Obviously, that’s a decision that should be made by the Governor of Alaska:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-wouldbe.html

Palin did cencored books in Alaska. The government shoudl not be invovled as they should not be involved with guns.

I have been too busy keeping my kids from watching some of the heavily adult-themed so-called kid shows on TV to worry about what they check out from the library. Did Dana Carvey bring back “Church Lady?” This is really a joke and these people are going to raise money to support libraries, right?

Parent of two, both now adults, one married, the other a senior in college.

I am fully capable as a parent to make that decision. If I were not able to, I would never have taken on the job.

I think Palin _tried_ but was unsuccessful. Bummer; I still like her, though. As for locally, PARENTS should be aware of what their kids are reading/watching/doing. It isn’t up to the library or buttinsky groups like this one. Frankly, if a kid is hanging out at the library, even if he’s reading a few naughty words or steamy scenes, I don’t think he’s the type of kid you need to be worrying about! (Posted by an advanced reader who read Peyton Place in junior high, just because I could.)

I read The Godfather in middle school, which had plenty of naughty words and scenes in it. It didn’t ruin me.

Please keep the books age appropriate. WHERE HAS COMMON SENSE GONE? This is the library’s civic duty. I am a tax paying customer of the library and expect better. Why does the library have a children’s section? I wouldn’t expect to find Adult material in the children’s section, the Teen section should have the same consideration. Why are movies and TV show rated? Teens are not adults. They still need guidance in our society. It is the lazy adults that are letting our children and country down. Be Adults, Be responsible and protect our future. Our county has been passed by third world countries in math, science, job development, technology, ecomony, productivity etc. While our children are reading the latest smut, the next economic revolution is incubating on the other side of the world. If the St. Louis County Libray did it’s civic duty this topic wouldn’t be an issue. WAKE UP, BE RESPONSIBLE AND DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR OUR COUNTRY’S FUTURE.

Agreed, JenniferWhatNot.

Instead of censoring, why don’t we teach our kids the values we want them to learn so that they can make their own decisions? Once your kids are middle school age, they will get ahold of whatever they want, and wouldn’t you much rather it were books than Hustler magazine?

Besides, forbidden fruit tastes the best, right? I’m not saying that it’s good because it’s forbidden, but kids want what they can’t have, especially when someone tells them they can’t have it. When I was in elementary school, there were books only middle schoolers were allowed to check out, and it was a pretty big thing when you could get an older sibling to check out one of those books for you.

On another note, my aunt and uncle still censor everything their high-school-aged children read and do, and they support initiatives like this. I love them dearly, but their kids have no idea how to make their own decisions about ANYTHING. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like once they get to college.

Sounds like CAP is pretty lazy. Instead of tackling all sorts of revealing clothing at the mall that kids buy with their allowance, salacious videos from stores, or seeing ultra-violent/sex filled movies at the cinema, they go after the weakest and lamest target…the local library.

These CAP folks are as bad as a few minority liberals who blame “The Man” for all their ills. For these few, sad souls, the Supreme Court, the teachers, and now the library, are responsible for their ills. Do they think Sarah Pallin’s daughter spend too much time at the library, I wonder?

As a parent, I have four great controls for inappropriate materials entering our home: my two eyes, and my wife’s.

There should definitely be censorship where our children are concerned! The first amendment was not about the right to allow obscene material in public. It was about the right to keep government in control. It was about the right to speak out against unjust taxes or telling the President you think his foreign policy stinks. According to our Founding Fathers, our government was only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. That is a quote from John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States. Folks, you need to study history for yourself. America was and will always be meant to be a nation ruled by Christians. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.

There should be a limit set on what books a child should check out at the library. The childs parent should be responsible for that limit.

Please, Freedom of Speech!!!!. DON’T LET YOUR DAUGHTER CHECK THE BOOKS OUT….Oh that would be an idea!!!
If these people would get a life to help major problems in our US of A instead of little petty things like books maybe would have a better place to live!!!

Banning books in the library and enforcing blanket restrictions on what children can borrow are great — if you’re a lazy parent who wants someone else to do your work for you.

No, censorship leads to withholding of rights.

Now, if a parent is not attending to their children and the child obtains such material, then the parent should define what is allowable within their home, but that is a far as the parent’s rights should be considered for the child in question. A parent can define to their children what they should and should not do, but at the same time, it is up to the parent to speak with their on subjects of sexuality and allow the child to choose what that means to them.

