Requesting Help from Librarian ALA Members (Vanity)

Vanity | 6-29-03 | radical librarian

[radical librarian]

As a graduate student in library science, I am constantly encouraged to join the America Library Association (ALA). Although the ALA is SUPPOSEDLY designed to help librarians network and to provide new sources of information, it is in actuality anything but.

At the ALA's conference in Toronto this past week, guest speakers included Ralph Nader, Gloria Steinem, and Naomi Klein. While I disagree with everything these speakers stand for, I support their right to free speech. However, I do not support their right to speak at a convention designed for librarians.

The current governing body of ALA consists of nothing more than socialists, communists, and diversity obsessed misfits. I am not familiar with how ALA conducts their elections (I have yet to join, considering I don't want my membership dues going to support people like those at the last convention), but there has to be some flaw in the system. One of the current governing board members is a registered member of the communist party, and denies that Cuba is a dictatorship (there have been several articles printed in mainstream papers and on FreeRepublic recently in response to the ALA's decision to invite representatives from Cuba's government owned library system, while the ALA continues to refuse to support independent librarians that have been jailed under Castro's regime).

Friday, in an email from a law librarian listserv I belong to, a message arrived denouncing the current radical regime in charge of the ALA. Since it appears others are finally getting tired of the ALA's nonsense, I am trying to locate other librarians that have information on the ALA election process, and to see if anyone has any information on organized efforts to install new leadership at the next election.

Just as I wouldn't expect liberal ALA members to sit and pay to listen to conference speakers such as Rush Limbaugh, Thomas Sowell, and Michael Savage, I don't expect to have to listen to anti-globalization nuts, eco-weenies, and femi-nazis. Hopefully, I will find some people on the law librarian listserv who wish to install better leadership at the next ALA election as well. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who has information on this subject would contact me. Thank you.

[Humidston]

Now I've heard it all.... "pink."

What's "pink" about geography, math, science, government, history, literature?

I can't help you but I can say a prayer for you. Looks like you're going to need it! (And keep your head down till you land a position. ;-)

[radical librarian]

I am aiming for such, but I'm still a bit away from being a full-fledged law librarian. I have yet to attend law school. I do intend to join AALL at some point though. Thank you.

[speedy]

Yes, sadly, on campus we still need to operate underground at times. But that's where it begins. Chin up, you're on the right track.

[Molly Pitcher]

AALL..yes, thank you. Got the name mixed up...

[LanPB01]

I'm in the program with radlib. That professor has said some of the dumbest things imaginable to her classes (I wasn't in the class where she made her "too much pink" comment, but I was there first hand for her comments on how it was our fault, as librarians, if we couldn't answer questions asked of us in Spanish, Chinese, or some other language).

We had one professor in our program that once told me he really enjoyed the posts I place on our school's listserv, and he was glad to see another conservative. Of course, the multi-cultural fanatic Asian professor lead a campaign to get him fired, and he eventually left to teach at a school in Boston. I asked around to see what started the feud between them, and was told after the September 11th tragedy, the Asian professor made a post on the listserv about how we needed to "understand" and "examine" why the terrorists hate us; apparently, she basically wrote a defense of their actions.

The conservative professor went nuts, and posted a respsonse stating that people who immigrate to this country should assimilate or at least accept the dominant culture, and stop trying to tear it down at every turn. She didn't take kindly to his suggestions.

[Salem]

I've been a lurker on the ALA-OIF list for a number of years now. It's been an invaluable learning experience in "neo-left" think, that is, for a young, naive someone like me who grew up into Conservative thought.

It has been interesting to see from time to time as other Conservatives on the list, much more articulate and educated than me, came on board and "raised the flag" in the midst of that sewer of ideas. They (the ALA membership) are either overtly hostile or model a barely disguised "tolerance" that is simply patronizing to the Christian/Conservative viewpoint.

There's much to staying on board and "rocking the boat," or, you might also look for opportunity to create or join a competitive library organization to challenge them in the Arena of the War of Ideas.

