Hi everyone, This is so important to the small independent bookseller,
please take a moment to sign.
1) Please read this, and then
2) copy/ and paste (entire message with these instructions) to a 'new
message' and send the petition back with your signature
TO: [EMAIL PROTECTED],
and
3) CC: to all the people on your mailing list whom you think would be
interested,
4) then if you are the 50th, 100th, 150th signature, please e-mail the
petition to the AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION, e-mail address
[EMAIL PROTECTED] .
PETITION TO BLOCK BARNES & NOBLE ACQUISITION OF INGRAM
This petition will be sent to the Congress, Department of Justice and
the Federal Trade Commission to block Barnes & Noble's proposed acquisition
of the Ingram Book Company, the single largest supplier of books to small
bookstores across the country. This acquisition, should it be allowed to take
place, is just one more example of the large scale corporate consolidation
that
has infiltrated every corner of our culture.
As the desire intensifies to increase bottom line profits, no matter
what the other consequences, so does the concentration of power in the book
industry.
Consumers are left with an environment in which fewer and fewer people
are deciding which books get published and ultimately, which books Americans
can read and buy. Barnes & Noble has already entered into an alliance with
the $14 billion
media giant, German-owned Bertelsmann AG. Now with Barnes and Noble's proposed
acquisition of the billion dollar Ingram Book Company, there can be little
doubt that the book industry is falling prey to the same anti-competitive
ills that currently plague computer software and other industries. This
deal would make independent bookstores virtually dependent upon their largest
competitor for their books. (It is as if Burger King and Wendy's had to buy
their
french fries from McDonald's)
We need your help. As a patron of independent booksellers, please sign
the petition to help us lobby the government to stop this proposed merger.
Please exercise your right as a citizen and tell the government how you feel.
We sincerely thank you for your support.
1. Meg Gouraud, Canon City, CO
2. Pat Wiles, Guffey, CO
3. Chris Rivers, Guffey, CO
4. Shiner Antiorio, Asheville. NC
5. Toba Spitzer, Watertown MA
6. Hannah Ashley, Philadelphia, PA
7. Holly Pruett, Portland OR
8. Sandy Polishuk, Portland OR
9. Kathleen Saadat, Portland, OR
10. Kristan Aspen, Portland, OR
11. Melody DeMeritt, San Luis Obispo, CA 1
12. Bob Banner, SLO, CA
13.Alphaa Phoenix, Morrow Bay, CA
14. Daniel Drasin, Sausalito, CA
15. Louis T. Judson, Mill Valley CA
16. Scott Catamas, Bel Air, CA
17. Chris Toussaint, Valley Village, CA
18. Cristina Berio, Agoura Hills, CA
19. Michel Beluet, Valcourt, Quebec, Canada
20. David Burman, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