No parents group should be allowed to define what is in a public library. Libraries are used to research “all” topics in life, and to allow them to state what should and should not be in a library may affect more than just their kids and set legal precedence do define what should be allowed in libraries all over America. This could develop into casting out religious texts from libraries because someone states that these texts are offensive to them, or cause libraries not to be able to keep copies of Darwin’s works on evolution in a library because a parent’s group somewhere censors these texts.

NO, libraries should maintain as much published materials as they can hold on every topic in the world, even materials that are pornographic in nature.

Loadkins…GET A GRIP. You’re a narrow-minded freak and represent EVERYTHING that is wrong with our Country. Christian Right…WRONG. You don’t have to cram your ideology down our throats. “The USA was intended and will always be ruled by Christians????” Are you for real? RULED?! What happened to GOVERNED?! Are you a hater of Muslims and Islam? Of other religions and ways of life too? Do you disagree with anyone who is not White and making less than $500,000 a year? …which is a reference to McCain’s middle-class ceiling. You should take personal responsibility for YOU and your family. Ask your children questions…find out what they are doing…GET INVOLVED IN THEIR LIVES! That way you won’t have to go looking for some BS reason to Censor the Library…A public institution. You deal with your PRIVATE life, and butt out of PUBLIC life. …Always will be RULED by Christians…whatever.

For those of you who think we need censorship IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY maybe you should try actually going with your child to the library to see what they pick out instead of using the library as a babysitting service. If you feel your child needs to browse only in one certain section you can make sure your child stays there and pick books you approve of. Don’t force your “values” on the rest of the planet. My kids read what I decide my kids can read. I don’t expect anyone else to take over that responsibility for me. Buck up and be a parent!

Though I do agree that there are many objectionable books in the local library, I do not agree in making it the responsibility of the library to be the parent. It is my responsibility and duty as a parent to be involved in my children’s activities, whether in what they watch or read, or who they are friends with, etc. I do agree that a rating system, like we have for movies and television, would assist the parent in determining the appropriateness of its content. With a visible rating system, the library could leave the material where it was intended to go, and parents could itentify material that would need further review before allowing their children to read it. Though I object to the direction society is taking and the increased liberal media that is aimed at our children, I do not support the removal or censorship of any material in the library. Once we go down that road, there is no turning back. I have allowed my children to read and watch some stories that would be deemed inappropriate for them, but the richness in the content far out-weighed what a group of raters determined was bad. We as parents have to direct our children and teach them how to determine with what to fill their minds and no laws will be able to control their free will. If our children value their minds and hearts, they will seek to protect them from harm.

On another note, yeah for Palin. She is not afraid to stand up for moral integrity an honest government. She says what she believes and not just what will get her elected. With the liberals getting a politician to stand up for what they want, why shouldn’t the conservative right? We have a stake in this country too! If the extreme left want a country that has an “everything goes” mentality, there are many European contries waiting for them. Let us have one of the last few countries that still “basically” stand on the premise that their IS absolute truth and that true freedom comes not from a free for all, but from those truths.

As a parent of an inquisitive teenager, some censorship is good. Believe me, your child will find a way to ‘check things out’. Putting a rating on a book is a flag to a parent who usually accompanies their child to the library. I feel that is adequate. What I find offensive is the use of library computers by adults no less looking up pornography while your child is sitting at the next computer trying to do his homework! Let’s monitor that!

A local group is selecting books. The group of employees at the library charged with that responsibility. I’m sure they are selecting materials in accordance with their Collection Development Policy. The book selection should not be limited by a small self-appointed group.

My teenage children need to learn to make their own appropriate selections.

My children and I will decide what they read. No one else. End of story.

If you don’t like a book in the library. Don’t read it.

Don’t you dare try to tell me what I can and cannot read. Try reading the Bill of Rights instead (and, don’t skip #2).

I have a daughter who is at the age where she is starting to read material from the teen area of the library. I go to the library with her and help her find appropriate reading material. That’s my job, not the job of the tax-paid library system and it only takes a few minutes a week. We also look on-line and read reviews before choosing books. I don’t understand why parents don’t take responsibiliy for their own childen and what they are reading.

The key is in the name of this article, parental control. The library should not be playing the role of censor. We are not in a totalitarian state (yet).