Anyway, start your own "ping" list and put me on it! I'd like to follow this. Anything to see the ALA culturally marginalized like the rest of the extremist, radical left in America. :-D

[radical librarian]

How do you get on the ALA-OIF list? Do you have to be a member of the ALA, or is it free to anyone?

[LanPB01]

When the notice came out on the law librarian listserv recently encouraging people to visit a website about the independent Cuban librarians the ALA refuses to support, I sent out a message asking if there were any law librarians that had information on attempts to get new leaders in the ALA. I immediately received two responses from indignant "intellectuals" that were disgusted by the idea that I would try to organize an attempt to keep communists and communist sympathizers from being elected to an American organization that is supposed to promote intellectual freedom. Their messages were dripping with condescension, as if my puny little conservative mind could never hope to grasp the level of enlightenment they had achieved.

The message I sent was on a Saturday, when most of the members of the lawlib listserv were out of their offices. I'm expecting great responses tomorrow from liberal idiots nationwide. I'll let you know what kind of response I get.

[Salem]

"How do you get on the ALA-OIF list? Do you have to be a member of the ALA, or is it free to anyone?"

Stand by and I'll research that. It's been so long and they have changed the format. I think it might even be a Yahoo Group now. Yes, it's free to everyone. Ostensibly, this is their commitment to "intellectual freedom," by not moderating the list, by letting everyone on.

[Salem]

"...Their messages were dripping with condescension, as if my puny little conservative mind could never hope to grasp the level of enlightenment they had achieved."

Haa, haa!! Yeah, that's classic leftist ALA behavior.

"I'm expecting great responses tomorrow from liberal idiots nationwide. I'll let you know what kind of response I get."

Yes, thanks! I would be curious. Personally, I don't have the time to contend with these people. My observation of the OIF list has been helpful in understanding how they think -- current leftist thought in America -- and then how to effectively respond to them.

But my main underlying conclusion? The Left in America is fighting to WIN. No matter what it takes. They are the aggressors, and we would do well to understand that.

[Salem]

Okay, here it is. They still have it on their own server:

ALAOIF is an unmoderated discussion list of the Office for Intellectual Freedom. To subscribe, send a message to listproc@ala.org Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, type: subscribe alaoif yourfirstname yourlastname.

They have been discussing Cuba for some time now. I think I remember seeing a list archives for the OIF in there somewhere, years back.

This page is at:

http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Intellectual_Freedom3/Basics/Related_Links5/Subscribing_to_IFACTION_and_Other_E-lists.htm

I hope this helps! :-D

[The Red Zone]

Ping

[LanPB01]

Even I've been surprised by some of the verbal gymnastics defenders of the ALA have tried to use in defense of their refusal to condemn Cuba's crackdown on independent librarians. In one of the two messages I received Saturday from angry law librarian intellectuals, the guy said he didn't consider these independent librarians to be "real" librarians, since they didn't have an MLS (the graduate degree for library science). Feel free, the next time you're at your local public library, to tell the person behind the desk they aren't a real librarian until they go through the ALA's socialization project. I'd be shocked if 10% of the people who work in public libraries have this degree.

Another excuse these people have come up with is that these independent librarians aren't really independent, and are backed by anti-Castro U.S. forces. I don't know if this is true or not, but who cares? I don't remember seeing in the ALA mission statement that they promote intellectual freedom, UNLESS that freedom involves pro-U.S. sentiment, at which time said freedom takes a backseat to America bashing.

[Conan the Librarian]

I have been a Librarian since 1985. (Dang thats almost 20 years) I have never been a member of the ALA and never plan to join. We had an group membership for the local Library system, but we have recently drop that. To be honest, most of the staff members lean to the left (I don't) but, no one is jumping up and down to re-join. As for changing the leadership....good luck...we will need it.

As for the Legal Library, I ran one for 6 1/2 years. Its an interesting job (I ran a Legal Library in a prison) But I prefer working with the public. Never a dull moment

[Salem]

"...UNLESS that freedom involves pro-U.S. sentiment, at which time said freedom takes a backseat to America bashing."

