"Supreme Court justice.
Wal-Mart canceled an order for a best-selling book by Jon Stewart and the writers of "The Daily Show" after executives learned that it contained a photo of nine naked, aged bodies, each with the superimposed head of a Supreme Court justice.


"America (The Book)," a mock school text that lampoons the American government in much the same way the Comedy Central show spoofs the news, includes cutouts of the justices' robes and a caption asking readers to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe."

Executives for the Bentonville-based retail giant deemed the book inappropriate for its shelves this week.

"We were not aware of the image that was in the book (when Wal-Mart ordered it) and we felt the majority of our customers would not be comfortable with it," said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Karen Burk. "We offer what we think our customers want to buy. That just makes good business sense."

Jamie Raab, a publisher for Warner Books, which produced "America," said the naked justice joke fits perfectly with the book's theme.

"It's not gratuitous and it's very much in tune with the rest of the book," Raab said. "It's funny, yet to the point. When you undress the Supreme Court justices, they're just men and women and you have to judge them on who they are and what they do. It makes you look and think and laugh."

From
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/10/21/wal.mart.no.nudes.ap/index.html

No Surprise Here

"We were not aware of the image that was in the book (when Wal-Mart ordered it) and we felt the majority of our customers would not be comfortable with it,"

But, I guess they are comfortable with the tabloids near the checkout stands showing the cellulite of movie stars enlarged to the size that it looks like the attack of the killer cottage cheese thighs monsters....

LOL...Wal*Mart...the Great Wall O' China MART trying to be the arbiter of good taste....LOLOLOLOL....

Mr. Sam is rolling in his Sam's Club brand grave.

WAL*MART.... "ALWAYS"....
means....ALWAYS CONTROLLING CONTENT

maybe they just dont want to piss us some of their customers who might buy the book unaware of the pictures, idiot.

Then why not put a sticker on it, or put up a sign warning customers that it might not be suitable for everyone? They sell all kinds of books I consider trash, but I'm pretty sure they won't remove them from the shelves just because I might not like them.

Funny, there were a lot of people in here praising Leiberman a few posts ago. Yet he wanted to ban violent video games and movies. How is that much different when concerning a store controlling it content.

Any store has the right to sell or not sell whatever it wants. There are other book stores and even the internet you can purchise off of. I don't hear the other book stores like barns and noble or borders complaining, because it means that they can get some more buissness.

sorry about that last spelling error.

I was more concerned at one time about them having edited versions of music cds...bought one and it kept having little bleeps where they censored the music then noticed it had a little yellow dot on the back this album has been edited of objectionable content.
The book I wouldn't think if affects things so badly. Wally World is the last place I would think about when I'm out looking for a book.

"maybe they just dont want to piss us some of their customers who might buy the book unaware of the pictures, idiot."

Before calling some else an idiot...learn how to put a sentence together such that it makes sense...I believe you meant to say "just don't want to piss off some of their customers"...apparently you don't know how to spell "don't" using the proper contraction mark, and don't know the difference between "off" and "us"....

Better to remain silent and be THOUGHT an idiot, than to spell incorrectly and completely jumble your words (using "us" instead of "off") and remove all doubt!

Thanks for translating, Code. I don't really think too many people who would buy his book would be shocked by the pictures anyway. Except for people who only buy the book to look at the pictures, of course...

Anyone who has to resort to attacking someone's spelling, grammar, or typos proves they have nothing to say.

I'm 21.. and they CARD ME FOR OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION!

these people are not "conservative" theyre neofascist.

Why do we even care about walmart? They are a huge franchise that can sell whatever they want. Buy your stuff somewhere else if you don't like it. I am sure the smaller stores they are putting out of business will be happy for your support.

"x...apparently you don't know how to spell "don't" using the proper contraction mark, and don't know the difference between "off" and "us"...."

*GRIN*

Me are orange and if is for shrub watermAlon c'ant fraggle'regd!

It's simple folks. This is a free market society, and in a free market, all businesses have the right to decide what they will and won't sell. Not to comment on any specific item in Wal-Mart, but if venders want to sell in Wal-Mart, they will ether adapt to their standards, or they don't get sold.

Yeah, and I think Wal-Mart is against men since they outlaw men's magazines, but cheefully sell young girls and women a copy of Cosmopolitan that tells how to get a guy, how to keep a guy and, ultimately, 21 ways to have sex with a guy.

I've also noticed that their video game selection has gone down, as well as their music selection. Their movie selection seems to have gone up slightly, especially in the old TV show department, but they've taken out one whole aisle of stuff just to show everyone their HDTV selection.

Yeah, it's bad that they'll card you on stuff, but thanks to idiots in Washington who have taken away a kids right to choose their life-path and idiots who abuse everything from cough medicine to spray paint, well, the good people always have to pay for the stupidity of the few idiots in the world. Trust me, I'm 25, but get mistaken for 17 by anyone that doesn't know me. So I get carded all the time. And I once worked for the smiley face and ended up carding someone who was born in 1957!

But, then again, Wally World does work for the likes of Dubya, Cheney and the rest of the Republican elite (after all, Sam Walton got the idea for the insipid Wal-Mart cheer while on a tour of South Korean industry. Now why would he want to see how people in Asia work?? Hmmm, I do wonder.)

I agree NiceGuy. I guess Walmart thinks it's more ethical to exploit foreigners in their overseas factories for a slave's pittance than it is to sell books showing boobies and nudity.

Anyone else buying GTA: San Andreas at Wal-Mart in a few days? I know I am...

I just want to point out that corporations do NOT have a "right" to have free speech... only PEOPLE do. In this particular case, and I can't say for sure (but I suspect) that Wallyworld is attempting to be political somehow, but we can't really proove it is a "free speech issue."

But by gum, when a corporation crys about NOT having free speech (such as by donating too much money to a particular campaign) they can just kiss it because a corporation is NOT a US citizen. ONLY PEOPLE are granted 1st amendment rights!

Shmoo, of Electric Gypsy
Support Local and Independent Music!

Since when in America must a business carry products they don't want to? If Walmart decides not to carry the book so be it. Is Walmart out trying to get the book pulled off of the shelves at Books A Million or other book stores? I don't think so. Telling someone what they must carry in their shop, is just as bad as telling someone what they can't carry.

Personally I feel that Chiropractors should have to sell vibrators and adult toys,
but how many of your clients would be offended? Why don't you stock up the shelves and quit being a hypocrite.

That's just my opinion I could be wrong. (stolen without remorse from Dennis Miller)

If I don't like what you carry in your shop, I won't shop there.