Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleep

[selil]

The war at home isn't so small....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245718,00.html

Tuesday , January 23, 2007

An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers.

In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:

"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."

On the same day, Hess received this reply:

"SGT Hess,

We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"

Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down.

Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.

FOX News' Douglas Kennedy contributed to this story.

[120mm]

The "employee" who sent the e-mail was most definitely not fired, as it probably was one of the two co-owners of the business who sent the e-mail to begin with.

Not a smart PR move for a businessman/men

[Stan]

They also, like many on eBay do not support US.
I think bonehead Faisal should go see immigrations about his green card and stop by GWB's place regarding APOs, and keep his BS floormats.

I am happy to report that after a few emails, most folks will not only go to post office, but some even discount the articles you were ready buy a full pop.

Send me Hess' address. I'll send the Sergeant whatever he needs.

[Jedburgh]

The "employee" who sent the e-mail was most definitely not fired, as it probably was one of the two co-owners of the business who sent the e-mail to begin with.

Not a smart PR move for a businessman/men

Sergeant Hess: Discountmats.com E-mail Issue Isn't Settled

...Sergeant Jason Hess wants a personal apology from Discount-mats.com, where an employee replied to Hess' response for mats, saying, "we do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Faisal Khetani, the now-fired employee from Discount-mats.com who sent the e-mail, is Muslim, and a number of incendiary e-mail's and calls have gone to the Muslim community about the e-mail....

...looks like the company's website has received a hit as well...

[goesh]

Calmer minds have responded better than I can and there is no room in forums of this quality for my criminal intent recommendations for folks like this. I best sit this one out.

[SSG Rock]

Like the troops have a choice in where they are orderd to deploy or when they return. It is idiots like this that reveal (to me at least) that the far left's oft stated opinion that they support the troops but not the war is an unmitigated lie. I still haven't figured out how you can do that.

[Tom Odom]

Faisal Khetani, the now-fired employee from Discount-mats.com who sent the e-mail, is Muslim, and a number of incendiary e-mail's and calls have gone to the Muslim community about the e-mail....

Rock I agree it is outrageous, but given the above tidbit, this is not a left versus right issue.

It is --apparently-- a case on an employee who's sympathies are directed by his religion using his work platform inappropriately. Seems to me the company did the right thing in hiring him w/o discrimnation on basis of race, religion, sex, or creed and then did the right thing in firing him because he wanted to use those same factors in deciding whom to provide adequate service, in this case a soldier.

Best

Tom