Borders writes to Charles!

The way you phrased this thread, Charles, it's a complete mystery -- no clue to what it's about except by clicking on the click.

Maybe too modest?

Nope, there is no place outside of Afghanistan and Iraq where violent Muslims are getting their asses kicked by government or the press.

Except the blogger press, that is.

Last night Farenheit 451 was on TV. A coincidence?

Hmmm...

Charles, I've got a book store to run and having you sic a bunch of bloggers on me and tell them to ride my ass because we're not shelving a pip-squeak magazine from those tools at the "Council for Secular Humanism" (Jesus wept!) is just not getting it done.

He's in a fightin' mood! Pretty impish for a dhimmi.

Looks like it's working!

Is this a joke? Is it April 1st already in Michigan?

No way that's genuine. Inconceivable that a CEO could write a public letter like that. If so, he's got a lot of 'splainin' to do to his shareholders, not to mention his employees. If it is genuine, I feel even better about my decision to boycott Borders. If not, Mr. Josefowicz needs his named cleared.

And yes I caught that business about the fact that we're trying to open stores in Arab and Muslim countries, but as you may have noticed every country these days contains an Arab and Muslim country

Wha...?

Please. Of course it's a joke.

To sum it up, we aren't going to carry that magazine because we are afraid. A perfectly reasonable and honest explanation. Now if only the MSM were has honest.

Boy this guy is a bigger asshat than I thought Charles...he has pre-emptively censored himself and his stores in the face of "cartoons"...

Is this letter real or is Mr. J. is bigger dummy than we thought?

I don't know what to make of that letter, Charles. Is this the real deal?

"..every country these days contains an Arab and Muslim country."

For the owner of a bookstore, how erudite. Now I'll finish reading.

Suddenly, I'm feeling like my leg has been pulled.

Charles, if this is a real letter, you gotta explicate it for us mystified ones!

And if it's Iowahawk on the rampage again, your better make an update saying that because the real CEO of Borders may get POed that someone's mocking him by pretending to be him.

Of course, tomorrow is April 1st.

Don't feel bad, zom. One of our PJ Media editors also fell for Gerard's hoax.

there has been no significant moment when these whack job Muslims are getting their asses roundly and dependably kicked for rioting

If only we could get the major media to use phrases like "whack job Muslims." ;)

Iowahawk?

Bidinotto's not buying anymore. Door. Ass. Bang.

ROTFLMFAO.

Best.Line.Ever.

JG

Zombie, Charles, I was thinking Iowahawk, too.

Charles, can we please have an open thread?

Charles, editing note: according to the letter, his name is Gregory.

Is that a hoax letter, or is it really from the CEO of Borders ? It seems quite strange that a CEO of a major business like that would write a letter like that. If it is real, then cool.

Not only was it funny, it made some pretty good points.

My question today is WHY are Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and the other Talkshow Hosts/Authors ignoring this subject?! Beck's screener hung up twice this morning as I was broaching the topic -- twice.
I'll have to wait to see if Savage will take them on...

A beautiful piece. I enjoyed every word of it :-)

Tee-hee, I thought it was pretty funny.

Anyway, I cut up my Border's reward card yesterday. Yet another store I won't be spending my money at.

Reaal or not, he has a point. Look at the immigration protests. Taliban at Yale. Harry Reid talking. I could go on...

Hey, if it's April 1st already, I'm cool with that, 'cause it means only 48 hrs. till Opening Day!

I know of no CEO who would talk like this in an official communication.

Maybe it was one of the 34,000 employees. Borders hires all kinds...it's the law.

This can't be for real.

Was this verified as having come from the CEO? Jeeze he's cranky. (Yelling at Charles doesn't grow a pair on Teddy Kennedy ya know!)
Besides, it's still dhimmitude. The fact that your're chicken doesn't make it a reason-just an excuse.

