Local Author Gets Book Pulled From Amazon

Posted 4:02 pm, July 17, 2015, by
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

UPDATE (7/20/15): Amazon has put Dreese's book This Flag Never Goes Down back up for sale on its site.

KREAMER -- Michael Dreese is an author from Kreamer who writes non-fiction historical books that center around the battle of Gettysburg. So far he's written six books, including two about both the Union and Confederate battle flags and their roles in the Civil War.

"They were the primary means of communication. The battlefield could be a very smoky, noisy, confusing atmosphere," Dreese said.

Recently Dreese got an email from Amazon regarding his book This Flag Never Goes Down. The book is about the Confederate battle flag. Amazon asked Dreese to take down the listing.

"It was kind of surprising at first. Being a nonfiction historical writer, I never thought any of my books would be on the banned book list," Dreese said.

Dreese says he decided not to take action right away, but two days later, Amazon made the decision for him.

"I knew my book really didn't promote the Confederate flag. I'm not really for it or against it, I was just telling the story of the Confederate battle flag," Dreese said.

Mark Troup of Middleburg says he read the book and thinks it's unfortunate it was banned from Amazon.

"The book itself is not a thing that's either trying to inflame or promote racism," Troup said.

"If we start removing things and not thinking about them, we kind of take that history away for future generations to learn from," Dreese said.

While all of Michael Dreese's other books are still available on Amazon, you can only buy This Flag Never Goes Down in Gettysburg at the gift shop or through the publisher, Thomas Publications.

97 comments

  • WeirdMN

    You can contact Amazon.com customer service at 1 (888) 280-4331 and cancel your account (I have). They require a reason for canceling, so let them know that you do not agree with their racist belief that the American Civil War and slavery never existed. And there are still a few copies of “This Flag Never Goes Down” by Michael Dreese at Biblio.com if you want to get it before Amazon burns them all.

    • Kurt

      In a few days we’ll find out it was a mistake, or the result of the author not trying to straighten it out (something he actually admits to in the article). Put away your justice boner.

  • John Carroll

    I just checked.
    Amazon PROUDLY sells The Turner Diaries and the Protocols of the elders of Zion. In an ironic twist, there was an editorial review in the listing of one of the latter in which Amazon PROUDLY defends its decision to sell controversial books.
    Ahem.

    • ME2

      Yes, that’s the idea so 100 years from now, theoretically, no one will know about or be racists. Yeah!!! What a great day that will be! So realistic, too! Only problem is that victim groups will have to find something else to complain about as an excuse for holding them back in society. In the meantime, I hope someone writes a book, portraying the plantations as wealthy private estates, with Al Sharpton as the matriarch, Jesse Jackson as the pimp, slaves as waiters and waitresses and MLK is??? Who is he anyway?

      • jeffutz

        I don’t think they will be portraying Al Sharpton as a matriarch. You have to be female for that. But, you reply seems to imply that the victim groups are not held back. They are. Rich people have a lot of advantages, like the ability to go to college without getting into $100,000 debt. In addition, a lot of poor people in Lackawanna County have rarely or perhaps ever left the area to visit museums, zoos, ball games (go Red Sox), concerts, etc., in places like Philly and NYC. I am a teacher in NYC, and some of the poor kids in my neighborhood have never left a 10-block radius. It has to do with poverty, dads in jail (something like 20% of the dads of the neighborhood are in jail), lack of dads around and moms working two or three jobs to make ends meet, To say that people are not held back because of poverty and other conditions that they did cause would be incorrect.

  • Vinegar and water

    Fear not, history buffs. Valfreja and Guy B have gone together to author a replacement book. It’s called: ‘This Flag Never Goes Down, But We Do On Each Other’.

    • Guy B

      Uh oh, sounds like this is turning into a jerry springer episode- the only language you understand. It’s like if Jerry cxcld a guest bc he thought it would get bad ratings. That makes sense?

