Is Amazon taking on the role of a new Inquisition?

Submitted by Peter Wolff (United States), May 21, 2005 at 09:48

I agree with this astute commentator with his entire analysis re your response to this craziness. It's too bad that you caved in to such outlandish accusations and demands. Maybe you ought to also pander to the Christian Right and demand that all of your affiliated used book dealers--including the majority of which are little mom & pop, shoestring operations--hire "quality control officers" at a salary they won't be able to afford and have as one of their major responsibilities to also scour every book acquired from estate sales, flea market buys, etc. to make sure that not a single page of a single book contain any references to a woman's right to choose, atheism, stem cell research, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, use of condoms to prevent AIDS, sex education, Satan -- well, you get the point (I hope).

One has to wonder if these Muslim extremists to whom you are now pandering would have issued a Fatwah on that bookstore located in far-off southwestern Pennsylvania, in what is simply a small city (or large town, pop. about 30,000) tucked into the hilly terrain at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers?

This is nuts! Amazon should drop the whole matter & not dictate to this or any dealer what titles they can or cannot sell or require them to censor content to satisfy demands of religious extremists; the time of the Inquisition as supposedly long passed, though maybe it's about to be reborn with your help. Meanwhile, I will have to wonder, why should I (or any other collector of used & out-of-print books) shop through Amazon when ABE (Advanced Book Exchange) offers the same kind of--actually better & more comprehensive--links with dealers throughout the US and around the world?

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