This message was sent by one of our most dedicated members to Amazon.com

in responce to the Action Alert on Dr. Laura an Amazon Affiliate.

Thanks Bonnie

----- Original Message -----

From: Bonnie Rodriguez

Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 11:33 AM

Dear Sir/Madam;

I would like to take just a moment of your time to congratulate you in the wonderful job you have been doing. Not only do you bring books at our fingertips but also bring good prices! You have a marvelous selection of Pagan books. For that I thank you. Most of all I commend your shipping department. The books have always arrived in time and in good shape. That is more than I can say for your competition. I'm particularly grateful for the opportunity to purchase used books in good condition at reasonable prices.

However, it's with much regret and sadness I write today. You see, I'm a Pagan and in all good conscience I can't promote or sponsor a company who promotes or supports hate and discrimination in any form.

Nonetheless, I'm puzzled by your actions. I've read your affiliate contract because I've considered affiliating our business (www.bkmarinecenter.com) with yours.

In your contract you state:

Enrollment in the Program
To begin the enrollment process, you will submit a complete Program application via our site. We will evaluate your application in good faith and will notify you of your acceptance or rejection. We may reject your application if we determine (in our sole discretion) that your site is unsuitable for the Program.

Unsuitable sites include those that:
·       promote sexually explicit materials
·       promote violence
·       promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age
·       promote illegal activities
·       include "amazon" or variations or misspellings thereof in their domain names
·       otherwise violate intellectual property rights
If we reject your application, you are welcome to reapply to the Program at any time. You should also note that if we accept your application and your site is thereafter determined (in our sole discretion) to be unsuitable for the Program, we may terminate this Agreement.

As I said, I'm deeply puzzled. Why would you permit Dr. Laura to become an affiliate? This woman's Web site is promoting the Helms amendment for the Boy Scouts. That amendment's goal is to discriminate against schools that oppose discrimination and to promote discrimination against gays in the Boy Scouts. As you well know, even the Supreme Court has ruled that what the Boy Scouts are doing is discrimination. But, it's legally permissible because they're not a public accommodation. This woman has demonstrated time and time again that she considers this segment of the population a "biological error". We can play with words. However, the hate is still there. The pain is still there. The lives that are at risk are still being lost and people continue to live in fear because of people like her.

So as you can see, it is with great regret that I inform you today that I will no longer be one of your customers. I know this will most likely not mean much to Amazon. You are a huge company with millions of clients and the loss of one single client will not be noticed. However, I hope you hear my feelings of absolute sadness and pain at your actions. While I know you are in business to make money...as we all are. There comes a time to say NO and today I say no to Amazon. There will be no more "witch hunts" if I can help it. I hope that someday you find it in your heart to also say no to this type of behavior.

Bright Blessings,

Bonnie Rodriguez

A rich person is not the one who has the most.

It's a person who needs the least.

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