  • Chet

    Outrageous dictatorship in the making. Sanctuary cities that ignore the law, a Prez who doesnt want federal funds used to give police protective gear, and now the banning of a nonfiction book. ObamAmerica.

    • jeffutz

      President Obama limited distribution of some military weapons to police departments. This is different than limiting protective gear. If I am wrong, please back your claim.

    • Elena Carlena

      Faux America. There are no sanctuary cities (do you mean no-go zones? because even Faux had to apologize for that lie), and this book is still sold on Amazon.

  • Proud American

    I am very proud I bought a confederate flag from Amazon 2 years ago. I will never purchase anything from Amazon again. Companies sell a lot of items that offend me. I have never thought anything about it. I don’t purchase what I don’t want. I don’t look at what offends me. The Civil War actually happened Amazon! The Confederate flag was and is real Amazon! Many honorable people died to protect their rights during the Civil War on both sides. Very disappointed.

    • Guy B

      Hey genius, you’re from the north. The south had the stars and bars, not the union. Why didn’t you get a uni

    • cheeseburger_walrus

      Yeah, all those Confederate soldiers died to protect the rights of all the people in their country. Including the slaves, right?

  • JKR

    Businesses make decisions all the time, some are good, some are bad, some are uninformed and some are political. This one is both uninformed and political. As a business that is Amazon’s right, doesn’t make the decision right though. The few times I’ve ordered from Amazon the product was delivered broken or defective or it was the wrong product. This foolish anti-intellectual decision on their part is just the icing on the cake.

  • Guy B

    If you think this country has gone downhill, then blame yourselves. It’s nonsensical idiots like you that are keeping this country back from real progress. How do you people not get it? Amazon can do whatever they legally want. Such a bunch of hypocrites and whiners. #blameyourself

  • Lloyd Schmucatelli

    Valfreja, you’re rapidly approaching the #1 position of biggest douche on these forums, but I won’t pass that torch to you. Just shut up, people want to hear your rhetoric even less than mine.

    • full bed pan

      Lloyd, I don’t always agree with you, but you got my respect. You just cracked me up. A society of teaching people how to think is better than a society taught what to think. Maybe the south could fly their other flag, the white one, of surrender. Or we can move on and accept our history, the way it actually was. You are okay, so few people can laugh at themselves. Its a rare quality, you have it. More people should. Good Day to you.

  • Kevin Smith

    That’s our country’s history, don’t they know that or they’re out to start trouble with everyone?

  • Valfreyja

    Amazon is a private sellers’ network, not a museum. Removing products that some people find distasteful (whether they’re right or wrong about that is irrelevant) is not silencing history. If you’re going to defend the confederate battle flag of the treasonous, human being owning south, under the guise of personal liberties, then you have no choice but to acknowledge Amazon’s right to have, or not have, any product that doesn’t meet their ethical standards. You can’t have it both ways here.

    • Rich

      Based on what you posted that means that the Christian bakers had a right not to make the cake for the homosexual couple based on their right that it doesn’t meet their ethical standards?

      • Bill McCormick Jr.

        Not even remotely the same thing. I disagree with what Amazon did, but that baker refused to bake a cake, a service they offered to everyone. Amazon is not selling this book to some people and telling the rest to pound sand. They simply refuse to carry the book.

      • Jeff Woehrle

        You nailed it, Rich. The same folks who celebrate Amazon’s “brave” stance on some democrat relic from the past are all to eager to condemn bakers for exercising their very same standards about gay wedding cakes.

        Democrats would love everyone to forget about this flag and all it represents. Because it represents democrat history that is very inconvenient for liberals.

      • Dave

        That’s not really an apples to apples comparison. The bakers are refusing to sale a product to a patron; however, Amazon is choosing which products to sale. If Amazon was refusing to sale items to white, Southern males, then the comparison would be accurate. This is more akin to Christian bookstores not carrying none literature by atheists authors.

