| Times Online | 0 | |
| Fox Boston | 0 | |
| Merc. News | 0 | |
| Big Govt | Obama’s Shock Troops: SEIU and Political Intimidation in St. Louis |
0 |
| NYT | 0 |
Audacity of Truth
Whiner-in-Chief:
"[W]hether the grumbling is about Republicans on Fox or bloggers in pajamas, there's a word for what the president and his aides are doing. That word is "whining." And nothing [...] does more damage to Obama's credibility or authority than the sense that a popular president is becoming the whiner-in-chief."
- John Nichols, Nation Magazine - 10/12/09
Borders and Waldenbooks won’t carry magazine that contains Mohammed cartoons
In an apparent bow to fear and Islamofascist intimidation, national book chains Borders and Waldenbooks will not be carrying a magazine which features inside of it some of the ‘offensive’ Mohammed cartoons:
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.”
Uh huh.
Hat tip: Little Green Footballs
PM Update 2:53 pm ET: Jeff Goldstein blogs about the Canadian magazine Western Standard’s call for help – they are being sued for publishing the offending cartoons. To find out how to help them, click here.
Related Toldjah So posts:
- Cartoon controversies from across the border
- Photos from the ’support free speech and Denmark’ rally in NYC
- Oh please
- Hitchensville
- An odd pairing – Dershowitz and Bennett
- Media double standard on offending Muslims
- Fanatical Islamists wage war on the Internet over cartoons
- Hats off to the Daily Tarheel
- EU windbags considering ‘media code’ after cartoon controversy
- The anatomy of the cartoon jihad
- NYT publishes virgin Mary “art” – but not ‘offensive’ Mohammed cartoons
- Oh indeed – it’s definitely about hate!
- Iran paper to publish Holocaust ‘cartoons’
- Another US media double standard re: cartoons
- US media will print Abu Ghraib photos but not controversial cartoons
- Multicultural sensitivity and how it can have brutal consequences
- US sides with Muslims in cartoon controversy
- More European papers reprinting “offensive” Islamic cartoons
- Bomb threats made against Danish paper over Mohammed cartoons
RSS feed for comments on this post.
11 Responses to “Borders and Waldenbooks won’t carry magazine that contains Mohammed cartoons”
Comments
Blogads
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of ST's advertisers, nor do their opinions necessarily reflect ST's. Stats
Well, looks like I’ll have to cross Borders and Waldonbooks off my list of places to shop, and write snitty letters of complaint to them. Not that that will accomplish much, but it’ll make me feel better, and I won’t be spending money at an appeasement oriented business. Gee, think they will not carry any anti-Christian books or magazines?
Not publishing something a person wrote or drew is a bad thing? Who’da thunk it? Peace
This does not surprise me and why I say that is the Borders here I have had to ask for some books because they were basically hidden and some of those books are:
The Terrible Truth About Liberals by Neal Boortz
Slander and Treason by Ann Coulter
Freedom in Chains by James Bovard
A National Party No More by Zell Miller
Can anyone else see a pattern with what is done with books that may not be of the same political philosophy as the management of the store I do business with. I now like to go into that store and ask for conservative publications just to get the sneer that says “Oh your one of them”. I also thank them and include the name of the book in the thanks in an above average voice and hold the book so others can see the cover. I have had and not always other customers ask what isle I found that book because they were looking for it also and I am more than happy to help a fellow conservative.
The last book I have read is The FairTax Book by Neal Boortz and John Linder if you have not read it you need to.
Hiding books is one thing, and it’s sad that any bookseller allows or condones it. That said, to refuse to sell a magazine, for fear of Muslim reaction, is not wholly out of line. Your right to say what you wish is not so absolute that my safety or health can be ignored simply to allow you to sell. If selling your work is dangerous, then you sell it yourself.
Wage earners in these stores should not be subjected to danger to protect a publisher’s ability to market a single issue of a magazine.
Too bad that Borders’ management’s fear won’t make it to the stores themselves, in the form of posters and hand-outs decribing the types of violence threatened by Islamists. That would be a breath of fresh air for these bookstores. That would be a nice example of Freedom Of Speech.
Great catch Sistah!! Nobody should ever be allowed to censor another – or as you say: “bow to fear and Islamofascist intimidation”!
We finally agree!
“Nobody should ever be allowed to censor another – or as you say: “bow to fear and Islamofascist intimidation”!
We finally agree!”
I’m afraid we don’t.
The issue is not whether or not they should be allowed to carry the magazine but whether or not the decision was the right one.
Of course, you knew that already.
ST we finally Agree!!!
Err… what was the question again?
We do?
Huh?
Ok, in all seriousness:
Personally it is a business and it is thier choice of what they will sell and not sell.
They do not sell pornography, that is a choice they made, they will not sell these type of magazines or books that carry the cartoons.
Again it is thier choice and a business decision.
We talk about freedom of choice, well they made it.
Do we agree with thier decision? Some may, some may not, but again, that is thier decision to make…not ours.
Now, if you disagree with thier decision you can make your displeasure known to them by writing them (politely) and explaining to them why you feel it is a wrong thing to do in your opinion and/or you can boycott thier stores….
The choice is yours.
They made thier choice in what I would assume is a business decision not to upset thier some of thier customers.
When they see they get more complaints or lose business on account of this decision is the only time they will reconsider it.
I guess we’ll just have to exercise our own Freedom of Choice by paying our hard earned money to Barnes and Noble instead.
I guess, however, that they miss the overall point of safety in numbers. The greater the number who do publish works with the cartoons, the much more difficult it is for any of those “violent vigilantes” to make an impact (pardon the pun). As it is, it simply makes those who do resist more visible and more likely to be subjects of such barbarism. In essence, they have traded their own personal safety for everyone else’s.
How very kind of them. I hope they pardon me if I respond in like kind by supporting those who do have a spine.
I have no problem with their rights or choices, so long as they have no problem with mine.
Some material and comments are just inappropriate, trust me I know. Peace
By the way, if you wish to make your opinion known to he bookstore you can (politely) write them here:
Media Contact Link
Anne Roman at 734-477-1392 or aroman@bordersgroupinc.com
Beth Bingham at 734-477-4457 or bbingham@bordersgroupinc.com
Holley Stein at 734-477-1224 or hstein1@bordersgroupinc.com
Courtesy of Atlas Shrugs
But I bet both chains will carry the Time Magazine with the Christian Hit Piece. – Lorica