Trial over banned anti-bullying book ends

In 2005 a group of right-wing parents of 3 elementary school students sued the Ojai, California, school system because it failed to pull an anti-bullying book from its shelves.

Who's ever heard of suing a school because it won't ban a book? Because filing frivolous lawsuits has become a favorite right-wing pastime, probably lots of people have been forced to hear of it.

The book in question is the 2003 classic memoir 'Please Stop Laughing At Me...' by Jodee Blanco. The only conclusion any reasonable person can come to is that the Ojai plaintiffs support bullying. The plaintiffs claimed the book was sexually explicit. However, this is an out-and-out lie. I've read the book, and it is not explicit. In Ojai, the book was offered to 5th grade students, and I don't think there's anything in the book that's so graphic that any 5th grader hasn't already heard it before. In fact, the volume has been endorsed by many agencies.

The suit contended that the plaintiffs' kids were allowed to read Blanco's book without parental permission. Tough shit. When I borrowed books from my school library in 5th grade, I didn't have to get my parents' permission. The suit also charged that the kids' teachers retaliated against them when the parents complained about the book. That too was proven to be a lie.

Crazier yet, the plaintiffs said they'd settle the suit if the school would simply pay their legal fees. Um, isn't that extortion? Since when can a small group of terrorists who support school bullying file a frivolous lawsuit, then offer to settle it if the defendant would just pay their legal fees? I think this shit would stop if Congress would pass a law barring plaintiffs' attorneys from collecting fees in cases like this. This was clearly an attempted shakedown.

The school buckled under by taking the book off the shelves. But the people-haters pressed on with their lawsuit.

It begs asking how one community can even find 3 sets of parents to sue over something like this. Some towns do have a strong network of activist-type wingnuts. If just one of them reads a national hate website or newsletter that encourages filing lawsuits like this, they can get their friends together to join them. It's kind of like how the video store in my county got harassed for selling R-rated movies.

The Ojai suit has dragged on for almost 3 years and is just now reaching its end. The plaintiffs have now abruptly opted to end the case. I guess they finally got bored with it.

Nice to know they wasted 3 years of the court's time just to wring some concessions out of the school system. But I'm sure the wingnuts will be back with another attack soon enough.

(Source: Ventura County Star 9/16/05;
Ventura County Reporter;
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/22/retaliation-case-parties-reach-pact-ending-trial)