People like loadkins scare me. They are just one step away from the Taliban. MY RELIGION, MY BELIEFS, or you can leave. With the Taliban, you don’t get to leave. They just slaughter you.

I suspect loadkins is a delegate to the Republican National Convention! She’d certainly fit in with that crowd, which is terrifying…..

But in seriousness, if your child is getting books from the library - GREAT. If you’re concerned about what they read - don’t abdicate your responsibility as a parent; review what it is they ARE reading. It takes all of two minutes to google anything ever written; if you haven’t got the time for that, then you shouldn’t be a parent. Citizens groups are NOT the ones to determine what should be read!

I guess after reading all of the articles and responses, I’m having a hard time understanding how some people define “censorship.” While the news stories do mention this watch-dog group suggesting pulling books as one option, they also suggest special sections to put some questionable books. I guess I have to ask: Is any kind of rating system, designated areas for books that address designated behavior or topics “censorship”? Am I to understand that any kind of regulatory behavior by a library is to be absolutely shunned? I get the outrage if what was being suggested was outright book bans, but that really isn’t what seems to be suggested (despite the histrionic and extreme point-of-view replies seem to suggest.) My bottom line? I’ll reserve for myself what my children do and don’t read, but I also desire and welcome a little “heads-up” on certain books they might bring home. Banning books…no. Labeling books to help me make the best decision…yes.

I think this is a decision that should definately be left up to parents. Like Jenniferwhatnot said below, if your kid is hanging out in a library, and picks up on some steamy lines or cursing, I don’t think you have too much to worry about. All literature should be available to everyone. If you’re that uncomfortable with the books in your local library then follow your kid around and censor what THEY read, don’t make the decision for evey parent and child, not every parent shares your views.

This last Superbowl I had to explain to my 3 year old son why one man shot another man on a CSI commercial. That was not something I enjoyed doing. I would much rather my son see a naked women than have to explain that! and ten bucks says he would not even question seeing that.
So with that said…why are these people not out there fighting to remove violent and or war books from the “teen” library section?!?! Funny how that works…

Oh and for the ignorant fellow below by the name of “loadkins3506″. Please educate yourself on John Adams, he was more of a deist than anything:

“God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy is got rid of, there never will be any liberal science in the world”

“As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?”

and last but not least…(Very fitting on the subject at hand.)

“I shall have liberty to think for myself without molesting others or being molested myself.”

and we will not even get into Jefferson…

I cannot believe anybody in their right minds would want pornographic books exposed to children. I think our kids today need to grow up too quickly already, why encourage this with inappropriate books. I will decide what my children read but if I were to let them browse books in the childrens section of the library, I would expect there are only CHILDRENS books there!!! Pornographic or explicit books are not for children.

I think the libraries are doing wonderful work and should continue to resist attempts at censorship. Many people have censored libraries before, a couple of them even burned books.

Labeling books is already being done in a manner that satisfies me. Many books from classics to mysteries to romances have steamy sections. Many of the books this group objects to are not pornographic, but rather have a description of sexual activity as a small piece of a larger work. Separating such books does an injustice to all the patrons who are not bothered by such material. The library cannot ban books (or label them and shelve them in a corner) to suit the whims of small groups or it would shortly have no material left. There is someone out there who objects to just about anything.

The library has my full support on this one.

I’m sitting in a County library right now with my three-year-old. I’ve probably seen every single title in their children’s section over the years. I’ve never found porn sandwiched between Chicken Little and Dora the Explorer. Momof4, where do you guys get your books????

I would like to know the exact books that are showing pornography. I am well read and my daughter will be well read. I mean, is Hustler or Playboy laying around in the children/teen section? Are they referring to “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret?” HELLO! That is a classic book that shows girls that your body is changing and it is NORMAL! My mom talked to all three of us girls about changes and what is out in the real world, but we were still allowed to read, watch, etc. and question it. We would have discussions at the dinner table as a family. I don’t see why the government should be involved in what a parent should be doing. What is next, getting rid of the newspaper because of the violence reported in it?

America was and will always be meant to be a nation ruled by Christians. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.

this is a joke,….right!?