You make a point! Right now, I am in the middle of reading a book the son of a client suggested. He just finished his first year of college, and knowing I'm a Conservative in political standing, suggested I read this. Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States, 1492 to Present". [ISBN 0-06-093731-9] It was mandatory reading in his history course (yes, this was a California University).

I don't know if you have ever had a chance to read a really hard-left, anti-capitalist, pro-socialist/communist, utopian manuscript like this, but if not, I would recommend it (along with any one by Michael Parenti). It's incredible, looking through the prism of recorded world history, that people can still believe any gov/social philosophy like this is even credible, let alone workable. It is truly amazing reading and a brilliant insight into the thinking and worldview of elitist leftist academia of our time, as well as the left in America in general. Incredibly naive; unbelievably blind to basic human nature.

In a nutshell, it is all the white man's fault.

Anyway, I gave him my copy of "Why the Left Hates America: Exposing the Lies That Have Obscured Our Nation's Greatness" by Daniel J. Flynn.

I haven't heard back from him -- yet. :-D

[Born to Think]

I asked a librarian last week about the news articles which are making heroes out of librarians who are undermining the provisions of the Patriot Act. I was wondering why librarians are not taking to heart and mind the events of 9/11 and the ongoing major threat to our democracy. He said that the so-called threat to privacy which these librarians are claiming is simply not the case for 99.999% of the public and that the scare tactics are a grand "put up" job. He attends the ALA conferences and says that the very same group in ALA which works to discredit anyone who says a peep against Castro is the same group which have organized the scare campaign to overturn the entire Patriot Act or as much of it as they can. The public should be aware where this is all coming from and speak up to put a stop to the proliferation of distortions. Library commissioners and boards should understand that the vast majority of the public supports and applauds the federal government in its war on terrorism and does not support public employees who are working to weaken its ability to carry out the war of terrorism. I think some librarians just repeat ALA statements because they've never stopped to think that they shouldn't. There seems to be a heck of a lot of political correctness among librarians.

[LanPB01]

The ALA has made a whole cottage industry out of bashing the Patriot Act. They have been one of the major players in spreading some of the lies and distortions the public believes is in that piece of legislation. Some of my professors have become such fanatics at bashing it, if you told them there was a provision in the act to castrate anyone who spoke out against it, they'd probably believe it.

[eleni121]

This scenario happens quite a bit in colleges and universities around the nation: Someone actually has the guts to speak out against leftist propaganda, no one publicly supports him, and then after class they privately do so.

[LanPB01]

It's currently 10:00 a.m. eastern time, and I just received the first response of the day to my inquiry on the law librarian listserv as to organizing opposition to the ALA extremists. This was my original message:
"I'm looking to communicate with anyone that has
>information regarding organized efforts to install new
>leadership in the ALA. I am not overly familiar with
>their voting policies, and am trying to figure out
>what went wrong and how a communist could get elected.
> Thank you."
_________________________
Check out this dandy of a response:

Political party affiliations aren't normally announced or considered
when
candidates are running for offices in ALA or other library
associations, and
it's not clear to me why anyone other than a Stalinist would think it
relevant.

Questions, concerns, or criticisms of Mr. Rosenzweig's are part of
legitimate open discussion in a free society. Red-baiting, and taking
the
position that someone should be excluded from office in their
professional
association on the basis of belonging to the wrong political party, on
the
other hand, is an attitude more in keeping with the last two Stalinist
regimes on Earth--North Korea and Cuba.

(And on the putative cause of this dust-up, the "independent
librarians" in
Cuba, I have to say that _everything_ I've seen, on both sides, has
been so
saturated with partisan grandstanding that I don't think I have the
slightest idea what's really going on there.)
_____________
I guess it's not as bad as it could be. I'm expecting better ones as the day goes on.

[doglover]

I am a librarian and withheld my dues from ALA for 2 years because of their porn stance. Conservatives are certainly a definite minority. Ordinarily, I would suggest simply waiting till election time and making voice heard, running yourself, or, what I like to do, simply wear a Republican symbol on my lapel at conferences. However, I believe the ALA is beyond hopeless.
Perhaps you could start a Conservative listserv discussion for similar librarians if you feel strongly enough.