Child Pornography Allowed by Illinois Library Vote

Library trustees in Orland Park, IL voted, again, to allow unfiltered Internet access in the computer lab as a First Amendment right to local perverts, however the revised policy allows librarians to intervene if one patron's masturbation is legitimately disturbing another patron.

"There is no child pornography crisis here."
-- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Deputy Director, American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Office
[Move along folks, nothing to see here . . .]

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Free Porn is the Law, Say New York City Librarians

Iowa Library Defies Parents to Keep Sex in Library

ACLU Sues to Display Lesbians to Kindergartners in Library

Librarians Hail Kids' Homosexual Indoctrination Books



-- From "Orland library told to revote on Internet access policy" by Dennis Sullivan, Special to the Chicago Tribune 8/15/14

The Illinois attorney general's office has directed the Orland Park Public Library board to revote on public access to online pornography and several other policy changes approved and at a March meeting.

The Attorney General's Public Access Bureau found that the board agenda and elected officials failed to adequately inform the public "of the nature of the matters under consideration and the business being conducted."

The state agency's decision responds to a complaint by Mokena resident Megan Fox who, with Chicago resident Kevin DuJan, has been trying to get the library board to modify policies that allow unrestricted online access, including to pornography, on library computers.

The Orland Park library, with the backing of the American Library Association, has cited the First Amendment as one reason for its policy that does not restrict Internet access in its adult computer area.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Orland Park Public Library keeps Internet access policy" by Mike Nolan, Southtown Star (Chicago Sun-Times) 8/19/14

Before the 4-2 vote, some patrons asked the board to install a filter to prevent people from being able to view pornographic material while online, and two library trustees said they supported the use of filters.

Trustee Dan Drew told his fellow trustees that a firewall or filter “protects us, protects our community,” and that visitors to the library “don’t need to be looking at nasty stuff.”

He was supported by Trustee Julie Ann Craig, who said patrons want “to enjoy and feel comfortable” in the library, and that “my job is to protect the community.”

Board members Beth Gierach, Nancy Healy, Diane Jennings and Denis Ryan voted to continue to allow unfiltered access.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Orland library revotes to keep Internet policy permitting porn" by Lauren Zumbach, Chicago Tribune reporter 8/19/14

In a 4-2 vote, trustees again settled on a compromise: keep Internet access unrestricted in the adult computer lab while strengthening a patron behavior policy to make it easier for librarians to intervene if one patron's computer use disturbs another.

The library's most vocal critics, including Fox and DuJan, have accused library staff and trustees of covering up incidents of public masturbation and child pornography access and supporting policies that make the library unsafe for families.

[Trustee] Jennings said a majority of more than 100 northern Illinois libraries that displayed Internet policies on their websites did not filter Internet access on computers used by adults, according to research by library staff.

"If we could find a filter that covered only child pornography and things considered obscene by local standards, I'd have no hesitation. Unfortunately, no one has come up with that," Jennings said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Illinois School Board OKs Kids' Demands for Dirty Book

And read California School Pushes Porn Sex Ed, Parents Outraged

IL School Board OKs Kids' Demands for Dirty Book

Months ago, when parents in Glen Ellyn, Illinois learned that teachers encouraged middle school students to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower (a novel that includes profanity, homosexuality, bestiality, masturbation, incest, and rape) the school board restricted the book at the parents' request, but after a protest by the children, last night a new school board voted 6 to 1 to reinstate teaching the book.  Teachers, librarians, journalists and of course the kids are all ecstatic.

Here are just a few excerpts from the book -- click to read more excerpts (.PDF):

. . . the boy just talked soft to her about how good she looked and things like that, and she grabbed his penis with her hands and started moving it. . . . the boy pushed the girl's head down, and she started to kiss his penis. She was still crying. Finally, she stopped crying because he put his penis in her mouth, and I don't think you can cry in that position.

"There's no condom. So, what do you think happened?" . . . "They did it doggie style with one of the sandwich bags!"

"What the f**k is wrong with you?"..."And I thought Brad was f**ked-up. Jesus"

. . . one day C.B. got so drunk at a party that he tried to "f**k" the host's dog.