The idea that the First Amendment permits government to ban publications that are “offensive” to some people puts an ominous gloss on freedom of the press. That test would make it possible to ban any paper or any journal or magazine in some benighted place. The First Amendment was designed “to invite dispute,” to induce “a condition of unrest,” to “create dissatisfaction with conditions as they are,” and even to stir “people to anger.” Terminiello v. Chicago [1949]. The idea that the First Amendment permits punishment for ideas that are “offensive” to the particular judge or jury sitting in judgment is astounding. No greater leveler of speech or literature has ever been designed. To give the power to the censor, as we do today, is to make a sharp and radical break with the traditions of free society. The First Amendment was not fashioned as a vehicle for dispensing tranquillizers to the people. Its prime function was to keep debate open to “offensive” as well as to “staid” people. The tendency throughout history has been to subdue the individual and to exalt the power of government. The use of the standard “offensive” gives authority to government that cuts the very vitals out of the First Amendment. As is intimated by the Court’s opinion, the materials before us may be garbage. But so is much of what is said in political campaigns, in the daily press, on TV, or over radio. By reason of the First Amendment—and solely because of it—speakers and publishers have not been threatened or subdued because their thoughts and ideas may be “offensive” to some…
—JusticeWilliam O. Douglas, “There Should Be No Obscenity Exception to Free Speech”

The decision is clearly with the parents who must guide and educate their children in the values they hold, and be just and leniant when the child takes the opposing view.

Another thing that I am seeing in these comments is the lack of parental responsibility. If it is in the children’s section, then don’t let you child check that book out. I mean, I live in a small community where everyone knows everyone and we all ask each other about our children, dogs, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, etc.; however, I do not let my child go off to a section by herself unless I am with her and I can see what she is doing. I do not let my child get on the internet unless I know what she is doing and I am right there with her. This is teaching her that I will be watching and approving (probably even when she is in her late 70s or 80s - sarcasm) and she has to earn my trust. When I know that she has comprehended right from wrong, then I will let her venture a little further each time. My parents raised us that way and guess what, all six of us grew up to be law abiding, educated, church-going citizens.

We live in America - a FREE country last time I checked the FIRST AMENDMENT! If parents don’t like it don’t take your childern to the library!

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Apparently it’s the Jews that decide. For being only 2% of the total population they do an amazing job of sitting on every educational board that there is from pre-school to the University level. So far that’s meant that the kiddies read books about homosexuality and depravity. I don’t think it’s prudent to have Jews that don’t believe in the concept of moral accountability be in charge of dictating morals (or lack of) to the masses. Call me an anti-semite if you like, I’m no longer afraid. They destroyed my career for not bowing to Jewish Supremacy so they can’t do any more harm to me. It’s your career and family they’re after now.

Lemming it’s not just the Jews, it’s all the liberal commie democrats. The democrats have always supported filth and depravity. That’s why we need John McCain and Sarah Palin. They will make sure that America is cleaned up and run by Christian rules. Most children and most adults do not know how to behave. We need Republicans in office to make sure that people behave properly. Republican Vice Presidential candidate Palin tried to get books banned in Alaska and if McCain is elected maybe she can get the job done for all of America.

It is not about banning books. Seriously. This is about PARENTING. What you deem for your child to be appropriate may not be what I deem for my child to be appropriate. I don’t need nor want someone that knows NOTHING about my child to tell me what my child does or does not need. My child is reading on a third grade level and just started first grade. My child is a lot more mature in most aspects as most children her age, but she is still a child and I know that. Just because she is reading big words and for the most part tell me what they mean (in her words), just not mean that she is understanding and absorbing this information. Can she read the word SEX? Yes. Does she specifically know what it means and can she apply that knowledge to something? Probably not, but I like to think that when she does ask me questions (and she asks a lot) that I can give her a REAL answer and not some sugar-coated, verbatim, government-approved answer.

Sorry about my grammar on that last comment. I was thinking faster than I typed.

Lenny: Don’t kid yourself for a second. Who do you think McCain and Palin work for? Certainly not you or your values. After being announced the VP, Palin made a bee-line directly to appear before AIPAC to be approved. These are things you’ll never hear about from the right wing extremists. There is no two party system. They all work for Israel now and every system in America has been corrupted by that little Nazi death camp in the sand.

They have debated over this for years now. First they decided to take classic books out of the curriculum of schools because they were “controversial”. Now they are leaving it up to social groups of even parents?! They are teenagers! They are fully capable of reading something and appreciating its literary importance, not take seriously and use a chemist to destroy a dead body (picture of dorian gray)…It’s a story! People have long since questioned the power of the government before “1984″ but they said that book went against our “wise” government. All in all they are teenagers, and they do not need their parents help, or a social group to decide whats right…if you raised them right, they should already be able to make the right decisions.