Sigh.
Posted by Gerard Van der Leun

#17 Charles
Don't feel bad, zom. One of our PJ Media editors also fell for Gerard's hoax.

So, it is a leg-pull.

I think Gerard and/or you better make that very clear very fast, or the Borders lawyers may take exception to this whole thing. It's too realistic. And no indication of parody.

Without a disclaimer on the original site, it could be argued that it's crossing the line from satire to impersonation.

Call the PJ Media legal team!

Number One.

Does this Borders CEO think he's NOT going to get flak from the "muslim moronic hordes" or whatever he called them for calling them "muslim moronic hordes" (or whatever he called them)?

Number Two.

Thank you, Mr. CEO (hope you're reading this). You proved the point. AND publicized it. Now let's publicize it some more.

Number Three.

Out of curiosity... Do muslims buy books?

They sure as hell don't buy their korans at Borders. You guys carry "Explosives for Dummies" or what?

...against the Muslim hordes which, as far as I can see, get a free pass to do whatever they want whenever they show up in groups of like two?

Sounds about right.

#30 rayra
I read that earlier. Good!

Here in Nebraska my daughter's HS held a counter-demonstration when they found out one of the spanish teachers went to the march in Omaha.

OMG. I wish a CEO would talk like that!

Door. Ass. Bang.

I'm gonna have to steal that one.

#9 zombie

but as you may have noticed every country these days contains an Arab and Muslim country

No "whaaa?"

Everywhere the muslims migrate into, they set up their own little no-go territories.

That's what I took it to mean.

I hope this doesn't embolden the bad guys to
start trouble for Victorias Secret.

Lucky for us, the sales people there are made of sterner stuff than at Borders. :-)

#14 rw in San Diego

but as you may have noticed every country these days contains an Arab and Muslim country

It makes sense to me. Where muslims settle, they take over.

GOod on you Charles (CEO Little Green Foosballs, Rock 'N' Roller in the Free World, Stealth Cyclist)
and good on Gregory P Josefowicz for having some wit and humor about him.
As I said on last nights thread about this issue, when the US government is sorta wishy-washy on the cartoon issue ("Free speech but with respect..."),
When the Ancient Media (WaPo and NYT) don't speak up, I think Gregory's stance is understandable.
BTW - where is the 82 Airborne these days?

;>)

#17 Charles

It's a hoax?

I'm disappointed.

But... It will still have consequences. It might even have ka-boom consequences.

Truth has a way of being real even when... well, when it's not.

You want this shit to stop and people able to draw and publish what they want anywhere in the world at any time without being afraid of getting a bread knife in gut from some hyperventilating Islamic idiotarian with a religiously implanted mental disorder? Start getting governments that can grow a pair at home as well as overseas, and start kicking some Muslim ass whenever and wherever this crap gets started. Don't come bitching to me that Borders has to step up and take the hit.

Again, no CEO I know would ever put words like this in an offical communication. Not gonna happen, no way, no how.

Too bad its a spoof, although the underlying message is 100% accurate.

Borders is scared of fire bombings and mad [bigoted word] whipping out a Glock in the Home and Garden books aisle.

I absolutely love it.

And I'd love it even if it were true.

It just hit me 'twixt my third eye. It's from Dan Blather and it's for real!

Ok who wrote this, Iowahawk?

a religiously implanted mental disorder

That's a keeper.

#17 Charles -Shit it was a hoax? Damn that's too bad - I sorta liked the letter (starts sneaking looks around for IowaHawk).

Come on, guys, it's a joke. And a funny one, too! But it doesn't matter. Sometimes destiny sticks you in a difficult spot and it isn't fair that your entire life depends on the decision you make in that moment, but that's the way it is. Remember Jo Moore, the British civil servant who watched the Towers falling on 9/11 and immediately fired off an email saying that it was "a good day to bury bad news"? She probably led a decent life until that moment, but now she lives forever in infamy, because she flunked that one moment when her humanity was put to the test. We're watching a seemingly endless procession of people, organizations and institutions facing a moment of truth and flunking. When is going to be time to do something hard and dangerous? Are we going to beg off forever because there's a chance of getting hurt? We have to face this and stop thinking in stop-gap terms, of just escaping THIS threat and no further.

