Now a woman in Lewiston, Maine, is censoring a book by doing precisely this idiotic action. She borrowed a book from the library titled 'It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex And Sexual Health'. The volume is said to be a sexual health book that contains cartoon-like illustrations. The woman is refusing to return to book, saying it violates obscenity laws.
Who appointed this right-wing busybody as judge, jury, and executioner?
If I wanted to borrow a book from the libe, I'd be furious if I found out someone was censoring it by borrowing it and refusing to return it.
A judge has ordered the woman to return the book. If she doesn't return it by tomorrow evening, she may be jailed on contempt of court charges.
Wait a minute here! Of course it's contempt of court, but isn't it also theft? I worked at my local library for most of the '90s, and I know Kentucky has a law specifically dealing with depriving a library of books or other materials. If you borrowed a book and refused to return it after repeated warnings, that was considered depriving the library, and it was a crime. I don't know how specific Maine law is, but willfully failing to return a library book should certainly fall under theft.
I know that at least once, the library where I worked called in the Campbell County Sheriff because someone either ruined an item they borrowed or failed to return it.
If there's another nationwide conservative wave, get ready for more intolerant crackpots trying to decide for us what to read. With the federal law requiring libraries to censor Internet access, the Far Right already practices more library censorship in the United States than at any other point in my lifetime.
(Source: http://www.kypost.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=3a784c05-2266-45f4-bfac-1f45e35cdddb)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Idiot steals book from library
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And God forbid (what, did I just use the "G" word?!) if we try to prevent children from reading age-inappropriate books! Yes, stealing a book IS wrong. Period. Now, Robie Harris "It's Perfectly Normal" has images of a boy masturbating, a boy having an erection, a girl bending forward exposing her genitals and looking at them in a mirror. If I showed this book to a child on the street, I might end up in trouble, accused of exposing a minor child to pornography. Children cannot buy a gun, cigarettes, alcohol or a house; they cannot marry. Yet, when they enter a library they should be allowed to get anything, even the Kama Sutra. Does the law change when minor children cross the threshold of a library? Why should libraries be treated different? Are librarians a especial class that should be held above the law? Hey, go ahead, ridicule me, call me censor, imbecile, whatever, but when you're done venting, try to answer my questions. (But what can one expect when ALA's Judith Krug utters imbecilities such as “Blocking material leads to censorship. That goes for pornography and bestiality too. If you don't like it, don't look at it.”)
ReplyDeleteStealing the book is censorship. End of story.
ReplyDeleteReal Americans are against filtering software.
Stealing and censoring are not synonyms. End of story.
ReplyDeleteWow, you have incredible rhetorical skills--certainly acquired during your frequent visits to your library. It is indeed fun to watch libs getting mad, and losing it when, well, when they can't win an argument... :-)
ReplyDelete...says AssPoots American Values.
ReplyDelete