-- From "Near unanimous vote puts 'Wallflower' back in Glen Ellyn classrooms" by Krystyna Slivinski, Special to the Chicago Tribune 6/11/13

During the District 41 school board meeting that packed more than 100 students, parents and concerned citizens into the district offices, supporters wore large purple buttons that said "I read banned books" while others held yellow flowers.  More than 25 people addressed the board, many making emotional pleas on the issue.

Several parents and students also spoke in support of the parents who started the debate when they complained about the mature content in the book.

Several board members agreed that a more detailed policy needs to be in place and will be discussed over the summer by members of the board's Policy Committee. For now, board members approved the language in a revised letter that will go out to parents at the beginning of the school year that describes the kinds of books available as a choice for independent reading.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Controversial book headed back to Glen Ellyn District 41 library shelves" by Christopher Placek, Daily Herald (Suburban Chicago) 6/11/13

Parents would have to sign the letter and return it to school before their child could check out books from the classroom library. They could also comment on the letter if there are texts they do not want their child reading.

The letter states, in part, that some of the books students may select as independent reading options from the classroom library may "address a variety of issues, including, but not limited to sex, drugs, mental illness and violence. Some may include strong language."

A district reconsideration committee primarily composed of teachers and administrators recommended the book be retained for independent reading by eighth-grade students and not be used for instructional purposes, but the school board voted 4-2 April 29 to remove the book from the shelves.

The controversy also got the attention of national groups such as the National Coalition Against Censorship and American Library Association, which sent letters to school board members asking them to overturn the ban.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Glen Ellyn Middle School Embroiled in Book Controversy" by Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute 6/3/13

[Earlier in the school year] . . . Principal Christopher Dransoff proposed the option of teachers in the future sending out permission slips about controversial books prior to allowing students to read them, a compromise parents were willing to accept.

Dransoof soon discovered, however, that the majority of 8th grade literacy teachers would not accept such a compromise, apparently believing that such prior notification and parental permission constituted censorship and an implicit indictment of their expert judgment.

This intransigence on the part of the teachers resulted in parents pursuing the issue with the school board which [on April 29, 2013] voted 4-2 to remove the book from the middle school, which, in turn, intensified the community controversy. . . .

In addition to the arrogant unwillingness of teachers to ask for permission to teach such a controversial book, it is reported that three of the teachers, Lynn Bruno, Ali Tannenbaum, and [Tina] Booth, initiated classroom discussions on the topic, ginning up support for their position among students. It’s reported that Booth suggested to students in her class that the school board vote was unfair, that it was censorship, and that students have a “voice.” Apparently, Booth believes that the voices of 14 year-olds should have greater influence than the voices of parents and school board members. Such use of class time to engage students in a public controversy and attempt to manipulate student opinion is unprofessional and an abuse of their power and role as public servants.

Teachers who teach controversial books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower don’t really care about the feelings, beliefs, or values of conservative parents. They don’t really care about the diminished academic experience of kids who are opted out of reading controversial texts and have to spend time alone in another room reading a different book. They don’t care if they create conflict between conservative parents and their children who may resent being set apart from other kids. And they don’t care how these students feel when isolated.

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.



For background, click headlines below of previous articles:

ACLU Sues to Display Books of Lesbians to Kindergartners

Librarians Hail Kids' Homosexual Indoctrination Books

Parents Challenge Books in Schools & Libraries

New Jersey School Pulls Assigned Obscene Books

Illinois School Drops Gay Agenda Books on Bullying

After Parent Complaints, Schools Drop Sexually Explicit Book Studies

Jesus Slammed in New Hampshire School Required Reading

Indoctrinating Kids Against Non-liberal Media: PBS

Trying to counter the imminent demise of the liberal mainstream media, the so-called News Literacy Project (NLP) has infiltrated 21 inner-city and nearby schools in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago with the goal of teaching children to discount Internet-based news information from non-liberal sources.

