Borders Pays the Infidel Jizya

 
Not to say that Little Green Footballs is the crux of the blogosphere or anything. In the old, old days, it might have been a central terminus for all the railroad cars in a particular region. Today, it functions as the place where information comes through and branches out into the distributive network. It’s an arrangement in which, if-Charles-or-the-lizardoids-see-or-hear-it, in short order you will, too.

Lots of us do essays, which are important aspects of blogging. But Charles Johnson simply plants his foot on story long enough for you to read it and then he’s on to something else, turning back only as new information come in.

A case in point: the now-infamous Borders Bookstores Bumble, which LFG called “Borders and Waldenbooks Cave In to Islamist Intimidation.” The post told the story of a new chapter in the all-too-familiar corporate implosion when faced with thuggish threats. In this case, the current month’s issue of the magazine Free Inquiry has been banned from Borders and its subsidiary, Walden Books. Why? Because Free Inquiry had the temerity to splash the cartoons on its inside pages. You know — them, the images which can’t be shown, or else spontaneous combustion appears in Pakistan. Or maybe in a Borders Bookstore. Waaay too scary to have the Muslim cartoons out in plain view like that, right? So, Banned at Borders they were.

That was followed by another post, a revealing email from one of his readers, a Borders employee:

I work for Borders Books and after reading the article you posted on Wed. 3/29 about our company not carrying the magazine due to it showing the dreaded cartoons of blasphemy, I thought I should write with another tidbit of information I learned about my company the other week.

I was shifting rows of books in our religion section and it happened to be that all of our Koran books (a section on its own) ended up on the bottom shelf. The next day I was informed by my General Manager that it is Borders policy as a whole (not my particular store) that due to complaints in the past from Muslim customers, we are not allowed to put our copies of the Koran on any shelf other than the top.

LGF’s third post on this was a link to an open letter to Borders from the writer and editor, Robert Bidinotto. His site is worth a visit. Not only will you find his excellent letter to Borders, but you’ll be supplied with the corporate address for your own screed and some verrry interesting links to behind-the-scenes-with-the-suits-shenanigans. For example, from the Borders corporate website, did you know:

Borders Inc., a subsidiary of global book, music and movie retailer Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE:BGP), announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Al Maya Group, a diversified corporation headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, to establish a franchise arrangement under which Al Maya will operate Borders stores in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The first of what is expected to be multiple Borders stores in the United Arab Emirates will be located in Dubai at Deira City Centre, the premier shopping center in the GCC. The Borders stores will offer a vast array of book titles in English and Arabic. Borders will provide training and marketing support to Al Maya. The store will be operated by Al Maya consistent with the Borders brand experience. Terms and conditions of the anticipated agreement will not be disclosed.

It was a gentleman’s agreement, you see.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are many disgruntled Americans who are about to pull out of Borders — lock, stock, and barrel, so to speak. Here’s just one fellow, Pastorius, explaining how much money he’s dropped at his local Borders outlet…but won’t be going there anymore:

I would estimate that I have purchased over 2000 books, CD’s, and magazines, and at least 10,000 cups of coffee at Borders over the years.

I will never make another purchase there again, unless they come to me in their humiliation and apologize for what they have done. Then, they can pay me the Infidel jizya, and then and only then, if they are lucky, I will deign to steal books from them.

F*** Borders. Say it with me now, F*** BORDERS

I wonder if Borders can hear the rising chorus. I wonder if they care.

Somehow, I don’t think this is going away. The cartoons haven’t gone away, so Borders is now aligned with a totalitarian enemy. Good luck to them in the UAE, they will truly need it.

The only block bookstore near us is Barnes and Noble. Maybe they’re listening? Meanwhile, I’ll keep on trucking with Amazon, even if they do give so much room to trolls on the book pages of conservative writers. That seems mild in comparison to Borders’ blatant butt-kissing.