Ex, yeah, I had considered/wondered just how many "employees" this company might have had. I DID run across another article suggesting that the company was bigger than one might have thought.
E-mail to soldier spurs outrage
Military supporters bombard West Allis company with messages; fears for safety arise
By ANNYSA JOHNSON
anjohnson@journalsentinel.comPosted: Jan. 22, 2007
What began as a brief e-mail exchange between a U.S. soldier in Iraq and a Wisconsin-based online retailer has erupted into an international incident that has pitted military supporters against free speech advocates and threatens to shut down the local company.
We would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
- Bargain Suppliers employee
If you look at the polls, his opinion is reflected by a majority of Americans
now.
- Othman Atta,,
Islamic Society of Milwaukee
Bargain Suppliers of West Allis said its discount-mats.com Web site had to be taken down Monday to address the thousands of e-mails it's received since news of the exchange - in which an employee voiced opposition to the war in Iraq - began circulating on the Internet last week.
Vice president Sajid Nasir said the employee is being "held accountable." But he said the incendiary and threatening nature of some of the e-mails - and voicemails left at the West Allis home that co-owner Faisal Khetani shares with his parents - have shaken the family.
"It's really getting out of control," said Nasir, who described the messages as "angry and vulgar."
"Our main concern is for the safety of the family. That's more important than the business," he said.
Repeated attempts to reach the Khetanis were unsuccessful.
The controversy exploded last week when a soldier, identifying himself as Sgt. Jason Hess of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, sent an e-mail to discount-mats.com asking if it ships to military addresses.
Someone on the other end answered no, but went on to add that "even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."
A handful of Hess' friends got wind of the exchange, and soon it was ricocheting around the Internet - first on the Web site snopes.com, then on conservative and military forums and blogs - and has since made its way to talk radio.
Military supporters were outraged, calling it disrespectful and urging one another to flood the company with e-mails and calls.
Several posted Khetani's name, telephone number and address, which is also the business address, though Nasir insists it's for mailing purposes only.
Many of the messages invoked anti-Middle Eastern or anti-Muslim sentiment. (Khetani is Muslim, Nasir said.) Others vowed to shut the company down, and a few suggested they might make a personal visit.
"I think it's disgraceful," said Sgt. Maj. Dennis Webster, executive director of the First Cavalry Association in Copperas Cove, Texas, who learned of the e-mail exchange from a reporter.
"He's certainly entitled to his opinion. That's what soldiers defend," Webster said. "But there's a matter of respect. A young soldier isn't making those decisions. He's following orders."
Eduardo Briones, a Milwaukee native and retired Army sergeant who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., said: "All he needed to say was no."
"I personally think we screwed up in the war, but that's not the fault of the soldiers. That's the fault of the politicians," he said.
Anti-war and free speech advocates were equally offended, by the widespread criticism of the company and the individual who responded to the soldier.
"This is a matter of free speech," said Julie Enslow, an organizer with Peace Action Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "It is totally irresponsible for radio stations and bloggers to attack a person for his personal political views."
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.
A person identifying himself as Hess, who was reached via a military e-mail address, has agreed to an online interview but has yet to respond to a list of questions.
West Allis police said Monday that they were aware of the controversy.
"We're monitoring the situation, in case somebody decides to retaliate," Capt. Tom Kukowski said.
"But we're hoping people use good judgment."