“I used to read the Daily News or the Post. Now I read The New York Times.”
-- Raquel Monje, high school senior indoctrinated by the NLP at Manhattan’s Facing History School

-- From "In the Media - Press Room" posted at the NLP website

The news-literacy movement has the potential to begin to rewrite the unflattering narratives about the press that have become so pervasive that we’ve nearly stopped questioning them—to remove the derogatory undertone from the phrase “mainstream media.” It has the potential to push back against the hijacking of the journalistic reputation—not only by a sustained and strategic smear campaign on the part of the political right (“the liberal media”), but also on the part of the political left (“the corporate media”).

To read more at the NLP website, CLICK HERE.

From "News Literacy Project Trains Young People to Be Skeptical Media Consumers" transcript posted at The PBS Newshour 12/13/11

JEFFREY BROWN, PBS Newshour: How can young people learn to be better consumers of news and information?

COLIN O'BRIEN, News Literacy Project: You want news sources that are transparent. You want to be able to see who is doing the reporting, see what their agenda is, see who funds them, see if they are, in fact, a credible source or not.

ALAN MILLER, News Literacy Project: There is so much potential here for misinformation, for propaganda, for spin, all of the myriad sources that are out there. More and more of, the onus is shifting to the consumer.

JEFFREY BROWN: And a slew of recent studies supports the notion that young people seek out traditional news sources less and less and that they have a difficult time knowing how to judge the legitimacy of the information that does come at them.

In response, the News Literacy Project, funded by a combination of foundations, corporations and individuals, develops lesson plans for teachers . . .

JEFFREY BROWN: The program also brings journalists into the classroom to run workshops.

JEFFREY BROWN: . . . the idea of making this into a national program got a recent boost from Michael Copps, a member of the Federal Communications Commission.

MICHAEL COPPS, FCC: And we need to focus on bringing all these together in the public sector and in the private sector to develop an online news literacy curriculum that can be made available across the nation. This can be a powerful antidote to the dumbing down of our civic dialogue that has taken place.

JEFFREY BROWN: To further the effort, the News Literacy Project and the American Library Association are launching workshops around the country to make high school students better media watchdogs, with a specific focus on the 2012 political campaign.

To read the entire program transcript above, CLICK HERE.

Parents Challenge Books in Schools & Libraries

Organized grassroots activism, aided by Internet coordination, becoming more effective in screening immoral/pornographic/profane/obscene books aimed at children

For background, read After Parent Complaints, Schools Drop Sexually Explicit Book Studies

UPDATE 8/24/11: New Jersey School Pulls Assigned Obscene Books after Parental Complaints

-- From "Those challenging books find strength in numbers" by Didi Tang and Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY 11/30/10

Shortly after the fall semester began this year, Wesley Scroggins, a parent of three in Republic, Mo., publicly criticized the local school district for carrying books that he described as soft pornography.

"We've got to have educated kids, and we've got to be a moral people," Scroggins said then. "I've been concerned for some time what students in the schools are being taught."

Whereas challenges once were mostly launched by a lone parent, [American Library Association attorney Deborah] Caldwell-Stone says she has noticed "an uptick in organized efforts" to remove books from public and school libraries. A number of challenges appear to draw from information provided on websites such as Parents Against Bad Books in Schools, or PABBIS.org, and Safelibraries.org, she says.

And the latest wrinkle: A wave of complaints around the nation about inappropriate material in public schools has stirred emotional argument over just how much freedom should be extended to students in advanced courses.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Book Banning Epidemic in Southwest Missouri Fueled by Public University Professor" by William Browning, Yahoo! Contributor Network 9/21/10

The Springfield News-Leader reports today that three books are being reconsidered in the Republic School District. Wesley Scroggins, associate professor of business at Missouri State University and concerned parent, wrote an editorial to the newspaper on Sunday warning that "parents need to be cautious" regarding sex education and obscene books in the Republic School System. He points out several issues with the eighth grade sex education curriculum and the book "Slaughterhouse-Five."

The News-Leader states that Scroggins' complaints also contend that Republic teaches evolution, covers inappropriate material in sex education classes, and uses textbooks that teach errors about American government and history. Scroggins says further in his editorial that the curriculum is "unacceptable considering that most of the school board members and administrators claim to be Christian. How can Christian men and women expose children to such immorality?"

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Librarians Hail Kids' Homosexual Indoctrination Books

The American Library Association's Youth Media Awards will include books normalizing homosexual behavior for kids. Thus, these books will be added to public school collections and curricula.