It might be more advisable to censor People and Us Magazines so that children are not exposed to Brittany, Paris and Lindsey. Also, MTV, ABC, NBC, and CBS. Cancel Charter, DirectTV and the DishNetwork. Toss your cable modem and DSL. Goes without saying, no more HBO, Cinemax or Showtime. No radio or CDs. Send all pregnant teenage girl to live with their “aunt” in Vermont (Or is that Alaska now?). And then impose Sharia law on the nation.

I love that some parents think they see everything their children do! That is extremely naive! What adult out there didn’t see/attempt to see something they weren’t “raised” or “supposed” to see? I attempt to filter out things from our house and our children that I consider inappropriate, but I’m not foolish enough to believe that they haven’t seen/read things that I wouldn’t have approved of(had I known about it). Smut shouldn’t be allowed in the library. If parents all put filtering software on their computers(as well as do most schools), I as a concerned parent would prefer the library do the same. My life may not ever be as affected by NOT reading “censored” material, but it could be negatively affected if I (or our children) DID read something before they were mature enough to handle it. I agree with some previous comments…WAKE UP parents! Do your job to protect the “child” in our children! The library should not contain objectionable material.

HOLY COW. What’s really frightening is that freaks like Lenny and Scared Lemming are running around loose. Paranoid, anyone?

A lot of leaders have advocated censorship: Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Franco. As long as you agree with them, you should have no problem getting along.

That was sarcastic for those who don’t read much.

Yes - the decision should be left up to the parents. Librarians keep the books organized and safe. They are not censors, nor should they be.

Censorship has no place in our public libraries. Let our kids make their own decisions based on the values that their parents/guardians have hopefully taught them. Allowing access to literature protects our First Amendment rights as Americans.

those folks have all the right and reponsibilities to decide what their children read, see or listen to.

they DO NOT have the right to restrict my childs or any other persons child access to whatever the parent deems ok.

Throughout the ages groups like this have banned together to destroy or limit access to materials they deem objectionable. Some of these works are deemed classics now.

But I would really like to know who appointed these folks to judge what is fitting or what isn’t.

HOLY COW! What’s really scary is that fools like willys are still running around loose in the world! Oh well that’s why Haliburton is building internment camps right under his nose. He’ll be the first to get in line to shipped off to be “disposed of”.

Anil, you are awesome!
Nothing else needs be said!

Loadkins: Not once in the Constitution of the United States, nor in the Preamble to the Constitution did I find the word ‘Christian.’ You and those with your mindset scare the hell out of me. I believe you present more of a danger to our children and the future of this country than any terrorist could hope to.

ScaredLemming: Yes, anti-Semitic comes to mind when I read your posts. But not nearly as readily as paranoid, mentally unbalanced, hate-monger, etc.

There seem to be two problems. [1] The library categories are not up to date with parental needs. I would not expect the sort of examples cited to be available to a child looking at books marked as appropriate for children. The realities of the publishing world are beyond limits for many careful parents, yet parents should be able to trust the library to clearly mark what, although available, might be dubious for children at various stages of moral impressionability. This may mean that libraries need to upgrade to rating categories with the sort of information promised in video game ratings. [2] CAP has over reacted in their demanded solutions.

Obviously NO local group should decide what my child can and cannot read. Parents must decide that. Should a local group decide what my child can and cannot eat? When they should sleep? What they should wear? C’mon. Leave the librarian’s alone and follow the rules in place. There’s been questionable material in libraries for decades.

You said it Magnus. What a colossal waste of time! Are these people so deluded that they honestly think that modern teens go to the library (of all places) to get their fix of racy material?
“Hey I’ve got an idea, let’s focus all of our energy and attention inventing solutions to problems that don’t even exist!”
What a joke. Further proof, that some people have waaaaay too much time on their hands. I will never understand the mentality (inflated ego is more like it) of people who feel compelled to crusade to tell everyone else what to do. The PAC is a relic of a bygone era. It’s probably comprised of the same people that perpetuate all of the ridiculous right-wing drivel that my grandfather forwards to my inbox. Folks at PAC: Why don’t you worry about parenting your own kids and let me parent mine?

