Town Refuses to Ask Citizens If Library Porn Should Be Filtered Out - Please Help Us!

Plan2Succeed.org ^ | 22 Dec 2003 | Plan2Succeed.org

[plan2succeed.org]

Town Refuses to Ask Citizens If Library Porn Should Be Filtered Out; Plan2Succeed.org Seeking Pro Bono Counsel.

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Something is wrong when a small group of people called a Library Board of Trustees determines that a public library must continue to allow access to pornography despite admittedly being outside the library's mission, the Township Committee claims it is powerless to stop the Board, and the citizens have no say.

[DonQ]

The question is whether the public library should have nanny filters on its internet computers. First, it's still something of a novelty in some parts of the country for the public library to offer internet access at all and a great many libraries still can't or don't.

Second, the nanny filters have often been accused of being, well, a mite too efficient in blocking stuff out; students and adults might find that the filters keep them from doing serious research on a variety of non-risque topics. This is pretty much admitted by whoever worked up the original article because, throughout, "pornography" is typed out "p-rn-gr-phy" or something similar, the missing letters enable the word to sift past whatever nanny filters might be in use!

All things considered, in a public library or maybe I should say even in a public library, parents should exercise some supervision over their kids, to keep the little darling from sneaking out of the Children's Section into the grown-up collections with the adult stuff. And the same applies to internet surfing.

[Da Mav]

If you really think that kids are going to learn about this stuff because of the library computers, you need to sit down and talk with your kids about what is going on in their schools and among their playmates.

I raised four girls to strict standards. None were ever in any trouble, all are in their 20s now. It is not necessary to ask the government to raise our children and protect them from things we don't agree with. You open the door to this stuff and somebody shows up wanting to ban bambi because it causes hurtful feelings, and somebody else doesn't want NRA sites, and someone else mentions smoking, and then there is little Mermaid with 'hidden porno' and where does it stop?

600K for sexual harassment by a computer? How about Arizona oceanfront property? I suspect there is a lot more to the case than that.

[leadpenny]

I'm in Prince William and Fairfax County libraries all the time. Internet stations are everywhere. I glance at what is going on, especially what young people have on their screens. Never seen a problem.

[plan2succeed.org]

Prime Choice: So glad you noticed the issue is not only about the children but also about all citizens as well. You could be in the library when you are attacked by someone who had been viewing porn. It happens more often than you think because the media are not reporting such incidents. I encourage you to see our web site to become more fully educated on this issue and to address your other concerns.

[Da Mav]

The media are not reporting attacks on people in the library? Is this some kind of joke?

Is this a conspiracy by the local newspaper where you live? Joe and Jane were attacked in the local library by a porn crazed patron but we aren't going to report it?

[leadpenny]

You could be in the library when you are attacked by someone who had been viewing porn.

Too many possible replies to that statement to even try.

[Always Right]

Who's going to determine what "legitimate pieces of literature" are, a Library Filter Committee?

There are several groups that already provide filtering, this isn't rocket science, but common sense.

[Da Mav]

No, the Filter Company decides what it will filter. If you are serious and not just trolling or pushing your web page you need to do some basic research and find out what you are talking about.

You can dress it up any way you want technically but in the end, somebody is going to decide which sites will be blocked, usually based on a market decision as to what the majority of consumers of the software might want blocked. Using majority opinion to decide freedom of speech is ludicrous; that's why there is a First Amendment. To protect us from people who think their version of "common sense" should apply to everyone.

[leadpenny]

The World and the Internet very messy. They are also wonderful creations. I could leave my home right now and find some really bad things out there. Likewise, I could leave FR and find some bad thing on the web. I'm making a choice to stay here. It's about choices! Freedom!

[djf]

A European is quoted as saying "America is a country where you can't watch somebody kiss a t*t, but you can watch someone cut one off!"

Sad but true.

[bluefish]

Buy your own freekin porno with your own freekin money and look at it in your own freekin house.
- little jeremiah

Judging from the way most of these filtering database are written, pro-Second Amendment sites and even Free Republic itself are "porno" in their eyes.
Prime Choice

Well Prime Choice, with all the "freakin" this and "freakin" that from people who can't see the big picture problem with their views, or even have a rational debate about them, it is no wonder why.

Little Jeremiah, changing the well known filthy word to "freakin" doesn't really change the tone of your statement. You should know that the person you responded to is not trying to preseve his right to "view porn." It is bigger than that.

Your inability to see that, and the juvenile response you issued to his challenge of your beliefs, paints your cause in a rather nasty light. You come off as a rabid nut with a serious problem when you talk like that. Nobody wants to grant people like you the right to restrict anything.