"Peace be upon his raggedy ass," that's a phrase any security-conscious CEO would use.

Poor Borders! The "whack job Muslims" as the hoaxster calls them have a heck of a lot more to protest about NOW.

Riiight... (nudge-nudge, wink-wink!)

You almost had me believing it was an IowaHawk or a Karridine satire...

..but you can't April Wunth ME!

what do you think we are up here in Ann Arbor? The 82nd Airborne?

Dead give away.

hilarious.

Joke aside, it call comes down to Borders deciding to cower in fear of Muslim violence. They didn't even mince words that that was exactly why they were doing it. They have people to protect.

It's wrong to cave, but would I endanger my employees to make a stand? Maybe, maybe not. But it raises the question of how great the threat really is.

For a KFC in PAkistan, they have a point, but during all the cartoons riots, the hordes were remarkably well behaved here in the country that has shown it will do something in response to Islamofascism, and that has a 2nd amendment. They marched with Berkeley-type signs, but I didn't see any burning embassies.

I think the threat here was minimal and the potential gain from making a stand against the pressure well worth it.

Especially that it often happens that when one stands up, so does another and another, and it the villians retreat.

#38 manpequin
Can somebody get FoxNews or PJMedia (the only hopes) on that Good News story?

rayra
The most compelling flag (front page)story/pic of the week IMO was the flogging suffered by one hispanic girl in Dallas -- for bringing an American flag to the walk-out.

#53 Dr. Mabuse: We're watching a seemingly endless procession of people, organizations and institutions facing a moment of truth and flunking.

Yes, seemingly endless procession captures the genre of our times--capitualtion after capitulation with no end in sight. Terrorism is as effective as it is affective.

Interesting response, but it still does miss the point. We expect nations to stand up for their principles, but nations are made up of citizens and businesses. If the citizens and businesses fail to adhere to the principles that we hold dear, they lose their meaning.

I can certainly understand the CEO of a corporation wanting to protect his assets, but the core value of his company is to sell books and magazines. Even ones that may be offensive to some. Because if you're going to start here, where does it end? No more Christian or Jewish bibles because Muslims will find those offensive? No more chick-lit, because those are offensive?

You have to draw the line somewhere, and frankly Borders drew this line without realizing that this is a line in shifting sands that push back free speech at every turn. And you can see this trend coming because those who have been pushing the agenda are intolerant of the other.

I don't hear McDonalds or Starbucks shutting down business overseas despite the fact that their businesses are repeatedly targeted by anarchists and rioters every time there's a WTO meeting, G8 meeting, or general unrest (see, Paris, France). They're sticking to their guns - and running their businesses.

There are some serious Critical Thinking failures going on today. :)

If it helps you decide, look at the other articles on American Dispacthes to get some context. :)

SPC MD for San Angelo and Junction

"Door. Ass. Bang." has to become a rotating title. I just laughed my ass off typing it.

I've got to say that even though I know it's a spoof, it makes me sympathize a bit with Borders' position.

#53 Dr. Mabuse
Bravo! The power of those words. :^~

Sometimes destiny sticks you in a difficult spot and it isn't fair that your entire life depends on the decision you make in that moment, but that's the way it is. Remember Jo Moore, the British civil servant who watched the Towers falling on 9/11 and immediately fired off an email saying that it was "a good day to bury bad news"? She probably led a decent life until that moment, but now she lives forever in infamy, because she flunked that one moment when her humanity was put to the test. We're watching a seemingly endless procession of people, organizations and institutions facing a moment of truth and flunking. When is going to be time to do something hard and dangerous? Are we going to beg off forever because there's a chance of getting hurt? We have to face this and stop thinking in stop-gap terms, of just escaping THIS threat and no further.

