Happy Veterans’ Day to all our veterans out there. It’s time for our open thread. The floor is yours.
WTF Amazon? Why would you do this?
Online retail giant Amazon.com came under a storm of electronic protest Wednesday for selling a self-published electronic book called “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure.”
The title — published Oct. 28 by Phillip R. Greaves — has been flooded with angry criticism mostly aimed at the Seattle-based retailer for offering it for sale. The controversy raises the question of whether Amazon has any set procedures for vetting books to be sold in its online stores.
Amazon allows writers to publish their own works in its online stores and share in the revenue. The guidebook, described by its author as an “attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles … by establishing certain rules for these adults to follow,” is available for the Amazon Kindle reader.
The book has attracted almost 800 reviews on its Amazon page, with 760 giving it the lowest possible ranking of one star. Many reviewers threatened to boycott the company unless the book is removed.
A lot of people in my Twitter feed are talking about this and some are saying they are sending their Kindles back to Amazon. Sure, some people are screaming “First Amendment!!!” but I guess I don’t see how the First Amendment means you have to sell a book in your store. I have no idea why Amazon has let this controversy drag on for even a few hours. Amazon, after first responding with a braindead statement about censorship, then pulled the book.
I think one benefit of Republican gains this year is to watch the infighting. Already Republicans are backing away from promises to end earmarks and are doing a pretty good job of cutting teabaggers off at the pass. Michele Bachmann has dropped out of the race for a leadership position in the House.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who had attempted to leverage her superstar status among Tea Party activists into a role in the House Republican leadership as GOP Conference Chair, instead ended her bid tonight and endorsed the leadership’s favored candidate, Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
Bachmann had argued that her role in mobilizing Tea Party activists for the Republican Party: “I have been able to bring a voice and motivate people to, in effect, put that gavel in John Boehner’s hands, so that Republicans can lead going forward.”
However, she only picked up the public support of five other House members: Her close ally Steve King of Iowa, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and her fellow Minnesotans John Kline, Erik Paulsen and Chip Cravaack.
I look forward to Republicans facing teabaggers in their primary challenges in 2012. The Tea Party wants to knock off popular incumbents like Olympia Snowe, Orrin Hatch and Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Best of luck to them!