For background, read Gay Agenda of the American Library Association Documented

-- From "Children’s Book Prizes to Include Gay and Lesbian Category" by Hillel Italie, Associated Press 11/1/10

The library association issued a statement Monday saying that the Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award has been added to the ALA's Youth Media Awards, watched closely by educators and librarians as they decide which books to add to their collections.

The Stonewall prize honors "English-language works for children and teens of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience." Stonewall awards for adult books were started nearly 40 years ago, but the children's category only now.

"Ours is a very inclusive profession and we represent a wide variety of viewpoints," says [ALA] president Roberta Stevens . . . "Millions of children in this country are being raised by gay or lesbian parents. There are young people who are gay and sometimes they feel very alone. This is a real opportunity for youths who may be feeling alone to read about other like themselves."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Prize Is Created for Gay Literature for Young Readers" by Julie Bosman, New York Times 11/1/10

Robert Stevens, the president of the American Library Association, said in a statement that children’s books that include the experiences of gays and lesbians “are critical tools in teaching tolerance, acceptance and the importance of diversity.”

The American Library Association said there was a growing demand for high-quality children’s books that reflect the experiences of gays and lesbians, citing a national statistic that about 14 million children have a gay or lesbian parent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Tea Party Forces School Back on Gay Agenda

"We monitor the school boards, the county freeholders, the New Jersey Legislature. There's a lot of people out there fed up with what's going on. It's important they understand the issues before they start doing something. That's where we come in."

-- From "Burlco school board bans book on homosexuality" by James Osborne, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer 5/5/10

A Burlington County school board voted Tuesday night to pull a book depicting teenage homosexuality from its high school library shelves after protests from a local conservative group.

The Rancocas Valley Board of Education, which oversees a regional high school serving the Mount Holly area, was concerned that the book was too graphic for children, said school board member Jesse Adams.

The controversy began at a school board meeting in March when a group of 18 residents, who later identified themselves as part of the 9.12 Project, a nationwide government watchdog network launched by the talk-radio and television personality Glenn Beck, called for the banning of three books, all dealing with teenage sexuality and issues of homosexuality, said Superintendent Michael Moskalski.

The books are Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology; Love and Sex: 10 Stories of Truth; and The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities.

The proposed ban carried with it political undertones. The national 9.12 group has called for the resignation of Kevin Jennings as assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education. Jennings, who is openly gay, is the former head of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Activists see momentum in book ban" by James Osborne, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer 5/6/10

The campaign at Rancocas Valley Regional High School to pull Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology and two other books dealing with teenage homosexuality is unlikely to be the last time county residents hear from [Gerry] Grabinski and his members - 358 according to the group's Web site [Burlington County 9.12].

They're already looking at petitioning the removal of the same book from the Lenape Regional High School District, which with four high schools and about 7,500 students is the county's largest school district.

In addition, 9.12 members are campaigning for such changes as an alternate teaching of global warming - the state considers Al Gore's documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, an educational resource - and a requirement that high schools teach civics as a stand-alone class.

The path to the book's ban at Rancocas Valley began last year when Beverly Marinelli, a widely known activist in Lumberton who joined 9.12 last year, was poking around online and found a list of books recommended by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

"We decided to see if these books were here, and, lo and behold, they were," Marinelli said. "There's stuff that's appropriate for children and stuff that's not. People wish to distract from the real issue by going into the 9.12 thing."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Iowa Library Defies Parents to Keep Sex in Library

A teen sex magazine will stay on the shelves at the Ames Public Library despite a petition signed by more than 100 parents objecting to the publication.

-- From "Teen Sex Magazine to Stay on Shelves at Iowa Library" Associated Press 11/22/09

The Ames Library Board voted 6-1 to support library Director Art Weeks' recommendation to keep the magazine Sex, Etc., in the teen section.

From "Trustees to decide fate of Sex, Etc." by Jennifer Meyer, Staff Writer, The Tribune (Ames, Iowa) 11/18/09

Joyce Bannantine presented a petition with 118 signatures to the Library Board of Trustees last month objecting to the open display in the teen area and offering free copies of the magazine Sex, Etc.

