I predicted yesterday that leftists would soon be crawling out of the woodwork to defend the Muslim-owned mattress company. Sure enough:
E-mail to soldier spurs outrage
Military supporters bombard West Allis company with messages; fears for safety arise
What began as a brief e-mail exchange between a U.S. soldier in Iraq and a Wisconsin-based online retailer has erupted into an international incident that has pitted military supporters against free speech advocates and threatens to shut down the local company.
Bargain Suppliers of West Allis said its discount-mats.com Web site had to be taken down Monday to address the thousands of e-mails it's received since news of the exchange - in which an employee voiced opposition to the war in Iraq - began circulating on the Internet last week.
Vice president Sajid Nasir said the employee is being "held accountable." But he said the incendiary and threatening nature of some of the e-mails - and voicemails left at the West Allis home that co-owner Faisal Khetani shares with his parents - have shaken the family.
"It's really getting out of control," said Nasir, who described the messages as "angry and vulgar." "Our main concern is for the safety of the family. That's more important than the business," he said.
Repeated attempts to reach the Khetanis were unsuccessful.
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