ACLu wants P*rn in Public Libraries

1. 89

   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   The American Civil Liberties Union is suing a Washington state library district for not offering access to online p*rn, Seattle's King 5 TV reports.
   The ACLU is representing three library users and a nonprofit organization, and argues that federally funded libraries should disable their filters upon the request of an adult.
   
   For example, despite repeated complaints from women about men watching porn in full view of their children, the Seattle Public Library held fast to its policy of unrestricted online access for adults, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
   http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/ … nline-porn
   sometimes the ACLU goes too far and doesn't use common sense...having men watching porn in full view of children is an insane idea

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2. 77

   Joelipooposted 12 years ago

   Is this supposed to surprise us?  The ACLU is always doing things that go entirely against common sense.

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3. 53

   joe scaliseposted 12 years ago

   That is absurd. They are trying to stop people from smoking cigarettes around children but they want to allow them to view porn in public.  There are things that should not be done in public.  Public rest rooms are enclosed to prevent viewing public behavior that is common only in our zoos.  The ACLU yet again shows how and why it reached the level of destroying its relevnace.

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4. 71

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   Not putting a + vote to "free pron in libraries"
   
   But as an art student, I frequently accessed nudes in my College library. If I was sitting in a public library I would expect the same abilities. The sources of the nudes could have been anything from known Renaissance masters to contemporary avant garde photographers, meaning who knows if a casual observer would have discerned any difference from the latest Hustler.
   
   Not a fan of limitations on adult activities based on "what a child might see" - there are childrens areas in most libraries and any child should be monitored and chaperoned at all times in a public library. There are plenty of legitimate texts I wouldn't want my child looking through in the library.
   
   If the argument was something about decency and tax dollars in a publicly funded library I would have open ears but "what if the children see" is only the parents responsibility.
   
   Libraries are for information not babysitting. My librarian friends would agree.
   
   But, then again, If I was walking through a public library with my daughter on my way to a kid safe zone and had to walk by the screen of some freak leering over some actual porn, I might pause just long enough to offer a quick instructional beatdown and inform him that he will be  finding a new library. I can think of many Fathers in my age group that would act in a similar manner.
   
   I suspect most witnesses would conveniently not notice
   
   edit-the linked article points out an issue I would have been vexed to encounter - “This case is about an overly broad filtering policy that has restricted an adult student from using the Internet for a class assignment and a professional photographer from accessing art galleries online,” ACLU cooperating attorney Duncan Manville said in a statement.
   
   It does say "disable filters upon request"
   
   
   You'll notice that the ALA agrees with my take:
   
   "The American Library Association endorses the same stance.
   "Sometimes, in a library, you're going to see information that's going to make you uncomfortable," Barbara Jones, director of the association's intellectual freedom office, told radio station KUOW Wednesday."
   
   
   The librarian at the library agrees:
   
   "She figured the library wasn't going to budge. But what peeved her was a librarian's statement, that "the library is a public space; it's more like a bus stop than a safe haven."
   
   Meaning, you'll encounter creeps at a bus stop, and you should watch your kids."
   
   this comment sums it up well:
   
   "I don't delegate to any individual the right to decide for me what information I can consume on the equipment that my tax dollars have paid for.
   
   You say that pornography is obscene, but what if I say that the Torah is obscene (as I believe it is) and demand that it be banned as well?"
   
   From my point - the "lack of common sense" comes from the commenters and parents who dont realize the scope of the request. Is it scummy and absolutely despicable for an individual to behave that way in public, yes, but watching your kids better is a common sense solution, only fools without a sense of history support censorship.

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   1. 89

      Stacie Lposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      well this commentator for one is no fool...and we need a bit of censorship or these pervs will be eyeing your kid next
      
      yes children use the library unaccompanied by parent. many go after school t use the computers for homework.
      
      btw- looking at nudes for art is a far cry than those watching the action of porn.
      as an artist I can appreciate the human form ,,in the right context.

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5. 71

   sunforgedposted 12 years ago

   The question comes down to, is the library for children to roam unchaperoned or for adults to peruse any information they see fit without having to explain their purpose.
   
   I think its for information. Im aware children attend the library alone, it was one of my favorite haunts. Doesn't mean I'm willing to support limiting information resources in favor of protecting the children. I expect parents to protect their children.
   
   for any problem that includes "but what if the children see" the answer will always be "where is the parent"
   
   
   
   Again, if I witnessed a perv watching porn (and possibly exposing my child)I would put an end to it through whatever, a polite request, a not so polite threat, reaching over and unplugging the computer, offering a beating etc.. I can do that, I just wont support allowing my government to do it for me (or to me) Its not a judgement call we should be willing to give away.
   
   yes, I realize that its not ok to beat people in public either, and isnt a normal part of my daily routine nor is every person of the disposition to confront a stranger (in any manner).
   
   also - there is no correlation between adults enjoying adult pornography and pedophiles and child molesters "eyeing your children'
   
   someone might also do their taxes or write a very personal letter on a library screen, children and observers should have the basic decency to be blind to others screens, what someone is looking at isnt your business and children should be taught to respect others privacy.
   
   Ive never seen a library allow audio. In the hypothetical situation, the observer would have to intentionally be prying into what a viewer was viewing.
   
   does any of that matter? or is it just "egad,porn!"

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6. 53

   joe scaliseposted 12 years ago

   Sunforged, I failed to consider legitimate atr forms that deal with the human body. My immediate perception was pornographic sexual activity. I am not an artist of paint or sketch.  I write poetry and I dabble at pencil sketching.  I don't see a problem with nudity in that context and in different societies you wouldn;t have to distract a child away from a nude painting. I can't see a legitimate public forum for sexual acts in print or video.  Kama Sutra or other educational style media could possibly be made available in and adult room.  I may have initially overeacted about porn in the library but I didn't consider nudity without sexual conotations actual porn. This topic may require more discussion but children must have childhood restored because even without porn children are exposed at too early of an age to drugs, sex, violence and hatred.

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      Castlepalomaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I watch reefer madness where women smoked one joint and strip their clothes off then ran into a lake screaming, singing and all nude.
      
      We were way to excited about getting high and having sex,
      
      No , I don't think porn in class is a good idea,
      
      Kids can get as much porn as they want on the internet. At least that is better than watching people kill each other on the News and in Movies

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7. 0

   Onusonusposted 12 years ago

   Not surprising, the ACLU tried to legalize the distribution of child pornography in a past court case as well.

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8. 61

   Nouveau Skepticposted 12 years ago

   The story is now corrected with this notice:
   
   "Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post said the American Civil Liberties Union had sued the North Central Regional Library district, based in Wenatchee, Wash., for not offering access to online pornography. The ACLU says that its case was not about pornography but was aimed at overly broad Internet filters that blocked access to legitimate research and political activity."
   
   Which in my experience is exactly what these filters do.  They block several sites I run, for example one about how to write a romance novel of the type found on library shelves.  Also sites about homosexuality, how to get help when you are a victim of domestic violence, and many other subjects.

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