Grow up and understand the bigger issue at hand before assuming all on this board supports your belief that we all wish for the Nanny State that you seem to desire. Debate like an adult and you might get somewhere, or perhaps even see the probelem with your thought process, however well-meaning it may be.

[sadimgnik]

You could be in the library when you are attacked by someone who had been viewing porn. It happens more often than you think because the media are not reporting such incidents.

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I'm a working journalist.

I'd give my eye teeth for a crazed-porno-fiend-attacks-granny-in-public-library story!

That would be front-page news faster than you can say "What a great yarn!"

Sorry - just as the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" of Hillary Clinton was a nonsense, so is the "The Evil Meeja Covers up stories conspiracy"

Sadim

Oh - and "plan2succeed.org member since December 31 2003":
do you consider it acceptable to join up just so you can promote your cause celebre? Isn't that a bit like spamming?

[NMFXSTC]

I'll play devil's advocate here.

Why stop at filtering porn? Why not religious web sites as well...political pages, gun pages (and military recruitment pages too...they like guns, ya know?), maybe history pages (all of that violence with bombs and swords and stuff), pages dealing with cultural and political stuff (none of that marriage at 14, dssitent rage against powerful leaders and all of that)?

First, is there some written law about pornography that specifies an age limit for access to porn..like there is for a driver's license, alcohol or tobacco purchase?

Your everyday sitcom and talk show portrays a far more seedy and smutty scenario than a naked chick and perhaps a copulating couple (Springer comes to mind!) Ditto the sexual innuendo and vaguely cloaked erotica taht garners Emmys and Grammys and such.

Porno? Your 42nd president cornored the market on porno and the use of inanimate objects in sexual rtituals (as well as showed kids that oral sex "isn't really sex" and that lying under oath is an acceptable practice...and the elected congress validated those notions by failing to address and demand accountability for those actions.

The Supreme Court has difficulty defining ponography. Right or wrong, there are laws addressing internet content and, thus far, porn seems toevade any restrictions.

No...I do not want kids googling at porn (though every adolescent male since the founding of this country has hidden Playboy, Penthouse (and before that, Stag, etc.) u9nder his mattress (and Mom knew it was there but either fialed to confiscate it or ask about it).

Locking filters? Farenheit 451?

I'm don;t care for Big Brother further structuring my life. I especially don't care for any group of non-elected, self appointed "citizens" telling the libary what they can maintain and what they can't. When freedom of press (and librarys are indeed press) becomes directed by a vigilante group, we have a far greater problem that a little smut.

[BushCountry]

Funny filter story.

The school my eldest boy (years ago) went to uses filters. When he 13 or so, he came home with a note telling me that he was suspended for three days for looking at naked women on the computers at school. I asked how this could be since the school utilizes filters.

His reply was as he smiled at me, "The filters don't work on tattoo sites and there are bunches of naked women on them."

I asked him who thought up this way to circumvent the filters? He stated, "It was my idea dad." I yelled at him, but I gave him extra points for creativity. };O)

In a wierd twist, the school suspended his suspension. The county science fair was that weekend and he had one of the best projects in the county, so they said they would forgive and forget.

[djf]

It is a bit like spamming, and I was ready to report it, I don't like the idea of any political organization using FreeRepublic, conservative or liberal. As I understand it, this is supposed to be a meeting place for individuals, not a place for pacs to promote their cause.

[NMFXSTC]

Prime Choice,

Do those voices in your head bother folks around you? Please, tell us how many of these attacks (by those terrible library regulars viewing porn, becoming sexually frenzied and attacking other library patrons) have happened all over this country of ours!

Do you notice that almost everyone weaing a jacket also is carrying a concealed weapon as well? Probably the case, don't you think?

And those cell phones!!! No question about it...it's a government conspiracy to fry our brains and make us subserviant to government desires.

Prozac is a good thing, Prime! Lithium is even better! You may want to look into those!

[leadpenny]

Good story and congrats on how you handled it. The most important thing about that encounter is good parental influence.

[BushCountry]

To be honest, you guys need to chill. I suspect that this person has a good heart, just misdirected. There is no need to be so harsh.

[MizzouTigerRepublican]

Also who is going to stop the people who make up the banned lists from looking the other way at a site that may "pay" them for their "research".

I have a better idea. How about the parents taking some responsibility or removing the computers from the children's section. I grew up without a computer in my library and seemed to do ok.

[NMFXSTC]

And filters are quite cirumventable...a transposed letter, an inserted numbber...voila...no filter! (Remember Napster and the substitution of "dc/ac" for AC-DC, or rOllInG SToneZ???