Yesterday as I scrolled my Twitter stream, I kept seeing references to an e-book which had many tweeters’ panties in a bunch. I explored a little more and figured out that it’s come to the attention of Twitter that Amazon carries a most disgusting book — a book called “The Pedophiles Guide to Love and Pleasure”  (oh how I wish I was kidding).

Now understanding that Amazon is a huge operation, the concerned tweeters started emailing and calling customer service to make them aware that a guide to how to be a pedophile was being sold on their website. I mean, they sell over a half-million titles for Kindle. Maybe a pissed off intern let that guide of crazy slip through the cracks.

No….as Tech Crunch (Warning: the link contains an excerpt from the ebook. It is vile and rocked me to my core. The dude who wrote this is sick, sick, sick) reported, Amazon was fully aware the book was on the site. And they defended their choice to sell it in this statement: Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.”

In a way, they ARE right. They can’t make me spend my hard-earned $4.79 on some book promoting pedophilia.

I also have the power to stop purchasing everything from Amazon as well.

But here’s the question — are they really protecting free speech, promoting pedophilia or trying to find some perverted niche market to prop up Kindle sales?

My view: they are selling a material directly designed to instruct adults on how to rape, abuse, and exploit children. I cannot, in good conscience, support an business which chooses to defend and promote this material.

Discuss amongst yourselves. I want to know what you think.