I will not be doing ANY shopping at Borders.

Fake.But.Accurate.

but after due consideration I must respectfully instruct you all to just pound sand.

All I can say is this fits my mood completely today.

Thank you realwest for the pointer. Bless you brother.

And too bad it was a spoof... I think we need more of that.

Now back to the cesspool [where did I leave that dry suit?]

One of the things that strikes me is that muslims, for all their psychotic obsession with "honor" and "humiliation" are becoming the biggest joke butt ever.

Precisely because of the disconnect between their demands for "respect" and generally despicably un-respectable behavior?

And another thing. I said "muslims" there because that's what I've noticed -- especially since the cartoon jihad.

Writers used to say "islamic militants" or "muslim extremists" -- but they don't anymore.

People are saying, and writers are writing, "muslims."

It's the big "invisible" camel in the room: islam itself is becoming a joke. A bad joke. A very distasteful joke. A joke whose punchline is ka-boom. But a joke.

LOL

Thanks, Charles. Great read.

#63 flipflop
Amen on the Rotating banner. It could serve as the header for "# of Trolls dispatched" or the like.

Give away at:

Director, Pajamas Media, CEO Little Green Foosballs, Rock 'N' Roller in the Free World, Stealth Cyclist.

Foosballs! Here's a CEO spending too much time at a college bar.

It shouldn’t be the responsibility of Borders Books to stand up against radical Islam.

They should stand for freedom of speech, though. Also, if they know about real threats they should contact the police, FBI and whatever organisations the state has for protecting Borders against radical Islam.

This is great--if only it was real. The guy definitely has a way with words.

#17 Charles

Is that why you refer to 'Gerard' as opposed to Gregory (Gregory P Josefowicz CEO/Chairman)?

I sent a really polite email and haven't had any response from Borders. I'm sure the $50 a month I might have been spending there will not make much of a dent but then again the whole of my $100 a month budget for books and music etc will be going to their largest competitor. It's easy enough and it's not like the coffee at Borders is any better and B&N is marginally closer...

I think it's a (nicely written) piece of reverse psychology designed to smoke out the real CEO and get him to address the issue.

Don't hold your breath.

I understand Mr. Josefowicz's point. Since he is an avid reader, he is also a good writer. However, I still say he's a chickenshit. Sue me - I'm firm on this.

But Charles - what's this "Little Green Foosballs" that the "Open Letter" mentions?

77 frankp_63

Ahhh. Maybe.

I just did a 30-minute search to see if anyone else mentioned a response from the CEO, since this is mentioned only in one place. I found nothing (a lot of EDGAR and SEC stuff, but no actual opinions on anything except that reading is a good thing).

Dear Mr. Johnson (or can I call you "Charles"?),

Any grammar teachers here today?

We stopped shopping at Borders/Walden Books because of this: Borders Union Employees Brag About Hiding ‘Unfit for Command’

Their record is less than sterling.

Charles - I first read the "Heh" at the top of this thread, while you were writing your Update, and gotta know if you knew it was a parody when you first published it as a thread?
I know you fact check everything everywhichaway before you publish, so figure you knew it was a parody and not written by the CEO of Borders.
However, you did wait until the dreaded #17 spot before revealing all, and it would have been nice if you had been, initially, sucker punched, as was I.
This is an extremely funny thread and comments and I'm archiving it right now!
(I especially loved the "CEO Little Green Foosballs, Rock 'N' Roller in the Free World, Stealth Cyclist" LOL!
And I "third" the idea of door.ass.slam. as a rotating title.
Charles, you are indeed waaay cool.

#80 cobra

Dear Mr. Johnson (or can I call you "Charles"?),

Any grammar teachers here today?

That takes me back - my Mom was always saying "Yes, you can. No, you may not."

