Patriot Act Fight Resumes ABFFE Welcomes House Bill Restoring Reader Privacy Protections

The action on re-authorizing expiring provisions of the Patriot Act moves this week to the House of Representatives where the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider a bill on Wednesday introduced by Chair John Conyers (D-MI) and committee members Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Bobby Scott (D-VA). The Senate Judiciary Committee has already approved a bill that provides important protections for reader privacy in libraries. But the Senate bill does not extend these protections to bookstores. The House bill, the USA Patriot Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845), exempts both bookstores and libraries from Section 215, which authorizes secrets searches of the records of anyone who is "relevant" to a national security investigation, including people who are not suspected of criminal acts.

ABFFE welcomed the introduction of H.R. 3845 and a statement by Congressman Nadler about the purpose of the bill. "The bill would allow Americans to use libraries and bookstores without fear that their choice of books will be monitored by overzealous federal agents," Nadler said.

The Campaign for Reader Privacy, representing booksellers, librarians, publishers and writers, is asking supporters to urge their House members to co-sponsor H.R. 3845. Contact information is available through the House Web site, www.house.gov.

Free Speech Group Pleased by Supreme Court Argument

Oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court on October 6 left free speech advocates hopeful that the court will overturn a federal law that could send a bookseller to jail for five years for selling a depiction of animal abuse, including bullfighting. ABFFE had joined librarians, publishers and authors in filing an amicus brief in U.S. v Stevens, one of the most important free speech cases involving books in a generation. Justice Antonin Scalia was openly hostile to the statute, which the government attempted to defend as a narrow ban on the sale of so-called "crush" videos and images of dog fighting. Other justices joined Scalia in declaring that the language of the law is far broader and might even ban images of "stuffing geese for pâté de foie gras." Even lawyers who are normally cautious about predicting what the Supreme Court will do in a particular case are saying that it will uphold a decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down the law. Some are even predicting a unanimous decision.

ABFFE Joins Protest Over Deletion of Images of Mohammed

ABFFE has joined the National Coalition Against Censorship and 10 other groups in protesting a decision to remove images of Mohammed from a book that is being published by Yale University Press. Jytte Klausen’s The Cartoons that Shook the World, describes the controversy that erupted when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting Mohammed that some Muslims considered blasphemous. Yale University Press originally intended to include the cartoons in the book as well as other images of Mohammed. The manuscript was accepted by the publisher following both scholarly and legal reviews.

However, a member of the administration of Yale University expressed concern that the book might provoke violence, which had occurred in some places after the Danish cartoons were originally published. Although there were no threats against the book or the university, a special committee that was formed to consider the security question recommended the removal of the images. Yale University Press decided to remove not only the Danish cartoons but all the images of Mohammed.

In a Sept. 14 letter to Richard C. Levin, the president of Yale, ABFFE, NCAC and the other groups criticized Yale for interfering in the decision of the Press to publish the cartoons and other images in the book. “Giving in to the fear of violence only emboldens those who use threats to achieve their ends,” the letter said. “This misguided action establishes a dangerous precedent that threatens academic and intellectual freedom around the world.”

 Virginia Prison Book Program to Continue

A program that has put hundreds of thousands of books into the hands of inmates in Virginia prisons over the past 20 years will continue after ABFFE, the Association of American Publishers and other groups protested a decision by prison officials to end it. Under the program, which was created by Kay Allison, owner of the Quest Bookshop in Charlottesville, prisoners are able to seek specific titles and create their own small personal library. The books are donated by churches and other groups. After the Washington Post reported on September 10 that the program was being ended for security reasons, protests poured in from individuals and groups across the country. In a joint letter to the Governor of Virginia, ABFFE and AAP urged a reversal of the decision. “To deprive prisoners of the ability to request and own their own books is terribly short-sighted. The interests of society as well as our shared human concerns can best be served by allowing this visionary program to continue,” the letter stated. The director of Virginia’s Department of Corrections reversed the decision and will allow each inmate to request up to three books a month.
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Kids' Right to Read Celebrates Two Victories

In Helena, Alabama, the Helena Middle School library will retain John Coy's Crackback, which was challenged in September by a parent who objected to drinking and steroid use by characters in the book. The Kids' Right to Read Project (KRRP) worked closely with Coy and school officials.

In Downingtown, Pennsylvania, school officials followed model procedure in denying a challenge to Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted. When a parent demanded the removal of the book, KRRP sent this letter.

But the battle continues. On September 29 the Wyoming, Ohio School Board voted to back the superintendent's plan to re-evaluate every book that isn't a textbook that teachers recommend to their students. Staff members will now be asked to rate books based on four points, including the extent to which a book "could create controversy among students, parents and community groups." In response, KRRP sent this letter.

ABFFE Book of the Month: American Privacy: The 400-Year History of Our Most Contested Right

The ABFFE Book of the Month for November is American Privacy: The 400-Year History of Our Most Contested Right by Frederick S. Lane (Beacon Press), 978-0-80-704441-4. In American Privacy, Lane traces the origins of the right to privacy, from the Bill of Rights to the controversial 1960s Supreme Court cases that first formally recognized it, and lays bare the speed with which technological and social changes swamped all efforts to maintain that right.

To read ABFFE's interview with author Frederick S. Lane click here.

Sale of Reading Glasses Boosting ABFFE

Thousands of bookstore customers are not only reading with less eye strain but supporting free speech because of a new partnership between ABFFE and 2020 Vision USA, a Sarasota, Florida, importer of reading and sunglasses. In an undertaking launched at BookExpo America this year, 2020 Vision USA is contributing $1 to ABFFE for every pair of glasses it sells to independent bookstores. “Bookstores have ordered almost 6,000 pairs of glasses since BookExpo, and everyone reports that they are selling very well. Some bookstores are already reordering,” ABFFE President Chris Finan said.

ABFFE has created point-of-sale signs to help bookstore customers make the connection between the purchase of the reading glasses and support for free speech. But booksellers report that most customers don’t need additional incentives because the glasses are stylish and priced right.

Booksellers at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association trade show will be able to examine 2020 Vision’s product line in person. The glasses will be on display at the 2020 booth in the sidelines section.

To view the entire collection of 2020 Vision eyewear, accessories and wholesale prices, please visit the company website, http://www.2020visionusa.com.
 

Show Your Support for Freadom!

ABFFE's popular “freadom” t-shirts, buttons, bookmarks, bumper stickers, and more are available during Banned Books Week and all year round.  To order online, visit the ABFFE store.

For further information, contact Jamie Chosak, (212) 587-4025, ext. 13; jamie {at} abffe.com.