because I was entering comments to 5- and 4-star reviews of
The Obama Nation that gave readers the URL to the Obama rebuttal. I was also consistently, and I think rightly, rating reviews that described the book as "well-sourced", "well-researched", "well-documented", or revealing "the truth" as not "Helpful" (using the button provided at the bottom of the reviews). I imagine that they don't want to get stuck with the warehouse full of the book that they must have purchased expecting sales to equal those for Corsi's Kerry smear-fest.
They are a business, and as such have the right to ban any customer from posting to their site, just as a bricks and mortar store can demand you leave if you come in carrying a sign protesting a book featured there. However, they are giving the false impression that they show a true tally of customer ratings and that they will post all comments that aren't abusive. They are continuing to allow review comments that are rants going on and on about Obama's "Marxism". I'm pleasantly surprised to see that they left up all my previous comments.
It would be great if some of you took up the effort. It takes them a while to decide you are making waves. You could compose your own comments or save time by adapting my boilerplate versions below:
1)The book's footnotes are almost entirely to extremist blogs, and the quotes they refer to have no substantiating sources; many are to the author's own blog posts! Corsi had to admit this in front of a national audience on Larry King Live. See Corsi's history of making money off of inflammatory nonsense--Google his promotion of the idea that the Bush administration has been secretly planning on creating a single nation combining the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This man can't be believed for a second. Please, readers, give a second thought to horrible accusations about candidates when mounds of news contradict it, and the accuser has a history of crazy-talk.
For those willing to read a verifiable refutation of this book with citations from fact-checked news sources, official documents and on-the-record quotes from individuals involved, go to <http://obama.3cdn.net/a74586f9067028c40a_5km6vrqwa.pdf >.I generally preface the above with a sentence that ties it into the specific review I'm commenting on, sometimes quoting the reviewer's own words.
2)(For those who insist Obama is hiding his true Muslim allegiance, I preface the above with:
He was raised agnostic in
Indonesia and Hawaii and embraced Christianity when he grew up. As the 40 page rebuttal of this book states, he had only the most rudimentary instruction in the Koran in Indonesian public schools and never attended any Muslim mosque. Sorry if the reality the media reports doesn't sit well with you so you have to go looking for nonsense and call it secret truth.)
You can find the most recent reviews by clicking "newest first" on the right just under their featured "most helpful" reviews after you bring up the review pages. One comment I was blocked from making was to the recent review by J.R. Mason who wrote:
"(5stars) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful (I was blocked from changing this number):
Obama: Media Creation, August 15, 2008
By J. R. Mason (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
Obama is the creature of the mainstream media: of the MSM, by the MSM, for the MSM.
Fortunately there are still books (and websites) that are not controlled by those who would censor books and book reviews (you know who you are).
It is a documented fact that the highlight of Obama's Illinois Senate career was his three votes against allowing children who survived abortions to live. That is, he voted in favor of infanticide, three times.
I just cannot understand why this, and other facts of Obama's life that have been swept under the rug are so threatening to the powers that be and their courtiers in the media. Corsi documents Obama's associations with elements of the radical left. The Man From Nowhere wants to take on the Evil Corporations and the Evil Republicans? Don't believe it for a minute. Obama is a Sock Puppet of the New World Order."
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The comment I wanted to make in response was:
These "facts" haven't "been swept under the rug". They are total fabrications by Corsi whose footnotes are almost entirely to extremist blogs, and the quotes they refer to have no substantiating sources; many are to the author's own blog posts! Corsi had to admit this in front of a national audience on Larry King Live. See Corsi's history of making money off of inflammatory nonsense--Google his promotion of the idea that the Bush administration has been secretly planning on creating a single nation combining the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This man can't be believed for a second. Please, readers, give a second thought to horrible accusations about candidates when mounds of news contradict it, and the accuser has a history of crazy-talk.
For those willing to read a verifiable refutation of this book with citations from fact-checked news sources, official documents and on-the-record quotes from individuals involved, go to <http://obama.3cdn.net/a74586f9067028c40a_5km6vrqwa.pdf >.
Course no one can help people who so strongly WANT to believe Corsi's filth that they simply refuse to examine any real evidence to the contrary.You, dear DU member, may have a better rebuttal. The important thing, IMO, is to include the URL to Obama's rebuttal and to keep it fairly brief; people don't read long comments.
Another recent reviewer, Janet L. Gomez, says in her brief review, "I know Mr. Obama is having hissy-fits about the book but if he would just clarify what he's all about, these books might not sell so well."
It's just killing me that this is left standing for customers to read w/o a comment giving the URL to Obama's very real rebuttal.
Thanks in advance.