1/26/2006

Amazon.com’s Book Review Cesspool

By: Cao, Filed under: General , Task Force Sabre 7 @ 5:05 am

If you’re looking for pieces on Jack Idema and his team, please click on this link.

Michelle has a comprehensive look at what’s happening with Amazon.com’s book review section regarding taking a look at up and coming conservative books.

What’s I’d like to do is take a look at the same thing in terms of Robin Moore’s book, The Hunt for Bin Laden. I consider the cesspool another extension of the SMEAR JACK CABAL.

Reviewer: Greg (Phoenix, AZ) -
The author is faced with a chance to write the story as it actually happened and Mr. Moore lost that opportunity. Now this book will forever be known as a complete work of fiction by those of us who were there, conducted the operations and then interviewed by Robin Moore as to what happened. Venturing too far off the path of validity was perhaps due in part to his “buddy” Jack Idema, who is referenced far too much throughout the book. Mr Idema is a compelete work of something else, just google search the name. In short, disappointing is too nice a word for the effort.

Oh and look who shows up reviewing the book? Tracy Paul Warrington. This is a laugh.

Don’t Buy this Book, June 19, 2003
Reviewer: “tpwarrington” (United States) -
Christian Lowe, Army Times Staff Writer, was the first write the truth about this poorly written, poorly researched, and poorly fabricated book (23 June 2003 edition).

It is sub-standard in every aspect. The worst part is that unknowing readers will walk away from this book thinking that all Green Berets are like those depicted in the book. We’re not.

My Special Forces brethren who served in Afghanistan had high praise for their fellow comrades and the support they received. This book trashes all of that. For the record, I did not serve in Afghanistan, but I stay in daily contact with those that did serve. They are uniform in their disgust for what this book will do their hard-earned reputation and professionalism. They can’t speak up because they signed non-disclosure agreements. So I’m taking the risk to speak out on their behalf.

Don’t buy this book; instead, send your money to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Those wonderful people help provide scholarships for the children of slain Special Operations personnel; some of whom are Green Berets.

Or, buy another book. Amazon can’t control the accuracy of the books they sell, but you can.

Tracy-Paul Warrington, Chief Warrant Officer (retired), US Army Special Forces

bwahahaha! Tracy-Paul Warrington, the clerk who wouldn’t know a terrorist if he snuck up and hit him on the ass. So I’m taking the risk to speak out on their behalf. Give me a break.

It also looks as though “a reader” takes a lot of shots at the book. I wonder why “a reader” doesn’t identify himself. Could it be the same person flooding the airwaves with this nonsense with review after review?

An insult to the real people, stories and events of the war, May 31, 2003
Reviewer: A reader
Having been involved with some of the events covered in this book, being written about by the author, knowing some of the people mentioned and discussing their reaction to the this book I can tell any potential readers the following:

- Large parts of this book have been completely made up or events fictionalized to make it more exciting or salable. For example the opening chapter which is designed to set the tone of the book is a complete work of fiction. Simple events have had entire firefights, dialog and descriptions made up to make them more “exciting”

-There are numerous factual mistakes, wrong dates, places, times, dialog etc. All designed to create a sense of cinematic saleability and cartoon purpose. It appears that the author abused army acess to slap together a mish mash of ridiculous dialog, part truths and some bizarre personal agenda.

- The book appears to be actually ghost written by the person featured on the cover, who is neither a special forces operator or working in any military capacity for the US government. He is a convicted felon and persona non grata in the media with a history of litigation. My guess is the aging Robin Moore has been terribly used. It appears from the author’s web site that Edema plans a series of books about himself and his exploits.

- Some of the military men covered in this book are angered by his fictionalizing a campaign that needs no exageration or fiction to make it riveting. Moore blindly goes along promoting his book (with help from Edema) not realizing he is insulting the Special Forces and their families by fabricating their exploits.

- I would suggest people do a web search for “Keith Edema”, read more accurate…accounts of these historic events and avoid furthering this gentleman’s dubious career of exploiting and falsifiying the stories of well intentioned serving soldiers.

It is a shame that this book is allowed to be sold as non-fiction or has not been removed from the shelves due to its [inaccurate] content.

Thanks, Kentucky Fried. It’s beautiful to see your army background evidence itself with your organized thoughts. Precision is hardly your best point, however, since you still seem to be lacking in certain spelling skills…lol

Fiction under another name, May 8, 2003
Reviewer: A reader
It seems that Robin Moore has been taken in by the convicted felon Idema. As a result, at least part of the book is nothing but fiction. Puts all of the book under a questionable light.