#83 Stringart

LOL. Same here!

AS I posted on the over thread, I returned my Borders Rewards card via snail-mail today. Nothig we wrote leads me to think I made a mistake.

Borders Customer Care
100 Phoenix Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-2202
888-812-6657

I don't know if that's real or not. Certainly, it sounds like something that would bring down a bigger fatwa than the cartoons ever could. Regardless, this is what I e-mailed to Borders yesterday:

Why I won't shop at my favorite bookstore

I love Borders. I have spent many hours and many, many dollars at Borders and Waldenbooks over the years and was always pleased with the selection and the wonderful service that I received. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that when push comes to shove, Borders will not stand up for free speech, a right which should be valued by booksellers more than perhaps anyone else. I recently was made aware of this article, which says that Borders has caved to threats from fanatic thugs and will not be carrying the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine.

I'm sorry. As much as I love Borders, my money will not go to any organization that appeases people who seek to censor free expression through violence and intimidation.

No response. This is the same store which, some time ago, couldn't get me a copy of Cox & Forkum's Black & White World after I ordered it with them. When I called to ask what happened, they told me that C&F's publisher wasn't returning their calls. Of course, C&F were surprised by this since they are their own publisher.

You know what, they (and every bookstore) sell plenty of stuff that offends me. Why don't we just establish a precedent where we can get all that offends us off of the shelves if we can be sufficiently scary.

Mary Mapes just said that she stands by the authenticity of this letter 100%.

The very definition of "fake but accurate."

83 Stringart

My mom always said "you can, but may you?"

At least we didn't get sat out in the hall for the rest of the day without explanation like poor little Elijah Wood in "Avalon."

There's no way this letter is real. But I kinda wish it were.

I laughed out loud reading this letter . ..thinking it was real!

A quick check online shows the individual who authored this letter ( Charles refers to Gerard @17, so it must be Amer D's author, Gerard Van der Leun . . .not Gregory P Josefowicz CEO/Chairman of Borders) got his facts down . . .from the number of employees:

Borders Group Employees 2004: 32,300

right down to the previous employment:

Josefowicz, the luncheon keynote speaker, will recall his journey from bananas (as former president of the grocery and drug store chain Jewel-Osco) to books and how the centuries-old business of selling books provides interesting insights into our current world

Well, I bought it hook, line and sinker at first. And enjoyed it immensely!

Being the author of this "letter" I'm stunned to see it revealed over and over as a fake while people keep ranting on.

You know, if you're going to participate in commentary, I've always found it wise to actually read the thread before blasting away in the text box.

Not that I haven't done it myself.

If, after this confession, anyone here still insists on believing that the Borders CEO wrote it, well...

Door. Ass. Bang.

It's everyone's job to stand up to it. These are the battle lines, every bit as much as what goes on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Borders cares about the financial success of their company, and safety of their employees? Well, how financially successful will it be if it's controlled by Islamofascists? And how financially successful will America be if everyone caved in? And how safe will it be for non-Muslims (especially ex-Muslims)? And does he really think it's going to stop with this latest demand for the Koran on the top shelf? How about if they demand that the Bible be on the bottom shelf, or else they'll be "offended" because it goes against their religion for other religious texts to be at the same level as the Koran.

Short-term gain, long-term loss.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fought and died for what we have in this country. And people are fighting and dieing for it in Iraq right now. And they aren't risking their lives so that you can be safe and wealthy dhimmis.

Think back to the time of "Rosie the Riviter" and the sacrifices that civilians gave for this country during WWII (e.g., rationing). Everyone was pulling together, to fight for the future of this country. It's our turn to stand up for America and what it stands for, or else we don't deserve it.

Thank you, saywhat. Go to the head of the class. You have just graduated from Satire 101.

As for you "Live4Truth," you will stay after school for two hours of detention study hall where we will explore the topic, "Read4Truth."

Heh.