The magazine is written for teens by teens under the oversight of Answer, a national sexuality organization at Rutgers University.

“We get this journal Sex, Etc. to provide authoritative information that teens would likely be curious about,” Library Director Art Weeks said.

Sex, Etc. is displayed in a stand with about a dozen other magazines. Teens can also take home for free one of the 10 extra copies the library subscribes to for $15.

“Kids might not intuitively surmise that we have this information, so we wanted to make sure to communicate to them, ‘Yes, this information is available here,’” Weeks said. “The other thing is that this is a topic they may not always feel comfortable going to the librarian or information desk and requesting information, so we make it available for them to get without having an adult intermediary.”

. . . an article describing lesbian sex, for example, may be “putting ideas into their heads that some of them may not have even thought about yet. And then, whoa, this is being thrown at them” by displaying it where teens who are not actively seeking that information might find it, Bannantine said.

Weeks recommended to the Library Board of Trustees to continue its display and distribution of Sex, Etc. based on principals of the American Library Association and Ames library to promote access without age restrictions.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Gay Agenda of the American Library Association Documented

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) says there's an entire community of people across the world who say that their sexual orientation changed from gay to straight. But they're not getting their message out, the group says, because libraries across the country refuse to carry literature that describes these experiences or any studies that support them.

-- From "Libraries Should Include Ex-Gay Books, Group Says" by Matt Bartosik, posted at NBC Chicago 10/23/09

"According to Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the [American Library Association's] Office for Intellectual Freedom, ALA policy recommends diversity in book collection development by libraries, regardless of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. However, Caldwell-Stone refuses to state whether that diversity policy includes ex-gay books," PFOX executive director Regina Griggs said in a press release.

"Books about leaving homosexuality are censored in most high school libraries, although gay-affirming books for youth are readily available," she continued.

However, the American Psychological Association, along with most mainstream medical groups, has said that mental health professionals and parents should avoid telling young people that they can change their sexual orientation.

In 2008, the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers stated in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of California:

"Sexual orientation has proved to be generally impervious to interventions intended to change it, which are sometimes referred to as 'reparative therapy.' No scientifically adequate research has shown that such interventions are effective or safe."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Gay Reversal Advocates Say School Libraries Banning Their 'Ex-Gay' Books" by Diane Macedo, FOX News 10/22/09

. . . a book like "My Genes Made Me Do It!: A Scientific Look at Sexual Orientation" — which argues that sexuality is shaped by a variety of factors, not just biological — can't get a spot on the school library shelf.

Neither can "You Don't Have to Be Gay," which describes author Jeff Konrad's struggle to overcome his unwanted same-sex attractions.

But "Baby Be-Bop," the coming-out story of a gay teen, which includes descriptions of his sexual encounters in bathroom stalls with men he never talks to, makes the stacks.

So does "Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth," which describes a gay teen's relationship with his tutor with excerpts like: "Matt had one leg locked between mine, so that his d—- was smashed between his stomach and my thigh. And as his hand jerked up and down on me his hips humped with the same rhythm."

Calls from Foxnews.com to Caldwell-Stone were directed to American Library Association Media Relations Manager Macey Morales, who asked for more information about PFOX's allegations and then failed to return follow-up e-mails and phone calls.

To read the entire article above, which includes links to extensive documentation, CLICK HERE.

Virginia School Bans Books Critical of Homosexuality

Librarians say such books "would make gay students feel inferior"

-- From "Conservative Group Urges Libraries to Accept Collection" by Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post Staff Writer 10/3/08

During a week that librarians nationwide are highlighting banned books, conservative Christian students and parents showcased their own collection outside a Fairfax County high school yesterday -- a collection they say was banned by the librarians themselves.

More than 40 students, many wearing black T-shirts stamped with the words "Closing Books Shuts Out Ideas," said they tried to donate more than 100 books about homosexuality to more than a dozen high school libraries in the past year. The initiative, organized by Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, was intended to add a conservative Christian perspective to shelves that the students said are stocked with "pro-gay" books.

