SO, e-Bay censored my satirical pinback button on Enron and their spokesman couldn't say why. They retreated and put the button back up for auction. Soon, they put back up my anti Osama bin Laden button. The "Kiss My Royal Irish Ass" button was based on a statement by a hero NY firefighter. eBay put that back up for auction too. Notice how full of baloney their spokesman is. They totally were defeated. The L.A. Weekly, business magazines, Dow Jones News Service, Wall Street Journal quoted lawyers and professors excoriating e-Bay for censorship. Sometimes David can defeat Goliath. You can't let the bastards get you down!
Osama and Enron? Not On eBay
July 7, 2008 - 7:20 PM
(CNSNews.com) - The largest online Internet auction site, eBay, Inc., has pulled politically sensitive buttons from its website, citing a moratorium on Sept. 11 related items as the reason.
But the button designer says eBay is censoring his products. eBay, in turn, calls the charges of censorship "nonsense."
Keith F. Shirey, retired political science professor and entrepreneur, said his anti-Osama bin Laden and Enron buttons have been pulled from the site. Shirey calls the anti-Osama bin Laden buttons patriotic and his Enron buttons acceptable.
"eBay still continues to censor my buttons, during this time of war against terrorists, and the hunt for Osama bin Laden," Shirey said. "I received an e-mail last month from eBay which stated it 'does not allow any items which incites or condones violence or hatred.' I don't know if they have singled me out, but it sure is censorship."
Shirey said eBay's initial argument did not hold up. "They said we don't allow anything that condones violence. I've been having a fight with them about that. I am just simply saying that by that standard, in World War II, you couldn't allow anything that is anti-fascist," he said.
"They allow Osama bin Laden dartboards, they have an Osama bin Laden shrunken head, they have all this Osama bin Laden paraphernalia for auction and they are inconsistent," Shirey said.
Shirey said he had been using eBay for "approximately two years" before having his items pulled.
"This is near and dear to my heart. I am a retired political science professor. I have always been interested in buttons because they are a unique American invention," Shirey said. "That they would censor these buttons is beyond belief."
Kevin Pursglove, senior director of communications for eBay, said Shirey's allegation that eBay was censoring him was "purely nonsense."
He said the initial lifting of the Osama bin Laden buttons came at the time of a moratorium on all items relating to the World Trade Center and events of Sept. 11. "But, once the moratorium was lifted, they could be listed back on the site," Pursglove said.
Pursglove said he could not think of one reason why the Enron buttons were banned from the site. eBay, he said, even worked quickly to restore the items when it found out.
"As a matter of fact, I believe that after Mr. Shirey brought that to the attention of a reporter, the reporter called me and I had one of our customer service representatives look at it and they decided it was a mistake to pull it in the first place, and I think we told Mr. Shirey at the time that he could re-list it," Pursglove said.
He also said one of the reasons items were lifted from the auction site was the use of profanity. "He had a phrase from the New York police officer who made the reference about 'kissing his royal Irish a**.' That was what was in the description title. One of our customer service reps saw it and because of our language sensitivities, suggested it should be removed."
Shirey said since eBay removed the buttons, sales have doubled. He no longer uses the eBay site to sell the items, instead using his own website. Still, he remains intent on fighting for what he believes is principle. "They don't understand free speech. They're just so whimsical and arbitrary and capricious. Their standards are so vague," Shirey said.
E-mail a news tip to Matt Pyeatt.
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