Book banning by the Left?

Media Matters For America ^

[MaineRepublic]

MMFA sends letter to Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble asking these top booksellers to review policies on selling Unfit for Command

Dear CEO:

In light of an August 19 report in The Washington Post (titled "Records Counter a Critic of Kerry") proving that a key allegation in the new book Unfit for Command by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi is fraudulent, I'm writing to express my concern that by continuing to sell Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry as a work of nonfiction, prominent book retailers are complicit in a literary hoax.

The Post reported on August 19 that "[n]ewly obtained military records of one of Sen. John F. Kerry's most vocal critics, who has accused the Democratic presidential candidate of lying about his wartime record to win medals, contradict his own version of events." This is but the latest in a long line of evidence that Unfit for Command is a fraud, with no basis in reality and no attempt to convey the truth. Slate.com editor Jacob Weisberg has described the book as a "scurrilous book accusing Kerry of being a war criminal and faking his injuries in Vietnam"; it's important to keep in mind that official military records (as well as the statements of all but one of Kerry's crewmates) flatly contradict the lies in Unfit for Command.

With the revelations of August 19, it's clear that Unfit for Command is the Hitler Diaries of the current political season -- a complete fraud. As you know, and as Salon.com reported on August 19, "[T]here is a long-standing tradition by reputable publishers of withdrawing titles that prove to be hoaxes or frauds." I would hope that in the case of Unfit for Command, Regnery, the book's publisher, would do the right thing and withdraw it from publication. However, given Regnery's history as an irresponsible publisher, I have no expectation, nor should you, that it will act responsibly with respect to this deeply flawed book.

I therefore ask you to consider what is the responsibility of a bookseller when a prominent work of nonfiction is found to be based on false information. As the president and CEO of Media Matters for America, a nonprofit organization that seeks to rid the U.S. media (including book publishing) of conservative misinformation, I ask you to consider taking some action on Unfit for Command -- if not simply pulling it from the shelf -- to alert your customers that this book is a paid political hatchet job, full of false allegations and lies. One way you could do so is to prominently place on your Unfit for Command product page a link to -- and excerpt from -- one of the many refutations of Unfit for Command and the organization behind it.

In addition to the August 19 Washington Post report, I'd also like to draw your attention to my organization's website, www.mediamatters.org, where we have documented, since Unfit for Command's publication, several false and grossly contradictory statements made by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Of particular interest may be the bigoted and hate-filled prior writings of Unfit co-author Jerome Corsi, for which he has publicly apologized. Other resources you may wish to consider making available to your customers include FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, which has debunked Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and the August 18 Slate.com piece titled "Unfriendly Fire: Liar vs. coward in the Vietnam ad war," by William Saletan and Jacob Weisberg.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

David Brock

[MaineRepublic]

Does this group expect anyone to take them seriously with attempts to stifle the freedom of speech such as this?

This is actually pretty scary. Can you imagine what the Left would say if a conservative organization did the same thing? Maybe it is old news but I just came across it and thought I would share it.

[berkley]

Right after they stifle Michael Moore. His book and movie were total lies and fabrications.

[Repub in a sea of idiots]

Did he write a letter to theaters asking them to refrain from showing Fahrenheit 911 based on lies?

[Renegade]

I walked into Waldenbooks yesterday to see if the book was in stock .I was greeted by My Lies and Hillary's mug in the shelves facing the store traffic . Nowhere was ' Unfit ' to be found . I went to the Social Science section and was astounded at the number of titles against Conservatives in general as well as " W " .
The store next to Waldenbooks had the T-shirt of "W" and dad with pictures captioned " Dumb and Dumber " prominently displayed in the front window .

[The Great Yazoo]

"Book banning by left?" It takes compulsion to ban books and it takes government's monopoly on compulsion to ban books outside of a family.

[MaineRepublic]

Yeah, it is pretty amazing how many anti-Bush books there are out there. Barnes and Noble seems to sell them all, but they were out of "Unfit For Command".

[Tealc]

Hello, David Brock. Shove it!

[HenryLeeII]

This is not book banning by the Left! You don't understand the nuance involved. The Dem'Rats will determine which books are safe for you to read, and the others will be destroyed, but they won't be "banned," per se. So let's not get hysterical! Nuance, my good man, nuance.

[Oatka]

". . . I'm writing to express my concern that by continuing to sell Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry Arming America as a work of nonfiction, prominent book retailers are complicit in a literary hoax."

I'll bet they sent a similar letter about Bellesiles' book.
(end sarcasm)

[NYCVirago]

It's funny how the libs complain about ties between the SVFT and the Bush campaign, yet there's not a word about the ties between David Brock and the Kerry campaign, even when he literally uses the same words as the Kerry people.

[garyhope]

I finally got my copy of UFC at Costco for about $16.

I'd been to B & N earlier and both they and Borders had not a single copy of UFC, but they both had TONS of screaming and hysterical anti-Bush books. Of course no bias there.

[Redbob]

Let's at least use the correct terms:
It's only "book banning" if some unit of government, state, local or federal, does it.

Otherwise, it's merely the market in action.

[concerned about politics]

Sign the F180. No one knows Kerry's real Vietnam history. He's hiding his records. No one knows who's lying.
Unless someone proves the other lied, let them speak. I'd like to hear more.

I suggest we call those outlets and ask if they carry the book, showing a big demand for them. They're going to be collector items.

[RS]

"I finally got my copy of UFC at Costco for about $16. "

I'm allmost tempted to buy a boxfull and stand outside Waldenbooks thumbing through it.
Sell them for $20 each and send the extra 4 to Swiftvets...

[J. Semper Paratus]

David 'CROCK'.

[NutCrackerBoy]

Welcome to Free Republic. Please insert (My Title) into the thread title as would have been appropriate in this case.

[randog]

Here's a synopsis of the letter if anyone can't get through it: "Unfit For Command" is a pack of lies, and if you don't believe me just ask all my liberal friends!

[crushelits]

Wal-Mart IS PRO BUSH

[Warlord]

In Mr. Brock's world, the “right” to homosexual marriage and other “progressive” offerings trump speech rights. As such, the censorship that he proposes is morally acceptable and perfectly consistent with the constitutional order.

Generally, in Mr. Brock's world, rights ebb and flow according the affect on the “progressive” agenda. This kind of thinking is pervasive among academic types, who without hesitation square academic freedom with political correctness.

It’s just a matter of determining what rights are preferred, and applying balancing tests. Think of it as Outcomes Based Nuance.

[Morgan's Raider]

Duh, gee, David. Why don't you just do like your idealogical brethren did about 65 years ago? Just steal the books and burn them.