Posted on 09/15/2004 8:08:11 AM PDT by bigsky
Take a second to read through the astonishing postings (link below) on Borders unions website. As you will see... the attached postings are primarily from really annoyed liberals, and a couple of them refer to ongoing tactics to keep UNFIT FROM COMMAND away from the public.
Here's one example:
"We're 'finding' that most of the few copies we're getting are damaged and need to be sent back, so sad. Too bad, Bushies! Regnery needs to be more careful. I'm hearing from people at 2 other stores that this seems to be common.
Why should we help destroy what's left of our country?"
or how 'bout this one...
"You can probably get Regnery's corporate number from Books in Print or off the web. I'd keep it handy and then whenever a customer asks for this book, tell them that Regnery isn't keeping this book stocked and it may be because Regnery is a pinko-commie-fag publisher who's trying to bury this story by not printing enough copies of this book. Tell them you even read on the web that Hillary Clinton is on Regnery's Board of Directors.
And, after all, you did just read on the web that she's on the Board and that it's pinko-commie-fag publisher so you wouldn't be lying. Well, maybe you shouldh't use "pinko-commie-fag." How about pacifist lesbian outfit? Not that there's anything wrong with that."
...or this one...
"You guys don't actually HAVE to sell the thing!
"Just 'carelessly' hide the boxes, 'accidentally' drop them off pallets, 'forget' to stock the ones you have, and then suggest a nice Al Franken or Micheal Moore book as a substitute. Borders wants those recommends, remember?
"I don't care if these Neandertals in fancy suits get mad at me, they aren't regular customers anyway. Other than 'Left Behind' books, they don't read. Anything you can do to make them feel unwelcome is only fair. They are the people pushing retailers to cut costs, don't forget. And they would censor your speech, your books, your music in a heartbeat, so give them a taste of it!
"Don't get mad, get even!"
Unbelievable!
More here.
The homepage is www.bordersunion.org
I'll concur with that. My mom works there and they get various priced plans to choose from. In fact she's switching to a premium plan again and it is better than the lousy plan my college educated husband is provided at his white collar job. She has copays and premiums and none of the 80/20 garbage.
Thanks again.
I just read the entire Google Archive.
Too bad some of the individuals involved can't be identified and fired, or in some cases, prosecuted.
I felt soooo sorrrryyyyy for the twit who was p*ssed about not being able to display political materials, "even on their lockers" anymore.
If I want to see political opinions, I'll go to a rally, or watch Dan Rather-not reading the See-BS Nightly Propaganda; not go to a book (or any other) store.
BTW, I got my copy of Unfit For Command FAST and hassle-free, in PERFECT shape from Booksamillion.com, http://www.bamm.com
PLEASE DON'T OVERLOAD MY SERVER by linking to it from your own websites or blogs etc. Download the files and store them yourselves, please! I can't afford to go over my bandwidth limits, and this story could do it... Thanks.
It is amazing the slander that Walmart takes/gets on Free Republic and in the media.
Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@bordersunion.org and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.
More information about this error may be available in the server error log.
Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Error error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
well, i guess it all depends on the lot who run the stores and the workers who move the books around. I suppose it cannot all be the fault of the parent company.
But still, i am suspicious of b and noble because of the fact the website had "fit for command" up.
and to be fair, if i was a bookstore manager i would not have an al franken book up front and center. Although, i would not destroy the copies of the books. That is illegal.
You must not be in West Albuquerque, then! :^)
No, PHX, but I checked Sam's last week so maybe they have it now!
I have a full dump of all 5 pages if someone wants them
Nice one, NYC GOP Chick!
Me too! And I got this reply:
Many thanks for passing this along. --Alex
Well, that depends on what your definition of "book" is. Liberals would be attracted to The National Enquirer or Soap Opera Digest, People, etc.
This shouldn't surprise me: my daughter briefly had a job at the local Borders, in Ramsey NJ , soon after she got of high school , right after 9/11. She was very vigilant about the books and magazines she was ringing up. She noticed a very suspicious looking pair, one of whom fit the profile, lingering around the store for a VERY long time, then finally purchasing SOLDIER OF FORTUNE magazine, and a set of laminated charts for chemical compounds. This may have been nothing, but when she alerted the store manager, she was told "we're more interested catching people stealing from the store, rather than what they're buying". My daughter quit the job soon thereafter, and enrolled in a school for Massage Therapy.
#153 - No kidding, he wears more makeup than Tammy Faye!
Reply from Borders:
9/16/2004
Dear Michelle:
Thank you for contacting us with your concerns about postings at www.bordersunion.org .
First, I’d like to stress that as a company, Borders is absolutely apolitical. We take no stance whatsoever, and for over 30 years we have been committed to our customers’ right to choose what to read and what to buy. Our stores are highly regarded for featuring a very deep and diverse selection of titles in hundreds of subject areas--including politics--representing a wide range of thought.
