I am suspending my Amazon shopping until YOU un-suspend Bellwether!

Submitted by E. Yellin (United States), May 21, 2005 at 10:59

Dear Ms Smith:

I am an Amazon customer (my most recent order was over $200). I am STUNNED that Amazon has cravenly caved to a totally UNSUBSTANTIATED charge by a Moslem individual, and has "suspended" one of your suppliers, Bellwether. Based on the particulars I have just read in an online magazine article by Daniel Pipes, I am ceasing any future purchases from Amazon until ALL of the following occurs (if you can reply that you believe that Mr Pipes has misrepresented the situation, then and only then will I re-consider):

1. Amazon will make a public statement regretting its over-reation and state that it is WITHDRAWING its apology over the incident until the book buyer PROVES that she herself did not stage this whole thing. Amazon is assuming the buyer's complaint is "proof" that Bellwether is guilty of something, leaving Bellwether in the untenable position of proving a negative. The burden of proof in OUR country is (still) quite a bit higher than that, and if I were a First Amendment-based business like Amazon, I would not want to be chipping away at that standard of proof.

2. Amazon will publicly announce that it will make no extortion payments to the Islamic group that is fronting this campaign, and will publicly characterize the demand for contributions as attempted extortion. If Amazon has by then already made a payment or payments, it will publicly demand the payments be returned.

3. Amazon will un-suspend Bellwether.


Amazon has achieved success in America only because you are fortunate enough to be operating in a free society. Your present cowardice sells out that very freedom for a "mess of porridge." You owe ALL of your customers a deep apology for your unbelievable lapse in judgement in submitting to blackmail and extortion!


E. Yellin

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