Most of the books were turned down after school librarians said they did not meet school system standards. Titles include "Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting" and "Someone I Love Is Gay," which argues that homosexuality is not "a hopeless condition."

Fairfax County's policy on library book selection says "the collection should support the diverse interests, needs and viewpoints of the school community."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Librarians: We Must Expose Children to Erotic Books

"We [librarians] don't act in the place of the parent. Whether I personally agree with an item or not is besides the point. It's about having access."

-- From "Anti-porn group challenges library" by Amanda Palleschi, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 9/4/2008

A local group wants the libraries to make it more difficult for teens to have access to some books they think are unsuitable for reading without parental consent.

The libraries say that to comply with the group's requests would constitute censorship, and maintain that they already have a process in place to review materials.

The local group, organized into a loose coalition by a local chapter of Citizens Against Pornography, began questioning books found in all [St. Louis] county library branches in August after Ellisville parent Laura Kostial approached some of the anti-pornography group's members. Kostial had visited the Daniel Boone branch several times with her 12-year-old daughter and found material she thought "shocking."

Kostial said she hadn't seen books aimed at teens with "erotic" passages at the county's Daniel Boone Library before a visit last year. The books in question range from non-fiction titles such as "The Little Black Book for Girlz, A Book on Healthy Sexuality" and "Growing up Gay in America" to contemporary series like the "Gossip Girl" books and a series of books with a protagonist named Alice by Phyllis Naylor ("Alice on Her Way" is one of them).

The group objects to passages in the books that range from suggested sexual activity to detailed descriptions of sex acts. Many are fiction. Some are non-fiction [how to have sex] guides.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Christian Grassroots Impact Batavia, Illinois

Average moms and dads gather neighbors to challenge the library's sexualization of children, yet their impact went well beyond the library

How can ONE Christian bring "salt & light" to a lost culture? Read on . . .

Batavia mom Kerry Knott was looking at the local library's website. On the children's webpage she found a prominent link to Planned Parenthood's TeenWire.com, and when she clicked on the link, she was appalled at the crude, graphic sexualization aimed at children. Kerry passed the word around town, and a couple of other residents joined to support her; then there were more residents.

Kerry and several residents attended the Library Board meeting in June and were allowed to speak. The Board deferred the matter to the July Board meeting. In the meantime, the media and Planned Parenthood began spewing their usual rhetoric to rally the public behind the library's typical "non-censorship" mantra.

Reading the brief media excerpts below (links to full articles included), Christians will be encouraged. Not only did the Library Board vote to move the TeenWire.com link off the children's webpage to an obscure spot where children don't browse, take note that the Daily Herald editorial (final excerpt below) actually criticizes Planned Parenthood! (The aim was at the Library, but the media "got the message" also.)

Kerry Knott and a small number of average citizens have demonstrated how God works through His people. Remember, with the strength of the Lord, all David needed was a few stones, and down came the giant!

CLICK HERE to read media reports after the June Library Board meeting.

From "Batavia library to keep sex ed link - It'll just be moved, library says" by Susan Sarkauskas, Daily Herald Staff 7/16/2008 [after the July Library Board meeting]

A link to Planned Parenthood's Teenwire sex education site will remain on the Batavia Public Library's Web site, despite a resident's request that it be removed.

However, it will be moved from the "Young Adult" page to the general "Web Reference" page, at the direction of the library board in a 4-2 vote Tuesday night.

The two trustees who voted against the measure did so because they felt the site should stay on the "Young Adult" portion.

Kerry Knott, the woman who had protested the link, said she was disappointed by the board's decision, but pleased with the process. The request was first considered by a staff committee, which recommended keeping the link. Knott then filed an appeal with the board.

At a hearing continued from the board's June meeting, attended by more than 120 people, more than 30 spoke to the board about the link. More of the speakers favored removing it than keeping it.

"This isn't about censoring books," said Geri Fuehring. "There is so much on the Internet that is just not good. It doesn't reflect what Batavia is about or what the Batavia library is about." She also called the Web site "tasteless and crass." It features an animation section, including a video that features a cartoon penis and vagina discussing how a woman becomes pregnant.