As a parent, I trust that a library will provide my children with appropriate materials. To me, this means proper categorization of all materials. Just as movies and games are labeled in your local video rental, I trust that the library will set standards for which materials are under each section in the library. I don’t have time to read everything my 4 children check out to make sure it contains appropriate subject matter. I have to trust that when the section says ‘Juvenile’, whatever they pick up from that section will meet the same standard as the last book. I believe this is what this group is trying to accomplish. It’s not censorship, but correct labeling and categorization that is the goal here.

My children are also trusting the library to make the appropriate titles available to them. They don’t know what is in a book until they read it. The only way to shield them from something they don’t have the intention of reading is by correct labeling. This allows them to be responsible for what they are exposed to and allows them to make decisions about what they are willingly exposed to.

And just like you have to be 18 to rent some movies, why shouldn’t it apply to books also? 18 is the social standard age at which you are recognized as being aware of your actions and the consequences they will have on you and your life. If a parent feels their child should have access to materials before they reach this age, then, yes, they should be able to make it available to them. Once again here, the key is KNOWING that something is in a category before allowing exposure.

My kids, my decision, just as it was for MY parents when I was younger. Though I can say that my parents pretty much let me read anything I wanted to. Hence, I was reading books from the adult section by age 10-11. Why? Because the books in the juvenile/teen sections were below my reading and interest level.
Was I destroyed because I was reading Ed McBain, Victoria Holt, murder mysteries and such in my tween and early teen years? Not at all. Reading allows a person to intellectually explore many things and leads to further understanding an knowledge. Perhaps these parents wouldn’t be so worried about what their children are learning by reading books from the library if the parents were opening up the lines of communication about these subjects at a early age and continuing these discussions as the children get older. That way the child is asking the parent and perhaps not afraid to discuss these things, feelings etc with their parents.

Given that so few children actually take the time to read these day, I’m surprised this is even an issue.

For far too long have grown adults in this country behaved like undisciplined, yet well entertained children themselves. I believe the quote was, “Give them Bread and Circuses…”

Information is freedom people. Censorship and restriction at the hands of ANY government agency is SLAVERY. Wake up.

It’s about time parents pay attention to, interact with, and take responsibility for the children they we’re so driven to bring into this world.

Make the books available. Rate them (like films) if you deem necessary, but it’s a parent’s responsibility to quit whining and take control of what their children read.

Period.

I work in a library. We have a system set up, as I’m sure St. Louis County does, that prohibits children from checking out movies unless the parent has signed saying they can do so. As far as books go, we have 3 sections seperated. Adult, teens, and childrens. It is the parents responsiblity to know what kids are reading. Up until a certain age, the parents should be with their children at the library, knowing what material is checked out. And when their child is old enough to take them selves to the library, its up to the kid to know what is good for them and what is not. The library is not your personal babysitter. Dropping your kids off for hours and then picking them up is not what a responsible parent should be doing. If the parent were with them, then they would be able to intersect any books that they deem inappropriate. As far as teen books go, the teen should know. And, be happy that your child is reading. Because since they are reading, they are not out getting into trouble. Let their imagination take them to where they cant go.

I absolutely support the ideals and actions of Citizens Against Pornography (CAP). It’s preposterous that our libraries have pornography in the children’s section right where my kids can access it without any recourse at all. Where’s the librarian? What is she doing? Shouldn’t she be making sure this trash isn’t on the book shelves? Sarah Palin is a good God fearing Christian, and I applaud her efforts to rid the libraries in Alaska of porn. If her daughter hadn’t been corrupted by the improper books in the library, perhaps she wouldn’t be in the predicament she is in now. Thankfully, she’s going to have a proper marriage. If something were to happen to McCain, it would do this country right to have Palin as President–someone who can enforce proper beliefs on a country that is being overrun by sex crazed demons. I’m a tax paying citizen, and I whole-heartedly agree with So Co’s post below: “where has common sense gone?” The Devil is alive and well, and lurking in your library, waiting to corrupt your children with sex and drugs. Praise the Lord there’s an organization like CAP working to fight this horrendous corruption of America’s youth.

Yes, there should be limits to what a child can check out at a library–IT’S CALLED PARENTS! That is the responsibility of parents. Parents have no right to abdicate that parental responsibility to a librarian.

Most libraries at which I have worked have a policy similar to the following which should satisfy everyone:

CHILDREN’S BORROWING POLICY

Children (any person under 18 years of age) must have a parent or guardian sign their registration & internet card.

