
I then began asking him if he would please do displays of various books by reasonable conservatives;
Reagan, Gingrich, etc.
I just kept asking in a louder and louder voice, until the guy got the point, apologized and took the display down.
That was back in the day when I was a registered Democrat and Clinton supporter.
I've never had any room in my world for racism.
Borders is a great resourrce, but their cowardice in this instance is disgusting.
I just wrote to Borders at ccare@ bordersstores.com.
ReplyDeleteI let them know they lost a customer. I buy a good 30+ books a year but they won't get my business. I've found B&N carries Spencer, Bostom, etc. Indeed, they had enough copies of PIG to shelf the book face out. You can't miss it.
Of course, now I'll have to get this issue of Free Inquiry. Let's see if B&N has it.
Does anyone know the email address to Border's Customer Service or management? Maybe we should deluge them with mail letting them know how cowardly we think they are and that they are losing our business. If anyone finds the address, please drop me a line.
ReplyDeletePastorius,
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better myself! We've been ordering online for so long - mostly Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, and Hamilton Books - that we haven't really seen what's on the shelves in the stores, or where on the shelves it is, so we really appreciate knowing about Border's cowardice. Historically, "book people" have been very protective of their right to free speech. SHAME on them!
Ep and Pastorius,
Your tactic of "embarrassing with raised voice" reminds me a lot of one of our daughters (a.k.a. "The Dragon Lady," born on December 7th, of course). They never even see it coming - a cute, tiny blonde girl who looks like a little porcelain doll, and then she opens her mouth and it turns into a bloomin' flame thrower! They run for cover and their Kevlar jackets! No crudeness or vulgarity, mind you, just a VERY public recitation of the truth, turned on high! She really gets results, and when she is convinced that the cause is righteous, she CANNOT be embarrassed (but the object of her dissatisfaction is)!I'm so proud of her...
Anyway, that's an excellent tactic. "They" assume that we will be too nice, too polite, to raise our voices in any kind of protest.
It's a private business, and they can sell or not sell anything they want, but that doesn't mean we, the consumers, have to like it.
T-ham,
I live a rich fantasy life; in it, I see a HUGE bookstore with nothing but material critical of Islam! "Legacy" is featured prominantly in the display window facing the street...
AOW,
I'll bet she thinks she's doing the right thing; she probably thinks that offending Muslim sensibilities is about the worst thing that she could do.
Demohypocrates,
LOVE the way you put it - "modern day book burning..." And the cartoons SURE DO fall short of the photos of real-life misbehavior of Muslims (which "they" are also very loathe to show us).
As an aside, I think we all know of sites and other resources here and there that have some photos of Muslim horror shows - beheadings, burned corpses, people jumping out of tall buildings, children in little pieces all over the road, etc. - and there is some movement in the direction of gathering up all we can find to establish a site that will function as a "gallery" where we can all go contemplate who the bad guys really are.
Jason,
I'm with you; it's time to go get that copy of Free Inquiry! And thank you so much for the Border's address. I'll start a "daily pester" campaign beginning this very evening!
Pim,
I like the boycott idea. It's time to start pushing back. Maybe we could make some stickers saying "Danish cartoons not available here due to severe PC," and then slither by and plaster them on their windows. Contact paper and a Sharpie work well...
They would come off easily, unlike the ones used by some folks in a sci-fi story I read when I was a kid.
In the story, the Resistence was fighting the Totalitarians, and as part of their campaign, they would go around putting embarrassing stickers on the windows of stores owned by dhimmi equivalents. When the horrified store owners ran out to remove them, the adhesive turned into an acid which quickly etched the offending message into the glass, making it a permanent anti-totalitarian display until the glass could be replaced. I got a lot of petty pleasure out of that...
Size 2? Really? You Twit!
I just told them off in their customer feedback. I had just gotten my new Borders Rewards card, having been a customer way back before they issued cards. Expedited shipment from Amazon will get me through it until they get a clue. It's really too bad, because their selection of non-fiction books is much better than B&N's, so I almost always came out with an impulse buy.
ReplyDeleteI have been there, fourecks. I have read their books and magazines, but I haven't bought a thing, and I never will again.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your frickin' point?
I have not been back. I had bad things to say about them in my blog post Borders Books new policy: We aim to appease and it would be morally wrong to purchase anything from them unless they bend their knee to me in shivering cowardice as they did to Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI was not nice to them in my blog post Borders Books new policy: We aim to appease
Sorry about the bottom, I forgot to delete the duplicate link.
ReplyDelete