BlackFive

In response to this, Lou V. sent an email to Borders and this was the response he received:

09/16/2004

Dear Lou:

Thank you for contacting us with your concerns about postings at www.bordersunion.org .

First, I'd like to stress that as a company, Borders is absolutely apolitical. We take no stance whatsoever, and for over 30 years we have been committed to our customers' right to choose what to read and what to buy. Our stores are highly regarded for featuring a very deep and diverse selection of titles in hundreds of subject areas--including politics--representing a wide range of thought.

We take great measures to communicate this on an ongoing basis to employees and to emphasize the importance of not expressing political viewpoints while working in our stores. In fact, Vin Altruda, the President of Borders Stores Worldwide, has personally communicated strongly to all employees that it is not appropriate to share their personal political viewpoints in any way while at work- through conversations with other employees or customers, by wearing T-shirts or buttons of a political nature, or by taking any actions to express a political viewpoint.

That said, with more than 32,000 employees worldwide, it is challenging to manage the actions of each individual. And of course we cannot control what employees say or do on their own time outside of working in our stores. This includes posting their thoughts on websites that are not associated with our company. It is important to note that the site you've referred to is not accessible to our employees at work, nor are any of the statements on it a reflection of our company policy.

Of course, we realize that this particular posting is claiming that an employee has taken actions of a political nature while on the job. At the current time we have no evidence that any inventory in our stores has been diverted or destroyed by an employee. I assure you that this type of behavior would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Should we become aware of specific actions and can verify that a specific individual has indeed taken these actions, we will certainly take appropriate disciplinary action.

On the subject of the book "Unfit for Command", it is in Borders stores and continues to be a top-seller. The publisher of this particular book underestimated the popularity of the title and therefore did not print enough copies to meet the initial consumer demand. Although it has been challenging for Borders to secure a continuous supply of this book, we are working with the publisher to meet ongoing demand and are doing our best to assure that our stores have appropriate quantities in stock (please see the attached news article regarding this issue).

I hope this has addressed your concerns. Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts with us.

Best,

Dan
Customer Care Rep

I haven't received one back from my inquiry, yet.

And Tony the Oriental Redneck points out that the Borders Union is blaming a troll for the whole controversy. Um, sure, Mr. Borders Union Guy.