Children have access to all of the materials and services offered by the Library. If their parents or guardians want to limit their children’s access, they are entitled to do so but can NOT expect the Library to be involved in such limiting.

The Library encourages all parents and guardians to take an active interest in their children’s reading and listening. Although the Library endeavors to provide only suitable books and materials for children of all ages, ultimately what children read is the responsibility of their parents and guardians, and is not the responsibility of the Library.

Happy reading!
“Library Jim”

Only God can aprove reading material,he told me so.

I wonder how many of you that are calling this pornography and smut actually took the time to read the lines cited in the article. My gosh its not even that explicit and no where near as bad as any teenager probably hasn’t heard in a locker room or friend.

I do hope that the mothers of the these children who read romance novels are keeping them locked up nice and tight and don’t let their children see the front covers because those books are FAR more graphic then these lines were.

Oh BTW you can check romance novels out of the library as well and you had better have your children avoid many history books which detail the sexual exploits of Historical rulers and such.

Another thing to note: I think that some people posting here misunderstand where the books in question are located. These books are not sitting on the shelf in between Clifford and Arthur, nor are they shelved with Little House on the Prairie and Harry Potter. They’re not in the children’s section. They are in the TEEN section. In most libraries, this is purposely housed in a separate area of the library, closer to the adult books. Books that are labeled “Teen” can be understood to be written for and about teenagers, and yes, may have themes and content that are intended for a more mature audience then children’s books.

Censorship! Come on! I find it to be extremely ludicrous to cry censorship when it comes to doing what is absolutely sensible, prudent, wise and practical.

It’s not like a child is born with wisdom at birth. Wisdom is a learned behavior that is acquired through experience, guidance under the tutelage of a wise person (family members, friends, community and so on) and maturity in one’s ability to understand and grasp things through sound reason over time. A child is not born with any of this, and then there are those who (many adults) never acquire it.

At some point we, as a community, must take responsibility for what is presented to our youth. We can’t keep allowing those who seek to corrupt our society to keep using “censorship” as means to keep from doing what is prudent and right. The librarians, along with teachers, are on the forefront and many of them are letting their communities down by not being prudent by clearly enforcing measures that helps our community to be more wholesome. Setting up boundaries and a means to manage the use of objectionable material is sensible and a responsible thing to do.

Censorship in itself is not a negative, nor is it a means to step on a person’s rights when used appropriately. If we continue down this slippery slope where the youth (from birth to 18, perhaps 24 now) are exposed to things that they have little understanding about as a result of immaturity or lack of sound guidance, then why are we surprised to see so many girls getting pregnant these days? Why are we so surprised to see the sexual diseases becoming so common that it is now the “norm” to expect? Why are we so surprised to see girls from 7 and up wearing clothes and outfits that once was considered indecent and trampy in the 70’s, 60’s, 50’, 40’s, 30’s and so on? Why are we surprised to see our children getting in to perverse behaviors that were once clearly understood as being obscene and unnatural? Are we clearly that naive as a community these days? Have we chosen to become so willfully blind these days? What is it going to take, before people choose to be responsible without having to use laws to make it happen?

Choosing to do right and practice restraint, through free choice, is a better means than having to pass laws to make a person do what makes sense. If we don’t be careful, we will find America to be like Germany before WWII, and then America the Beautiful will be no more. The more “wrong” or “decadent” behavior is embraced, the more likelihood we will see the American dream disappear as a result of willful negligence by those who have no clue of what it means to practice “responsible censorship” through free choice. Those who oppose censorship are already practicing “censorship.” They are censoring the youth through a twist on words and interpretation. Oh! I forgot! How do we expect the young to know the difference, because typically they have not been around long enough to know the difference?

The way you destroy a generation, thus a societies future, is through the use of media used incorrectly as a means to corrupt a person’s minds. Why do you think the proponents who support the idea of free access without responsibility or proper guidance consistently strive to make sure the youth are exposed to indecent behavior? Their end goal is to control the minds of our youth to influence a society to embark in a direction that is destructive.

Look at how irresponsible people have become these days as a result of the efforts of organizations like the ACLU, who choose to provide legal access to those who seek to do wrong by bastardizing the constitution. I find that when people who don’t mind letting their children dress inappropriately or who do not mind letting them read or look a lewd content are always willing to walk on the rights of those who choose to encourage and practice restraint in a prudent and sensible way.