Here are excerpts from the Daily Herald editorial:

From "Right choice on teen site, with caveats" 7/19/2008

With some qualifications, we believe the Batavia Public Library Board made the correct decision last week in voting to keep a Planned Parenthood sponsored Web site link on the library's Web site.

But it was only the correct decision because the board also decided to move the link titled Teenwire out of the young adult health section and onto a general Web reference category more commonly used by adults. Mostly, Batavia parents were correct in questioning this site link in a public manner, showing that residents are keeping an eye on what its library offers and bringing to light the side issue that is critically important - that parents and teens communicate on the topic of sex. [emphasis added]

Because removing the link would mean the library caved in to censorship, we support the board's decision to keep the link. But we also know that anyone can find Teenwire through a regular search-engine, though the easy link on the library site welcomed those who might be too young for the graphic information and what we would agree is an unusual use of animated characters to deliver messages about how a female gets pregnant.

Though we're not certain it was the key point on the minds of detractors amongst the more than 100 residents at the public meeting, we do have some reservations about the Planned Parenthood site. It would provide a more balanced view of teen pregnancy if it provided a direct link to information on abstinence, highlighting its importance. We understand that the abstinence message in and of itself won't work to end teen pregnancy. But it remains an option that we support without hesitation. From that standpoint, we are pleased that the young adult links under the health category includes familydoctor.org, which explains the sex questions clearly and fully, and includes abstinence and how two teens should support each other if they have chosen this wise option. With that, we can see that the library Web site is providing balanced information and choices - the major role a library plays in a community.

And Batavians can say they were not afraid to debate it in public. [emphasis added]

To read the entire editorial, CLICK HERE.

Batavia, IL Library Promotes Planned Parenthood to Kids

"The premise is that everyone is sexually active, regardless of what their values are, regardless of what their parents believe."

Update: Library Board Unanimous - Keep Teenwire Link on Website

-- From "Parents Outraged by Library Link to Planned Parenthood Web Site" Family News in Focus 6/27/08

Parents were outraged when they learned their library in Batavia, Ill., links its computers to Planned Parenthood's teen Web site. They have formed a coalition and are calling for the link to be removed.

Parent Kerry Knott complained to the library director after discovering the link.

"This is horrible stuff," she said. "It promotes birth control, sexual activity (and) makes a joke of abstinence. It mocks parents and makes us out to be idiots."

She and about 60 other parents took their case to the library board recently. Knott claims they were cut off early by the board.

"We the people, the taxpayers who fund the libraries, are no longer in control of the libraries," Knott said.

LeAnna Benn, an abstinence instructor and executive director of Teen Aid, said: "When I read about the case, I was not surprised because the American Library Association has teamed up with Planned Parenthood on a regular basis to promote 'comprehensive' sex education."

She said "comprehensive" sex education really should be called "condom-promotion education."

WARNING: This Planned Parenthood website (for teens) should ONLY be viewed by mature adults!

CLICK HERE to see stuff that is so crude that it certainly wouldn't be shown on broadcast TV. This is what the "educators" of America think children should be viewing. Look at the lower-right corner of the webpage for the graphic "How Pregnancy Happens" to see a cartoon for kids -- the characters are talking sex organs.

Not surprisingly, a Chicago Sun Times journalist is very much in favor of children being sexualized at an early age.

-- From "Another misguided attack - Batavia critics complain about TeenWire" by Laura Berman, Chicago Sun Times 7/7/08

The Batavia Library has listed Planned Parenthood's teen Web site under the health and fitness Web site links in its Young Adult section.

This Web site offers teens information on everything from menstrual cycles, body image concerns, STDs and, yes, birth control options. However, some parents and library board members are decrying the Web site's existence on the library computers, stating that the information offered by Planned Parenthood is "inaccurate" and "extremely misleading."

. . . sites like TeenWire make sex education that much more relevant to teens by offering stories from actual teen mothers, along with information on peer pressure, cliques and dating advice. Parents, teachers and lawmakers need to realize that waving the proverbial finger in teens' faces does nothing to protect them, inform them or empower them to make safe, smart decisions about their sexuality and their lives.

To read this entire Sun Times article, CLICK HERE.

Want to know more about the effort in Batavia? Click on the topics listed below.

