Nolan Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I just got this off the Outdoor Wire today and it really ticks me off because I just bought a bunch of stuff from Amazon for Christmas presents! Great now the Million Moron March will get a donation from me that I absolutely did not/do not/will not/should not wish to give. From the Outdoor Wire The Outdoor Wire A tip of the news hat to our colleague Laurie Lee Dovey for pointing out another good idea gone bad. This time, Amazon.com's the culprit. Founder and Chairman Jeff Bezos imay soon be feeling the heat from firearms enthusiasts for Amazon.com's decision to allow five percent of any purchase from Amazon.com to be contributed to support the Million Mom March. On the surface, the MMM isn't exactly a group that seems to be dedicated to anything beyond making it safer for our children.' They're more than that. They are an extremely militant anti-firearms organization, proudly, as they proclaim "united with The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence." Clicking on their website's "Facts & Information" are takes you directly to the Brady Center site. On their website, for example, they have a feature called the "Time Out Chair" This seat of dis-honor is reserved, according to their website for "people, organizations and corporations who put sensible gun practices on the back burner in favor of the out of touch gun lobby." Currently, John Ashcroft sits in time-out. He's been joined there by Lowe's Hardware, Michigan Governor John Engler, John Lott, LEAA, Senator Zell Miller and Representative Bob Barr, both of Georgia, and of course, Wayne LaPierre. Contrast this with the "Apple Pie Awards" - bestowed on "those who recognize the problem of gun violence in America and do something about it. These outstanding individuals are champions for bringing common sense arguments to counter the out of step gun lobby." Well, how about that? Recipients of the pie include Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) for his opposition to the "gun industry immunity bill" (their description, not mine). 140 Members of the House of Representatives also got their share of the pies for voting against H.R. 1036. Other recipients of the "Apple Pie" included some regulars on the anti-circuit such as "Somebody that we don't need to talk about on the SHOOTING forum", ("Bowling For Columbine") and Senator Barbara Boxer of California. Other winners include Yoko Ono, Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, and a couple of corporate names: H&R Block for "reversing a bad decision" and ceasing their support for the NRA. (They're cited for basically knuckling under to "widespread protests spearheaded by the Alliance for Justice's Gun Industry Watch, and supported by the Million Mom March united with the Brady Campaign and the Mid-Atlantic Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence," realizing their mistake and no longer "supporting an extremist organization like the leadership of the NRA." An interesting juxtaposition of the phrases "widespread protests" and "extremist organizations" to say the least. Zany-Brainy received a "steaming hot apple pie award" for their "not stocking violent toys of any kind." Further, the MMM "love the idea of high-quality, gender-neutral, safe and nonviolent toys." Apparently, not every mother shared the "Million Mom" position. FAO Schwartz, the owner of Zany-Brainy closed their 55 locations in 2003 due to stagnant sales and staggering debt. Today, there is a grass-roots movement afoot to send Mr. Bezos an ultimatum from the "pro-firearms" shoppers at Amazon.com: Allow shoppers the option of donating five percent of their purchase price to the National Rifle Association. We'll keep you posted. --- Jim Shepherd Here's my email to Amazon.com Dear Sirs, As a former satisfied customer I am very disappointed in your recent decision to donate 5% of any purchase to the Million Mom March. In light of your support of this anti-civil rights organization I will no longer do business with Amazon.com. I will inform and urge all my friends and hundreds of fellow shooting competitors to also stop doing business with Amazon.com until you withdraw your support of this organization. If you wish to continue your support of the Million Mom March at least give customers a choice to withhold their donation or let them donate their 5% to the NRA. If given such a choice I will continue to do business with Amazon.com otherwise I will take my business to a company that does not seek to undermine my civil rights. Sincerely, Nolan Smyth www.hosercam.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFoley Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Way to go Nolan, on the letter that is. I am talking to my wife en la manana about the amazon boycott in our home, and everyone else I run into tomorrow will also hear about this. Mrs. Fomeister is the NRA member in this household, and I will encourage her to email the "anti-second amendment amazon.com aholes", or aaaa for short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 good job, I"m on there next.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Amazon has a link referral program with (according to their figures) over 900,000 customers signed up to receive comissions. I notice the rates start at 5%, so changes are the MMM deal is not a special endorsement, but just one of many referrers. We need additional information - does Amazon permit the good guys to be in the program as well, or just admit the forces of darkness and evil? Until we know that, we don't know if Amazon deserves a boycott. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFoley Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Good point Rob, but the boycott is on until I have time to investigate it. I still use some products that support evil, but when the alternative is available, I choose to support neutral to right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 no business can afford to donate a flat 5% of every purchase to anyone, good or bad (especially 900000 times 5%....). So the Outdoor announcement sounds like a hoax to me... Let's find out more. --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPoLo Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 no business can afford to donate a flat 5% of every purchase to anyone, good or bad (especially 900000 times 5%....). So the Outdoor announcement sounds like a hoax to me... Let's find out more.