Continuing its heavy-handed tactics of blocking non-government information on the coronavirus, Amazon has now censored a Florida surgeon’s just-published book on lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak and public officials handling of it.
This comes just five days after Amazon censored former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson’s booklet titled Unreported Truths about COVID-19 and Lockdowns: Part 1: Introduction and Death Counts and Estimates. If not for Elon Musk’s involvement, Berenson’s book may still be banned on Amazon.
But while Berenson published a short booklet, Dr. Julio Gonzalez’s book titled Coronalessons, is an exhaustively researched look at everything from virology and epidemiology to spread and treatments to crippling lockdowns and violations of Americans’ Constitutional rights. It has nearly 700 citations and a detailed timeline. It’s criticisms are deeply researched.
“This is the first comprehensive look at our nation’s coronavirus experience,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “I have been furiously studying the pandemic, amassing data, and evaluating our responses and the effects these have had on our society and our system of laws. I compiled all that information, including a novel statistical analysis and over 650 citations into Coronalessons.”
Dr. Gonzalez is hardly a neophyte. In addition to running a surgical practice in Venice, Florida, he is an attorney and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives. He’s also the author of The Case for Free Market Healthcare and The Federalist Pages.
But Amazon said his most recent book “does not comply with our guidelines,” which it says is to follow official government sources, such as the CDC and WHO — both of which have been phenomenally incompetent on the virus. Amazon then went on to blather about the changing information about COVID-19 (which sort of undermines their own case) and suggests removing references to the virus — in a book about the virus!
“This is the second time in two weeks that we learn of Amazon openly suppressing an alternative voice on the issue of COVID-19 and on China’s behavior regarding the pandemic,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “One has to wonder whether Amazon has any interest in promoting the free exchange of ideas.”
Amazon has sold books on controversial topics from politics to religion to race and gender and pedophilia. It’s not like they shy away from controversy. So maybe now is a good time to note that Amazon has financially benefited greatly from the lockdowns that many people like Dr. Gonzalez and Berenson have criticized. By the government forcing people to stay home, Amazon’s home delivery and streaming service have been operating in overdrive.
But these are dangerous moves for Amazon. The trend may also start raising the attention of members of Congress on whether Amazon should be considered a monopoly. Apparently at least one influential member of Congress is quite upset with Dr. Gonzalez’s book being censored, as many were with Berenson’s.