#80 cobra

I literally teach Advanced Grammar classes at a private language institute, and the "can" is one of numerous slips in that letter.

If I didn't smear my eyeballs with Bad English Protection Factor #30 regularly, there'd be no end to my cranky posts here. I'm only guilty of one so far, on "beg the question." I decided I wouldn't do it anymore . . . although at times I think that if I see one more "I concur" . . .

There is no way that the letter in question came from any CEO of Borders or any other business. Simple fact that it actually says un-PC things about Mo-Man (peace be on his raggedey ass) while at the same time saying how he is trying to protect his business from the ROP by not inciting them makes no since at all.

BTW, anyone see the pic on michellemalkin.com of the mexican reconquista well underway (El Rancho high escuela) in California? Just want I always wanted to see, a Mexican third world flag flying over an upside down American flag. Where is Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?

Thank you school marm. I shall be attending your class regular in the future tense.

And endotoxin also graduates, but with middling grades for skipping comments before opining.

#96 vanderleun
Accepted, you (and Charles) got me. I should know by now that Charles slips these kinds of things in from time to time.

Regardless, good satire. I truly can accept that these are the kinds of things that the CEO might say and think, off-the-record.

But I stand by my words, in response to what I think that they think :)

#101 Vanderleun

Googling you was a hoot!

Party pooper! Nobody will be able to top you tomorrow, unless you just put together another one of your articles.

Excellent job!

BTW, clicking on your name even earlier would have saved me Googling.

#100

Thank you school marm. I shall be attending your class regular in the future tense.

I expected this.

#95 vanderleun

Thank you, saywhat. Go to the head of the class. You have just graduated from Satire 101.

WHOOHOO!
LOL!

Extra credit for linking the appropriate cartoon.

#80
I'm certainly not a grammar teacher (but I was in my state spelling championship--back in the day when 4 syllable words were considered challenging)--but, as I always said to my kids:

"Can I?"

"I don't know-- can you?

You may.

Translation:

CAN I?--do I have the ability to do this?

MAY I?--do I have your permission to do this?

ok--sometimes I could be an old bag.

#80 cobra

I used to teach English. My mom taught English and was a librarian. I'm a writer.

I try to rite goude. :)

I also generally try to ignore other people's grammar in correspondence and on the 'net (unless it's my job to edit their work).

That's got to be a fake letter. No CEO would write what he did in a public forum. Really, if Borders can't sell a magazine with cartoons of you-know-who for the sake of the employees, how the hell is he going to avoid trouble by publicly saying things like "... magazine with those drawings of the Prophet (Peace be upon his raggedy ass.)?"

I say it's just one day early for April Fool's Day. In any case, it is pretty funny.

Don, you ignorant slut! Pay ATTENTION!

I wish he had said "sick a bunch of bloggers", because then Charles could have quoted it as "sick [sic] a bunch of bloggers"

that was frickin' awesome - i am working on getting the hook out of my mouth!

If it serves as any mitigation, I went to Borders today and saw that the Koran did not get the top shelf. No, I didn't buy anything, but since they hadn't given the Muslim book pride of place, I left without putting pulled pork barbecue recipes, the Idiot's Guide to Irish Setters, or anything by Jane Goodale in with the Korans.

Vanderluen, twincitiesgal, Cattt, etc.

If I stopped to worry about spelling and grammatical mistakes, I wouldn't be able to read this (or any other) blog on the net.

There is no such word as "definately!"

WOTTA THREAD

I think the salient point about all this is that unlike all those asshats at CNN et al, at least Borders -- in its official response -- did make it clear they are doing this out of fear, rather than some sort of BS "respect for the feelings of our customers bla bla".

That is certainly one better than most and we ought to give cdredit where credit is due.

Of course, it is the role of government to protect individuals and businesses from coercion and to protect their property. In fact, these are the only roles of government.

And most, if not all, are not even able to do that.