Librarians to argue that blocking online porn is censorship

Associated Press ^ | March 25, 2002 | A/P Staff

[Dimensio]

Except that the interviews within are part and parcel of the Playboy publication; the two have a distinct relationship. The content that would be blocked along with pornography would not necessarily have any association with any pornographic websites except for the presence one or two often obscure "keywords" used somewhere in the site design.

Further, obtaining Playboy would require that the library incur additional expense for the subscription. Conversely, not allowing access to pornographic materials on the internet requires incurring additional expense for the filtering software.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Thoughts for the day:

Why do we need public libraries?

Why not pay to rent books, just like Blockbuster videos (which we can not has not been put out of business by library movie loans.)

Why provide internet access, but not cable TV viewing rooms?

[El Gato]

A battle over free speech and online pornography returns to the nation's birthplace Monday as librarians try to convince a federal court that requiring them to block access to adult materials amounts to censorship

But somehow banning concealed (or open) carry in their libaries doesn't infringe on the right to keep and bear arms?

[07055]

The content that would be blocked along with pornography would not necessarily have any association with any pornographic websites except for the presence one or two often obscure "keywords" used somewhere in the site design.

Filtering software might be over or under-inclusive, that is true.

But, what the librarians are asking for is an absolutely perfect system and, I'm sorry, that will never happen as long as human beings are involved in the process. All that should be required is "reasonableness."

There is no constitutional right to Federal money to be used for internet access with no strings attached.

[weikel]

Did the read haired thing get a job yet or start cooking LOL.

[RAT Patrol]

What if they offered a section of the library without blocks, for the perv patrons, and one with blocks, for those who choose to be porn free? Innocent kids or inexperienced adults can wind up at a porn site by accident. Easily. They should have the freedom to choose blocking. If that is not available, then you have to block for all. Blocking doesn't make it illegal for the pervs to view their porn. They just can't do it in public. But not blocking harms those who do not wish to view it.

Either provide an option for both sides, the moral and the immoral, or go only with the moral way, because that's the only way EVERYONE gets to stay free.

[Clemenza]

You know I've noticed many librarians "posing" on certain websites that I visit when I'm not on free Republic. I wonder why they are opposing porn blocks?

[Labyrinthos]

while blocking porn may not be censorship, it always involves blocking things that aren't porn -- which is. either that or it doesn't effectively block porn. THATS the issue at hand.

That's one of the issues at hand. The other issue has to do with defining porn. I suspect, for example, that several of my fellow members of the FreeRepublic would define the lingerie section of the Sears Catalog as porn. And I also suspect there are more than a few leftist librarians who would include the FreeRepublic on their list of pornographic sites.

[Conan the Librarian]

Not this Librarian, nor our library system!

[Salman]

Citizens need to stand up for their community values! Websites that violate obscenity laws need to be filtered. The question is "Is obscenity a right or a wrong?"

Well said. The only problem is that the filtering software doesn't work.

There is no technological substitute for supervising children.

[Dan from Michigan]

What are the FEDS doing at the library in the first place? Isn't that supposed to be a LOCAL issue???

[Dan from Michigan]

According to AOL, the NRA is porn.

[general_re]

Bingo - nailed it. There's just no way to blacklist all the potentially offensive sites out there, or the proxy servers, or the open NNTP servers, and on and on. And libraries will discover very quickly that to have them be at all effective, their blacklists will have to become whitelists, where only a short list of approved sites is permitted, and everything else is forbidden by default. In which case, good luck jumping through the hoops to get them to let you read FR at the library.

I figure the best way to prevent anything truly offensive at the library is the low-tech method - just arrange all the workstations so that the screens are facing towards, and easily visible to, the staff. One librarian who can see what you're up to, and armed with a stern look, will prevent more porn than any filter in the world ;)

[Barnacle]

If that's the way the librarians feel about it, why don't they advocate putting Hustler magazine on the shelf?

I'd like to see the public reaction to that proposal.

[Labyrinthos]

According to AOL, the NRA is porn.

Mean while AOL chat rooms remain a playground for perverts trolling for children, which is one of many reasons why I refuse to have AOL on my computer.

[Bigg Red]

Anybody has a constitutional right to create whatever they call "art." Nobody has a constitutional right to receive taxpayers' money to support that art

That needed repeating...

[Salvation]

Do they want to get sued by parents alledging that they promoted pornography? They are walking entirely a too tightly woven Political Correct agenda line.

[Bigg Red]

...nice one isn't it?<P<No, it is not. It's gross and adds nothing to the discussion.

[07055]

According to AOL, the NRA is porn.

And recognizing the right of libraries to allow unfettered access to pornography will do nothing to change the fact that they will *still* block access to content that leftist librarians find objectionable.

If a law said that libraries had to allow access to Free Republic, for example, the libraries would likely claim that this violated their First Amendment right to choose the materials they make available to library patrons.

[Almondjoy]

One's that don't have a cable modem at home. :)