More responses from Amazon to protests about the ban on Hoffman's book

 By Michael Hoffman

 August 13, 2008

 Amazon is getting ever more tied up in the tangled web of deceit that it  created when it banned the sale of "Judaism Discovered."

 I can't say how many letters of protest Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, has  received concerning the ban on "Judaism Discovered" but they are of  sufficient number to elicit responses from the corporate hierarchy.

 That's an improvement over Amazon's previous response, a form letter  which mendaciously told customers who had bought the book that Amazon  was unable to obtain copies of it.

 A reader of this Hoffman Wire column wrote to Mr. Bezos and initially  received the following reply:

 From: Amazon.com Executive Customer Relations [mailto:ecr@amazon.com]  Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 4:49 AM To: xxx@xxx.net 

Subject: Your Letter to Jeff Bezos, Re: Judaism Discovered

 Dear Mr. xxxx

 My name is Autumn Walker of Amazon.com's Executive Customer Relations.  Jeff Bezos received your e-mail and asked that I respond on his behalf.

 Thank you for contacting us about "Judaism Discovered" by Michael  Hoffman. Regretfully, we cannot offer any information about the

> availability of this title on Amazon.com.

 I have, however, forwarded your message and contact information to the  appropriate department. If there is any update or additional information  available about this title, you will be contacted via e- mail. Thanks  for writing to us, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you  again in the future.

 Regards,

 Autumn Walker Executive Customer Relations Amazon.com

 http://www.amazon.com

 Another e-mail was sent later in the day, as follows, this time from a  member of Amazon's corporate hierarchy:

 Dear Mr. xxxx

 Amazon.com does not censor its book catalog, and we do list the book you  have inquired about: see http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0970378459.

 Amazon has a distinguished tradition of protecting and defending the  principle of free expression by, among other things, continuing to offer  controversial works for sale (see, e.g.,  us/dp/1599869446/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217780556&sr=8-3),  refusing to censor our online catalog in response to public pressure and  even lawsuits (see http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6158256-7.html),  and standing up to unlawful governmental requests for customers'  purchase history (see, e.g.,

 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9824635-38.html).

 While Amazon staunchly defends the principle of free expression, we also  respect intellectual property rights of others. When we receive  information suggesting that the distribution of a particular product  might violate another's rights, we take it seriously.

 In this case, we have temporarily suspended sales of "Judaism  Discovered," but that decision has nothing to do with its content.  Rather, it stems entirely from an ongoing dispute regarding intellectual

> property rights between the author and another individual. Once that  dispute is resolved, we look forward to distributing the book.

 Thank you very much for sharing your concerns with us.

 ...Associate General Counsel, Amazon.com, Inc.

 HOFFMAN REPLIES:

 In the first paragraph Amazon displays its pride in the fact that it has  not completely sent "Judaism Discovered" down the Orwellian memory hole.  They are so magnanimous toward a book that threatens the high hoax at  the heart of the West's most powerful religion, that they have actually  deigned to continue to list my book in their "catalog" even after they  banned its sale (they were selling it and there is a record of those  sales - orders for the book sent from Amazon to our publisher). It's  rather difficult to pretend a book doesn't exist when you've been  selling it.

 But the listing of "Judaism Discovered" at Amazon's website has nothing  to do with any supposed defense of free expression. It is Amazon's  ambition to compete with Bowker as the western world's universal book  listing agency and for them to forbid even the mention of the existence  of "Judaism Discovered" would seriously challenge their claims to  bibliographic accuracy in the field which their rival Bowker pioneered,  as part of the ISBN process. It is disingenuous of Amazon to suggest  that the fact that they continue to list this writer's book has anything  to do with resisting censorship. In fact, it makes their embargo all the  more risible: We ban the sale of Hoffman's book, but give us credit for  being willing to mention its existence.

 Amazon's corporate counsel writes further: "...we have temporarily  suspended sales of 'Judaism Discovered,' but that decision has nothing  to do with its content. Rather, it stems entirely from an ongoing  dispute regarding intellectual property rights between the author and  another individual. Once that dispute is resolved, we look forward to  distributing the book."

 HOFFMAN REPLIES:

I have received no communication from any person objecting to "Judaism  Discovered" on the grounds of "intellectual property rights."

 Amazon has informed me that the "individual" objecting to my book is a  rabbi. I wonder why they didn't divulge that fact to the letter writer  who protested the ban to Mr. Bezos? Why are they concealing the rabbinic  identity of the objector who has been give veto power over a book about  the rabbinic religion, referring to him only as an" individual"?

 It is not truthful to claim that I am in an "ongoing dispute" with this  rabbi. The rabbi has not contacted me regarding any such "dispute."   This writer is in an ongoing dispute with Amazon.com and Amazon.com has  told me that they will never allow "Judaism Discovered" to be sold until  the rabbi in question approves it. I guess that is why they feel  justified in terming the ban on my book "temporary."

 What part of hell do you think will have to hit sub-zero temperatures  before this rabbi will approve of my book?

 If Amazon ever lifts its embargo it will either be due to 1. Jeff Bezos'  conscience troubling him to such an extent that he sees that the ban is  a serious abridgment of Amazon's own ethics (your letters to him will  surely help toward that end) or 2. the gedolim grow alarmed over the  fact that Amazon's ban tends to indicate that "Judaism Discovered"  contains so many explosive and unanswerable truths about the rabbinic  religion that unprecedented means had to be employed in order to to  suppress it -- and as a result it is becoming more sought after than it  would have been had they allowed Amazon to sell it; which if the current  level of sales is any indicator, would seem to be true!

 BUST THE BOYCOTT!

 Jeffrey P. Bezos, C.E.O.

 Amazon.com Inc.

 1200 12th Avenue South, Suite 1200

>Seattle, WA 98144-2734

 "Judaism Discovered" can be purchased online with VISA or Mastercard, or  by US Mail by check or money order:

 Order online with your VISA or Mastercard at our secure, convenient  store

 http://www.revisionisthistory.org/cgi-bin/store/agora.cgi?p_id=10060

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 http://www.revisionisthistory.org/page1/page10/page10.html

 FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

 Hoffman's essay, "Judaism Discovered: A Desideratum" on why he wrote the  book and what he is seeking to accomplish with it, is online here:

 http://www.revisionisthistory.org/page1/page5/page5.html

 Keep abreast of the latest developments, visit our BUST THE BOYCOTT!

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