      • Jeff Woehrle

        Dave, the issue here is double standards. Amazon is cheered by the left for this action to spare some the horror of being offended by an old flag, yet the bakers in question not only are expected to not be offended by a gay wedding, but they must also bake a cake for that wedding. So, I guess some feelings are more important than others, right? (Forgive if this is a double post…)

      • nickofthyme

        Dave and now you’re comparing oranges to bananas. The bakers would have gladly sold them a dozen doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, or even a wedding cake WITHOUT writing, but the customers wanted them to violate their religious principles while making a “to order” cake for them. Just FYI

    • WeirdMN

      While it is true Amazon has every right to be racist and pretend the Civil War and slavery never existed, I also have every right to take my business elsewhere.

    • WeirdMN

      And I have to say, VALFREYJA, that I find it extremely offensive that you would deny me the personal liberty to do business with whom-so-ever I choose. For example, the only business I’d do with a fascist / racist such as yourself, would be to spit in my hand and slap you. Now go away, the grown-ups are talking.

    • Valfreyja

      1984: A book discussing the personal, political and social ramifications of totalitarian governments with intrusive policies.

      Amazon: A private sales network acting on their guaranteed rights to have, or not have, a product that doesn’t meet their personal standards.

      Clearly these are exactly the same thing. Groan.

  • jeffutz

    There should be a petition asking Amazon to restore the book. The book should be allowed to be sold, even if it is openly racist. I don’t think that Amazon should be censoring books. Perhaps we should stop buying on Amazon.

    • Valfreyja

      When you’re done with that, will you begin the boycott of Wal-Mart who openly, and proudly, refuses to sell CDs, movies and video games that have certain content in them? Because they do, and always have. Censorship is only wrong when it’s government imposed. Private individuals and entities can, and must, practice self censorship according to their own values. What Amazon is doing is in accordance with the rights guaranteed to the company.

      Do you support individual liberties or not?

      • Jeff Woehrle

        Just as some bakers should be free to exercise THEIR personal liberty by not being forced to bake cakes for gay weddings. Just so we are clear, Amazon is free to choose, but bakers are not under the current line of thinking.

    • JP

      Interesting take… Amazon has not pulled Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Huck Finn or other books that use the ‘N’ word ….nor have they pulled books that are discriminatory to others…. Kind of the same thing, no?

      While I believe that the flag should not be flown in or on government buildings, land or monuments, I do believe that the individual has a right to display it – as a matter of free speech… But din’t get me wrong- the Confederate Battle flag IS to many a sign of oppression and hatred ….You don’t see ANY northern battle flags being flown anywhere, do you ??? While the South should honour and respect those who fought in the American Civil War, they MUST do sowith respect to those who the flag may offend…and out of respect for a Sovereign nation…The UNITED States of America.

  • PA. GIVES YOU A SH.T SANDWICH AND TELLS YOU IT'S A ROAST BEEF!

    Until a month ago I didn’t even know what it was for the past 50 years I thought it was just a county version of the gay pride flag!

  • Mountain Man of Campbell's Ledge

    You will fly the “new flag” of the current elected leader and the other multi color flag only.
    Why ? Because the Grand Czar said so. At a campaign event in Beaverton, OR, He claimed to have visited 57 U.S. states during the campaign. So this flag too can waive.

  • Harold Newberry

    The Tennessee Battle Flag is not the cause of racism in America.
    It’s only a flag. Though it does has symbolic meaning to a lot of people.
    For some it might be a symbol of hate, but for many others it’s not about hate, or race.
    It’s about heritage, history, and Southern pride.
    The way I see it, banning that flag is causing even more conflict then before.
    I can understand removing the Battle flag from government facilities,and license plates, but to ban it everywhere? That’s just dumb.
    Ignorant, racist people are still going to exist with or without it.
    It is a part of American history and can not be erased from history.

    • Valfreyja

      “It’s only a flag”

      So you’ll have no issue if I choose to use the US flag as my personal toilet tissue of choice next time nature calls?