Standing room only at Batavia Library Board Meeting of June 17th [blog]

Parents protest Batavia library's Web link [Daily Herald]

Family group fuming over library's sex ed Web link [Batavia Sun]

Good News! Idaho: Library Board Votes to Protect Children From Porn

Decency sometimes does prevail when we take a stand...

From "Nampa Library Board Votes to Protect Children From Porn" posted 6/4/08 at IdahoExaminer.com

Editor’s note: The subject material in the following story will be objectionable to some people

Two books with graphic, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination sexual illustrations will not be allowed back on the general circulation shelves in the Nampa Library.

“The New Joy of Sex” and “The Joy of Gay Sex” were made permanently inaccessible to minors on a 3-2 vote yesterday by the Nampa Library Board. “The Joy of Gay Sex” is particularly objectionable, showing in vivid and realistic detail virtually every conceivable way of engaging in homosexual sex, and which includes an entire chapter on “Daddy-Son Sex Fantasies” to book.

The controversy began over two years ago when a 15-year-old stumbled across the “Joy of Gay Sex” on a table in the middle of the library where any child could find it.

Kudos to activist husband and father Randy Jackson, who launched the effort to remove this smut from general circulation in 2005. His efforts show what an engaged citizen can accomplish through cheerful persistence. And kudos to Mayor Tom Dale, who appointed family-friendly members to the Board to replace members who insisted that gay porn remain accessible to young children.

Read the rest of this article.

Apparently Idahoans still have a remnant of leaders possessing some common sense and decency. Wish we could say the same for Chicago area schools in Deerfield and District 214...

Banned Books? Smoke Screen of Hypocrisy

If someone wants to complain about censorship, let's start with the dwindling number of conservative books on the shelves of our libraries...

From "Banned Books Week: Smoke screen of Hypocrisy" by Linda Harvey, posted 9/23/07 at WorldNetDaily.com

Libraries and schools throughout the country are ready once again to observe Banned Books Week. It's that special time each year when some in the library profession point an accusing finger at parents, especially Christians or conservatives who might dare to question the value or appropriateness of certain materials available to youth. For 25 years since its inception, Banned Books Week has been warning America: "Beware of the ignorance and repression of censors! They will deprive us all of valuable knowledge and freedom."

Setting aside any danger that the government might ban valuable materials, which is not happening in any community in America, let's strip away the spin and look at the facts. The supposed dangers are essentially phony. For there are several methods to "ban" a book from a school or library: someone can ask that something already in the library be removed, or, valuable books can be banned from consideration before they ever reach the shelves. This is the dirty little secret behind the bluster and outrage of Banned Books Week: private, library-initiated censorship is a routine practice throughout America.

Library selection committees are systematically purging libraries of any conservative or serious Christian viewpoints and instead, loading the shelves with left-wing propaganda and pornography. This year, the American Library Association is making a special to-do about the "dangers" of objections to "gay-themed books" especially those for youth. While it's doubtful this is an issue that keeps most Americans awake at night, it's important to recognize that as controversial social issues go, there is hardly a more hot-button topic, and one would think that all these "free-speech" advocates and defenders of philosophical liberties would be worried about any suppression of viewpoints on this high -profile subject. Don't the vigilant watchdogs of tolerance seek to protect a "diversity" of thought?

Well, the microcosm of my local library in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, reflects what many are reporting from around the nation: Conservative materials on the issue of homosexuality are disappearing from the collection, or more often, never appearing in the first place. In researching the catalog of the Upper Arlington Public Library, I searched under titles, authors and subjects for books providing a responsible defense of traditional marriage and warning about the risks of homosexual behavior.

I searched under "homosexuality," "gay and lesbian," "traditional marriage," "Christian morality," "ex-gay," "ex-homosexual," and many other phrases. My search yielded four non-fiction books expressing a conservative viewpoint.

...And time doesn't even permit me to cover all the many offerings detailing homosexual, bisexual and group sex, nor the selections arguing for more tolerance and understanding of adults having sex with children – "intergenerational intimacy" is the new name for pedophilia.

In the section of the library aimed toward adults, I stopped counting at 100 pro-homosexual books..

Read the whole article.