Keep hammering on that “felon” mantra, see if it’ll get any traction with people who actually know the story. We all know that the wire fraud conviction has absolutely nothing to do with his telling the story of Special Forces in Afghanistan, no matter how many times they beat on that ‘convicted felon’ drum. Joe, you’re really letting everyone know your identity when you can’t seem to find different words to insult Idema but use the same ones all the time.

Reviewer: George (N. America)
I feel bad for the author as he has fallen for a convicted con-man. This lowlife took advantage of Mr. Moore in an atempt to gain fame and fortune. Well I for one hope Mr. Idema gets what is comming to him…..infamy and missfortune. I hope this does not diminish in any way the great deeds that the brave SF soldiers did. These men are heroes and should be thought of that way, just not the one mentioned in this book.

There are quite a few positive comments that were left about the book, but the negatives seem to drown them all out. I think I might take the positive comments and put them all up in one post.

Reviewer: A reader
Attention potential buyer: This book is a work of fiction based on the events that happened in Afghanistan. My Special Forces team recently obtained a copy of this book and want to ensure that the public knows the details of battles, specifically incidents involving “Jack” are the imaginary ramblings of an imposter. Due to government restrictions on soldiers, a non fiction work will have to wait declassification. In the meantime, buy this book with the knowledge that what you are reading is very innacurate. My detachment (A-Team) includes veterans of the fighting at Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Tora Bora. We feel that what we have accomplished in Afghanistan has been demeaned by this misrepresentation of the truth.

I’m sure that’s a stretch of your little Walter Mitty imagination, lol…the SF Ops guys who’ve been coming here don’t talk like this at all and actually support Idema. Immensely disgusting how they use the same verbiage, isn’t it? Can’t even get out a dictionary to use something else.

Reviewer: “habaescorpussel” (Washington D.C) -
After reading the book I must say I am disappointed. Mr. Moore wrote about true hero’s only to have them colored by a soldier of fortune and mercenary named Keith Idema. This is an example of how to pillage a great story.

This is an example of how to pillage a man’s reputation, methinks.

Reviewer: A reader
It seems that Robin Moore has been taken in by the convicted felon Idema. As a result, at least part of the book is nothing but fiction. Puts all of the book under a questionable light.

Questionable is what gives you the authority to continue pounding on this. Doesn’t Amazon.com have some kind of a filter for idiots?

Reviewer: A reader
Funny how people will believe everything you read, unless you know the truth. The people who know the truth know this book is fiction, but of course you have REAL Special Forces with real names. … these “quiet professionals” never asked for this, never gave permission to use their names, and some of the missions didn’t take place. It’s pretty bad when SF soldiers won’t even buy it…(only their wives because they think it’s so great having their husbands names in a book) Get Real!!!
We can’t blame Robin Moore. He was used by Keith Idema in order to give himself the glory. Oh, how the plot thickens if you start looking at Idema and who he really is. Now that would make a good book!!

Anybody see a pattern developing here?

I would bet that the same person wrote those last 6 reviews, and a certain other Kentucky Fried Chicken individual wrote the long one with the bullet points.



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7 Responses to “Amazon.com’s Book Review Cesspool”

  1. The Irate Nation - » Free Jack Idema Says:

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  2. TJ Jackson Says:

    The bankruptcy of the reviews can be best illustrated by reviewing the comments for Mel Gibson’s Passion or the movie Gods and Generals. People who have never seen either feel free to write whatever reinforces their agenda rather than corresponds to anything in either of these two movies. I’ve seen the same thing in various book reviews.

  3. TJ Jackson Says:

    The bankruptcy of the reviews can be best illustrated by reviewing the comments for Mel Gibson’s Passion or the movie Gods and Generals. People who have never seen either feel free to write whatever reinforces their agenda rather than corresponds to anything in either of these two movies. I’ve seen the same thing in various book reviews.

  4. Cao Says:

    It’s a shame, but it’s something we should all recognize…thanks, TJ.

  5. The Wide Awakes Says:

    Amazon.com

  6. Redhead Infidel Says:

    This is a tried and true smear tactic of our favorite Don Cecil Hall, also. He makes a point of creating a new identity ever so often so he can leave his copy-and-paste diatribe against Gary Linderer on every book Gary or any of his friends have ever written in the Vietnam War genre. He’s also trashed unrelated books by other authors who just happen to be friends with Gary. He’s a snake and cut from the same cloth as the Smear Jack Cabal. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that Don contacted the anti-Jack folks and dropped the idea into their willing ears. After all, he’s been doing it for a decade with great success. ;P

  7. Cao Says:

    The cabal tries to make themselves look like an army of people by posting under different names…I think it’s just a common tactic among these people–although it DOES seem very strange, doesn’t it, RI? The similarity between them, I mean?

    You’ve got to be kidding me. The “C” stands for CECIL?

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