      Oh that’s right: What a flag symbolizes is actually important, which is why we must take pains not to lend tacit approval to racist, bigoted and treasonous ideologies by flying particular symbols outside government buildings and in private networks where they’re unwelcome.

  • Jessica Adams

    Now he will get more book sales because it made the news and more people will know about his book. I recently wrote a book and it’s so hard to market a book.

  • Walmart ISIS cake

    Walmart refused to make a battle flag cake, but made an ISIS cake for the same person the following day. Look it up.

  • Shut your PC MOUTHS!!

    I’m so tired of this crap.

    I’m going to go back to church, start smoking again, text while driving and wave my battle flag while littering all over your gay pride parades!

    Then I’m going to go to Burger King and eat 2 whoppers with extra fries and a shake. Not McDonald’s, because they are #1 and I don’t think anyone should be in a #1 position.

    Then I’m going to put make up and a dress on and fill out a job application for a stripper at a gentlemens club and sue because they wouldn’t hire me based on sexual discrimination.

    • Shut your PC MOUTHS!!

      I’m other words, Amazon is just another hippy, left wing, socialist, liberal business that I will no longer support. They’ve joined the ranks of Starbucks and walmart.

      • Shut your PC MOUTHS!!

        And one more thing, this is not because I’m a racist, it’s because they are blatantly limiting free speech.

      • Valfreyja

        One more loud mouthed bigot wont be in the isles making a fuss about nothing while I get coffee and purchase new bath towels?

        THAT’S the definition of win/win right there.

      • Yay!

        VALFREYJA, What’s really funny, is the fact that you don’t seem to realize that YOU are also a bigot. I think maybe you need to take a look at that definition.
        Bigot – n. One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.

    • Guy B

      Quit complaining so much. You’re still living in the best country on the planet with clean drinking water a stable govt etc. don’t be so gd negative all the time. Go outside take a walk and relax…or maybe even laugh now and then. I’m laughing at you right now and I feel better. You can laugh at me if you’d like. See…it’s all gonna be ok you big baby.

      • papokergod

        We’re complaining too much? We aren’t the idiots complaining about someone’s free speech. Just know this, when you bully other people around, they tend to bully back. Don’t cry foul if you get your butt kicked.

      • papokergod

        Tell your gay friends to stop complaining so much and go somewhere else to get their gay wedding cakes. I am sure there’s plenty of bakeries glad to take their money. But is a business’s right to deny products only go for stuff you don’t want to buy?

      • Prime evil

        Correction – this used to be the greatest country on the planet, and even then it was up for debate. Many countries have a better standard of living, lower unemployment, less crime, clean water, and a stable trustworthy government. We have become a nation of have’s and I’ll have yours too. Obese, undereducated slobs – rampant abuse of welfare, criminals that not only make a living out of crime but get defended by scumbag lawyers, and now the PC police are re-writing history. The vocal minorities whine and complain until they get their way while the silent majority sits by and watches it happen. Apathy runs through our communities like a disease. The few people that do stand up for their beliefs and what’s right get labelled as bigots and racists. So laugh away Guy, Rome is burning and The United States of America will soon join them.

  • dave

    He will sell a million copies now.. Heck he might even redo some of the writing in it to flame the fire a bit.. I bet he is running around smiling and thinking how he now can sell it himself and not have to pay commission… Good for him make the money off the bigots and bring it on up to pa..

    • Valfreyja

      How is a private network exercising its rights PC gone mad? I’m no more fond of it than you are, but this isn’t some government crackdown, it’s a private entity choosing what is and is not appropriate for itself.

      You tin foil hatters have really wet the bed on this issue.

      • Mark

        I never suggested this was a government crackdown, nor am I a member of the “tin foil hatters” crowd as you suggested. They do have the right as a private entity to determine what they sell on their site. However, this probably wouldn’t even be an issue without the recent protests in SC.

  • Guy B

    The author should be thrilled. Nobody would be talking about this book (besides the authors family) if it wasn’t pulled. Wait…was it yanked because it wasn’t any good?

Comments are closed.