We take great measures to communicate this on an ongoing basis to employees and to emphasize the importance of not expressing political viewpoints while working in our stores. In fact, Vin Altruda, the President of Borders Stores Worldwide, has personally communicated strongly to all employees that it is not appropriate to share their personal political viewpoints in any way while at work- through conversations with other employees or customers, by wearing T-shirts or buttons of a political nature, or by taking any actions to express a political viewpoint.
That said, with more than 32,000 employees worldwide, it is challenging to manage the actions of each individual. And of course we cannot control what employees say or do on their own time outside of working in our stores. This includes posting their thoughts on websites that are not associated with our company. It is important to note that the site you’ve referred to is not accessible to our employees at work, nor are any of the statements on it a reflection of our company policy.
Of course, we realize that this particular posting is claiming that an employee has taken actions of a political nature while on the job. At the current time we have no evidence that any inventory in our stores has been diverted or destroyed by an employee. I assure you that this type of behavior would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Should we become aware of specific actions and can verify that a specific individual has indeed taken these actions, we will certainly take appropriate disciplinary action.
On the subject of the book "Unfit for Command", it is in Borders stores and continues to be a top-seller. The publisher of this particular book underestimated the popularity of the title and therefore did not print enough copies to meet the initial consumer demand. Although it has been challenging for Borders to secure a continuous supply of this book, we are working with the publisher to meet ongoing demand and are doing our best to assure that our stores have appropriate quantities in stock (please see the attached news article regarding this issue).
I hope this has addressed your concerns. Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts with us.
Best,
Dan
Customer Care Rep
100 Phoenix Dr
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
www.bordersstores.com
Also added the following attachment:
Anti-Kerry books scarce; buyers mad
Associated Press
416 words
25 August 2004
Journal Gazette
Final Edition
4A
English
(c) Copyright 2004, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
NEW YORK
The nation's two biggest bookstore chains, Barnes & Noble and Borders, say angry customers are accusing them of political bias as the retailers struggle to keep up with demand for a best seller that questions John Kerry's military service in Vietnam.
"Unfit for Command," which went on sale Aug. 11 with a first printing of 85,000, will have 550,000 copies in print by next week, according to Regnery Publishing.
Sales have soared as allegations about the Democratic nominee's wartime actions dominate the presidential campaign.
A co-author of the book, John O'Neill, is a member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has ran a series of commercials claiming Kerry distorted his past. Kerry and fellow Democrats say the spots are untrue and have demanded that President Bush condemn them. Bush replied Monday that broadcast attacks by outside groups, no matter which side, should have no place in the race for the White House.
"Unfit for Command," by O'Neill and Jerome Corsi, accuses Kerry of lying about his decorated wartime record and betraying comrades by returning from Vietnam and alleging widespread atrocities by U.S. troops. Kerry has made his military service a central part of his campaign.
Copies of the book are scarce. Barnes & Noble said that "Unfit for Command" is out of stock and that thousands of complaints have been received, with some customers saying the book was deliberately not being sold and others saying it shouldn't be sold.
More copies will not be available until this week, and that order also will not meet demand, Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio said Monday.
"We've been put in the difficult position of having to defend ourselves over a title we can't seem to get enough copies of from the publisher," Riggio said.
Borders said Tuesday that "available stock is limited right now" and that it has received hundreds of calls accusing the superstore of bias against the book.
"The misunderstanding among customers seems to be that we are somehow taking an ideological stand," Borders spokeswoman Jenie Dahlmann said Tuesday. "We would gladly sell the book, but ... can't get an adequate supply."
Regnery spokeswoman Kelley Keeler said Tuesday that the company - a longtime publisher of conservative authors - can't keep up with the "huge" demand, in part because the book's September publication date was moved up as interest in the book grew.
Look at how the "mainstream bookstores" treat conservative books.
Have I already told you that I received my copy of Unfit very soon after the distribution date, from Amazon, and it was damaged in a way that could have only been done with malicious intent. I would have sent it straight back, except that demand was so far above the supply that I was unsure how long it would take Amazon to replace my copy.
So I still have it.
The package was perfect. The cover and first and last pages were perfect. The next four pages were ripped almost off the spine from the bottom up. And 5 pages in the middle are torn at the top margin.
There is no way that it could have been accidental. Now I am keeping it as 'evidence' of leftie malice.
Pathetic creeps. Really disgusting slugs. I thought Amazon's system would have been so automated that the Border's vandalism would not have happened. I wonnder if Amazon has been getting a lot of complaints? They have pretty good on-line customer service.
If Borders allows it to continue, their shareholders should launch a massive lawsuit against them for reckless abandonment of their fiduciary responsibilities. I'm surprised such a case hasn't already been brought against some of these public majors who constantly see fit to piss off half the potential customer base for no business reason whatsoever, simply the whims of a handful of people.
MM
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