Some of you just don’t seem to grasp what is happening in our society. Many of you are supporting the erosion of this country without realizing the need to have decent people in this type of society. It takes a community working together in a healthy way to raise our children, thus making them into good citizens that care about their communities. For person to believe that only the parent can do it along, then you must be living on a island by yourself with your family. Parent’s can’t possibly be around their children twenty-four-seven. Not one of us can do that, thus it takes others acting prudently on our behalf to help raise our children.

How can we ignore the importance of being a good citizen? The good citizen’s of this community, town, city, county, state and nation are the ones that have made America a success, but if we continue to buy in to the idea of no limitations and no boundaries, all of what we have as Americans will disappear over night and then what?

People must open their eyes to the idea of doing what is prudent and sensible. Parent’s must realize when to support an effort and when to stand against it. This can be done by asking a simple question: Is this action going to make my kids in to better people or is it going to make them worse? Is this action going to improve my community or is it going to influence it adversely?

Many of us are forgetting how to ask the right questions for the right situations to ensure sound decisions are being made based on sound wisdom and virtue. Unless we want delinguents and uncontrollable youth running amuck (I think there are many who want this these days), then we better take some actions that make sense and take a stand against those who want to live a life where depravity becomes the norm. Our society will cease to exist, if this is the case.

Now the applies up to the age of reason, which in our society is “18,” then the expectations of adulthood take over. Children under the age of reason must be guided and boundaries must be closely controlled, unless the child shows an ability to be wise through maturity.

Parents need to take responsibility and a larger role in what their children are reading. It is not up to the library to decide what is best for each individual child. Every child and teen is different, with different life experience and tolerance level for mature content, language, etc. Therefore, the library must provide materials that serve the complete child/teen population in the area. Not all teens grow up in loving, safe homes. Sometimes books deemed controversial and mature are more appealing to teens who have seen or experienced the not so “perfect” side of life. Parents have every right to limit their child/teen’s exposure to books, television, etc. However, it is not for one child/teen’s parent to set limitations on everyone else’s children or teens.

News Flash to: Loadkins 3506… On a CHRISTIANS ONLY…LIKE IT OR LEAVE IT comment -
The Constitution contains No reference to a deity and the Declaration of Independence contains not one word on religion.

To state that this country is ONLY for Christians is reminisant of the good ole days of ‘whites only’. Jesus would surely be appalled that his love for all is so misapplied.

This is the sort of ugliness that we should ALL strive to run away from.
Any ‘church’ or Person that preaches this mentality is not worthy of calling itself/themself American.

Only in a Democracy could such an evil /despicable thing be said, and the speaker be allowed to say it without fear of punishment.
These comments are no different than what the Islamists Extremists believe.

Our Founding Fathers DID NOT hold such beliefs - and no one can claim that they did !!!

What is sad in my library district (and perhaps many more) is that the parent does not have the right to make that determination. A child can walk into the library check out whatever they want, and the parent cannot even know what the child - their child - has checked out of the library. Parents: call your local library and ask for a list of currently checked out books on your child(ren)’s library card - chances are, you will hear that you cannot be told.

I’m really surprised at how many people are not in favor of protecting children in the children’s section of the library! Although I don’t agree that books should be banned altogether, I do think that they should be removed from the children’s area of the library. I came across one some of the excerpts from book being put out there by the group everyone is complaining about and this is not tame stuff. It’s very explicit stuff (think Dear Penthouse) It was very graphic in detail about oral sex, giving handjobs, anal sex etc and it certainly was not the sort of stuff that tacked on anything about being safe or even sticking to one partner! Some of you said that teens will get there hands on this sort of thing if they want to and that is so true, but I don’t really think handing it to them on a platter is wise either. My major problem is that while in the city library you can put a restriction on your child’s card which mean they cannot check out anything from the teen section and up, those materials are available for anyone of any age to read while there. If your child does not have a restriction on their card I believe that they can check anything out that they want. I wish everyone would use some wisdom here and not make it an us versus them issue. Why not keep the explicit materials in the adult section where they belong. I would think that most parents are closely watching monitoring their children, but in the spirit of “it takes a village” why don’t we spare some of the other young impressionable minds who may not have anyone watching out for them from the smut and steer them towards all the other awesome character building books the library has to offer?