Dr. Cole,
One other thing to remember is that, and another commenter sort of alluded to this. Amazon is currently in the midst of a giant lobbying and legal gauntlet to insure that US government policy continues to encourage consumers to buy books from online by exempting online sales from taxation. So it is not just an issue that the amazon model is superior at delivering the same book at a lower cost (that may or may not be true, I have no idea), but the government wants you to buy from amazon and not borders or joes books and coffee.
Dr. Cole,
I have tremendous respect for you, and I deeply feel the problem you are expressing. But you are describing the value of Border's in terms of the ways it functions like a privatized library. I am seriously concerned that in both your post and in the discussion around the closing of Borders, libraries are invisible. Libraries allow for far greater intellectual freedom compared to mega bookstores, provide essentially the same service for no direct cost and far lower cost to the community.
I hope they have a happy marriage.
I'm a bit confused by the police story, why is a refutation of Romney and not Obama? Is the FoP a traditionally republican organization?
Dr. Cole,
One other thing to remember is that, and another commenter sort of alluded to this. Amazon is currently in the midst of a giant lobbying and legal gauntlet to insure that US government policy continues to encourage consumers to buy books from online by exempting online sales from taxation. So it is not just an issue that the amazon model is superior at delivering the same book at a lower cost (that may or may not be true, I have no idea), but the government wants you to buy from amazon and not borders or joes books and coffee.
Dr. Cole,
I have tremendous respect for you, and I deeply feel the problem you are expressing. But you are describing the value of Border's in terms of the ways it functions like a privatized library. I am seriously concerned that in both your post and in the discussion around the closing of Borders, libraries are invisible. Libraries allow for far greater intellectual freedom compared to mega bookstores, provide essentially the same service for no direct cost and far lower cost to the community.
How about the coverage not given to innocent men (especially of color) sent to prison for homicides they are later exonerated for?