I went to the indpendent bookstore a few months back and went to their politics section but I sort of had to go away in disgust. They had Sean Hannity books and Laura Ingraham books mixed in with the regular stuff - the Chomsky and Michael Moore books that are what people are actually buying. I didn't want to hang around there because I didn't want someone to see me in front of that shelf and think that, while I was looking at some book on American imperialism that I was really checking out some Michael Savage thing. I bet the clerks get really mad at you if you try to buy some stuff like that, and I don't blame them.

Fortunately, though, they seem to have improved their policy. I went back and noticed they had divided their politics into 'Politics' and 'Politics, Conservative.' I doubt that that labeling scheme is sufficient to the problem - do you really want to dignify some piece of work by David Horowitz as 'conservative?' - but it does mean any sicko interested in that stuff will have to make himself visible by standing in front of the aisle. And it's in clear sight, where anyone can see that you're there and what you're looking at. And - and this is important - their security camera points right at that shelf. I guess that's in case they have to show the police a picture of someone who comes in looking for The Turner Diaries or The Way Things Ought To Be.

But the basic problem is that they carry books like that at all. Get a clue, people. "Independent" doesn't mean "we sell Karl Rove press releases."

Labels: Sellouts