Tail Wagging the Dog

We all know about Amazon. Many people love the Prime Membership, lower prices, and fast free delivery (though my last “next day, free delivery,” actually took 4 days … but I digress). Bottom line, they seem to provide their customers value. And there’s no doubt the owners and employees of Amazon have realized huge benefits as well. Their stock is in the stratosphere, and their employees receive high salaries and great benefits.  

But, like every large organization, the underbelly of this huge company has a very dark side.

As you may know, Amazon maintains it’s edge with innovative approaches to technology. So much so in fact that the Pentagon recently reached out to Amazon for help in the development of new technology for drones that would improve the Pentagon’s ability to identify the bad guys and protect the good guys. And yes, the Pentagon was willing to pay Amazon a huge amount of money for their help.

But some of Amazon’s employees — a small group of liberal elitists —  protested. Yes, we’re talking here about the employees. They decided they didn’t care to participate in the development of this technology because they claimed it was evil to use their work to hunt terrorists on behalf of America’s national defense. Really?

What’s worse, Amazon’s management caved and told the Pentagon they couldn’t possibly participate in this EVIL project.

This crazy stand by Amazon’s owners and employees has to be both the most ungrateful and short-sighted positions imaginable. It’s ungrateful because Amazon clearly doesn’t believe the same customers who made them wealthy are worth protecting from people who want to kill them. And it’s stupid because the same bad people who want to kill Americans would also love to see Amazon waisted from the face of the earth.

This is clearly the tail wagging the dog. The idea that a handful of predominantly un-American employees should be allowed to dictate Amazon’s policy (and contracts) is about as ridiculous as it gets. Now I get that Amazon’s anti-Trump biases have infected their hiring policies. Now we see the result of that infection. Rather than protecting America’s families from the terrorists who want to kill them, they’ll focus instead on advocating against climate change and making sure everything we eat is organic.

Just think if during WWII Americans said they wouldn't work in factories to make the planes and tanks needed to fight the Third Reich and get rid of Hitler.  

I’d suggest that Amazon’s two owners (currently worth more than $50 billion each) be brought before Congress and asked why they have so little regard for the safety of the Americans who made them rich. Why won’t they help devise technologies that make it easier to identity those who want to murder us?

I’d also suggest that if they refuse, NO government agency should be allowed to contract with Amazon for any service. Maybe the pain their employees feel will start a real debate in this country about what’s more important to companies like Amazon. Do they have any responsibility at all to help protect the society they enjoy and benefit from; or are profits and ideologies all that matter?