--Detlef Here's the statement on the MMM website. So, it appears to be true. However, unless I am mistaken, the 5% donation is applied only if you start your Amazon.com shopping experience through the MMM website link. So it doesn't look like 5% of all purchases go to MMM. -Chet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Amazon has extensive information about the referral program on its website, and it does not give any indication that there is a "political view" filter applied to participants. They also claim they have 900,000 affiliates in the program. I suspect that the participation of the MMM in the program has created a greater impression of "endorsement" than is actually the case. Also, the MMM is not one of the referral associates listed under the "examples" on the Amazon page. Once the USPSA office is open after the holidays, I will be discussing the possibility of USPSA participation in the Amazon referral program. The referral percentage is 5% for some things; can go up for high volume; does not apply to wireless products; is limited to $25 for laptops; and have a few other constraints. The royalty applies only to items bought via a referral from the associate's link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz-0 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 http://www.jpfo.org/bookstore.htm well since the JPFO website does the amazon comission thing as well, I think people need to stop blowing stuff out of proportion. heck, little old you and me, and even BE could do the very same thing, it's not hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdj Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Sounds to me that MMM just signed up as an Amazon referral partner and get the 5% "click through" commission. Since Shugenkai is also in this program and everything I buy from Amazon starts from http://www.shugenkai.org/books.html, my 5% goes to a much better cause I don't think there's any need to avoid Amazon, just be careful where you start from! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Lots of people will pay for sales referrals on the internet. Pop over to Linkshare sometime. The trick is getting people to use your links instead of going direct. I've had a REI linkshare for years on my personal web site, but that doesn't mean REI supports my shooting, windsurfing or (ex)flying squirrel enslavement even though they give me 2% of every sale made through their link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFoley Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Thanks for doing the groundwork guys. I will instruct my clan to go through one of your links, and hopefully through a USPSA link in the future, when they buy something from Amazon. I especially like the political view filter you mentioned Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Good point Rob, but the boycott is on until I have time to investigate it. I still use some products that support evil, but when the alternative is available, I choose to support neutral to right. Rather than boycotting Amazon, how about buying through the USPSA link I will have up next week - the only thing I am waiting on is getting the EIN from USPSA HQ which is a reporting requirement for the royalty payments. I have already obtained the approval of USPSA to proceed with this. Of course, if Amazon turns down USPSA's affiliate application, then it's time to talk boycott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 Way to go Rob! Let everyone know when it is up. I have a few things queued in my Amazon cart which I will hold off on until the USPSA referral is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 Rob, Bruce Gary posted it in this thread a few weeks ago for corporate giving season.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 I think you're reading it all wrong. MMM gets a 5% cut for anyone who visits Amazon.com and purchases something if they get to Amazon.com via the MMM site. It isn't a donation to MMM. It's nothing more than a referral program, sop among web sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 Thanks to Nik, I was able to confirm the EIN for USPSA directly and have just submitted the Amazon affiliate application. Amazon says it takes up to 3 business days to approve the application. I will have the link and info on the members area of USPSA.ORG the same day Amazon sends the approval. USPSA will have to decide if we also want it on the general (non-members) page. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted December 24, 2004 Share Posted December 24, 2004 (edited) The record has been set straight on Amazon and MMM so it's time to close the thread. Rob, feel free to start a new topic if and when USPSA becomes an Amazon referrer. Opened for Nolan to add his follow-up he was writing when I closed the topic. Edited December 24, 2004 by Erik Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted December 24, 2004 Author Share Posted December 24, 2004 Well, my face is red! Fortunately it seems that some good will come of my embarrassment. I usually don't fall for the internet hysteria/hoaxes, but I fell for this one and didn't do the proper research before I shot my mouth off (DQ for AD over the berm!) I did a quickie search couldn't find any info at Amazon.com (that should have been a BIG tip off) so I went to the Million Mom website site and found the referral link and failed too recognize it for strictly a referral system. Thank you Rob for setting up USPSA for the same referral system. I will be sending my appology to Amazon.com and will start any future Amazon.com shopping from the USPSA link as soon as they are approved. Nolan my avatar looks like my face feels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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