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| Internet Retailer Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq |
| 2007-01-23 |
| Fox News. An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground. What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq." Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers. In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent: Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first. On the same day, Hess received this reply: SGT Hess, Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. We hope that's true. If Khetani had any sense, he would have donated a whole mess of free floor mats to the troops in atonement. The positive PR would be worth the cost. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down. Guess he closed the site to "spend more time with his family." Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq. The free market works, kids! One point to note: while Mr. Khetani's ethnic origin might explain his lack of solicitude to potential customers of the military persuasion, there are quite a few non-Pakistani,* non-Moslem Americans who would do the same. Sad, but true. *On the other hand, there's that Pakistani kid who was in my law school class. Observant Moslem, member of the Federalist Society, and Ronald Reagan's biggest fan. Couldn't wait to be naturalized so he could register to vote. You'd love him. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #13 The video of his daddy, well he didn't look to pleased. Wonder if anyone will ask him about his son's threats. Deportation or tar and feathering. Second thought, nah do both. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-01-23 17:28 |
| #12 The kid is 23, AlmostAnonymous5839. Likely he either fired himself or poor cousin Achmed... or his former best friend and partner. But I'm sure Daddy is even less happy with the situation than poor Faisal is. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-01-23 17:23 |
| #11 This Mooslum is a real piece of work. I finally tracked down the threat he made. Faisal Khetani is one busy boy. His family, or him sell electric scooters. On that site they state outright they won't ship to APOs. Resa LaRu “Warchick” Kirkland, one of our correspondents here on Publius’ Forum, has been trying to clear up a wretched email that was sent to one of our boys in Iraq refusing him service and telling him he should “pull out of Iraq”. In that same letter, Khetani also threatened Kirkland with unleashing the wrath of “major muslim organizations” on her for her “insults”. He closed by telling Kirkland, “you can be sure that there are million of muslim activists as well that will do something about your foul statements…. your statements against Muslims and your direct insults will not go unheard, I assure you.” There you have it. It's all her fault and now he's threatening an American with Islamic retaliation. How pathetically typical. Here are his other two business: Contact Us - Quality Discount Scooters Bargain Suppliers 3259 S. 106th Street West Allis, WI 53227. You can count on Quality-Discount-Scooters to be here before and after the sale http://www.quality-discount-scooters.com/contact.html contact@quality-discount-scooters.com 1-800-351-3494 http://www.basketball-drills-and-plays.com/elite-player-system.html Basketball-Drills-and-Plays 3259 S.106th Street, West Allis, WI 53227, USA |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-01-23 17:21 |
| #10 Google Earthed the address in the e-mail. Guy's working out of a house. Who did he fire? His wife? |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2007-01-23 17:05 |
| #9 From Icerigger's link: The Web site's owner, 23-year-old Faisal Khetani, fired the employee who wrote the e-mail. Khetani told TODAY'S TMJ4 the e-mail does not express the views of his company. The Khetani family immigrated from Pakistan in 1992. They became U.S. citizens. [F.K.'s father] Ramzan Khetani insisted his family supports the troops in Iraq and feels patriotic about the United States. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-01-23 17:05 |
| #8 Othman Atta, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said he would fault the worker for his lack of tact but defended his right to speak his mind. So Mr. Atta thinks it good business practice to deliberately drive away potential customers... not to mention all their friends and relations? There is a reason why successful businesspeople choose to enjoy their personal opinions after hours, and why bankrupt, former businesspeople learn the hard way why they shouldn't have let their employees mouth off to customers. Even if it is poor cousin Ahcmed, who is too sensitive to get a job at the McDonalds down the street. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-01-23 17:00 |
| #7 Anyone with the last name "Atta" needs to thank his lucky stars he is living in the only country on Earth that would have left him unmolested after 9/11. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-01-23 16:44 |
| #6 I agree he has the right to speak his mind, even to a soldier fighting for his freedom. We, on the other hand, also have the right to send him an email "Speaking" our mind and telling him what we think of his sad little prank. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-01-23 15:41 |
| #5 Othman Atta, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said he would fault the worker for his lack of tact but defended his right to speak his mind. "If you look at the polls, his opinion is reflected by a majority of Americans now," Atta said. "In the United States, everyone one is free to speak their opinion." Atta appeared concerned that the controversy might fuel anti-Muslim and anti-Middle Eastern sentiment."Some people will look for any excuse to target people from the Middle East," he said. I think that's right out of the CAIR Handbook: "Islamic Fuckups, Responding to"... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-01-23 15:31 |
| #4 video here |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-01-23 13:33 |
| #3 The owner threatend one reporter, something about a CAIR like attack. This Muslim company's head man should be deported. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-01-23 13:00 |
| #2 Related story here. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-01-23 11:59 |
| #1 If you refuse to sale to someone because they were black you'd be a racist. If you refused to sale to someone because they were Jewish you'd be an anti-semitic. If you refused to sale to someone because they were soldiers you'd be .... Wouldn't the first two acts get your business license pulled? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-01-23 11:23 |