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ABFFE
UPDATE
May 8, 2009 Previously
in ABFFE Update
Volume 11,
Number 4
ABFFE Protests Dismissal of Board Members and Book Censorship at West
Bend Library
 The
controversy over the dismissal of four library board members in West
Bend, Wisconsin, continues to grow. The West Bend Common Council is
scheduled to reconsider its April 21 vote to remove the board members
because of their refusal to remove controversial books from the young
adult section of the library. The board members are accused of promoting
"the overt indoctrination of the gay agenda." Supporters of the library
board intend to introduce a motion to reconsider at the May 18 council
meeting.
Two of the books are Brent Hartinger's Geography Club and Stephan
Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Meanwhile, critics
have recently called for restrictions on a third book, Baby Be Bop
by Francesca Lia Block. The Christian Civil Liberties Union's (CCLU)
Milwaukee branch has filed a legal claim, calling the book offensive and
arguing that the elderly plaintiffs' mental and emotional well-beings
were damaged by the book's presence at the Library. Named in the claim
are the city of West Bend, Mayor Kristine Deiss, the West Bend Library
Board and Library Director. CCLU is seeks $30,000 per plaintiff, Deiss'
resignation and the book's removal for a public burning.
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, NCAC, the
Association of American Publishers and PEN American Center urged the
West Bend Common Council to reconsider its decision in a letter
asserting that the dismissals threatened free speech in two ways by
punishing the library board members for attempting to apply objective
criteria in the selection of books and by pressuring the library to
remove the controversial books.
Click here to read the
letter.
There is good news is another censorship case involving a public
library. On April 16, the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
reversed its decision to restrict access to several titles in the
library's Health Information Neighborhood section--Sex for Busy
People, The Lesbian Karma Sutra, The Joy of Sex and
The Joy of Gay Sex. ABFFE joined other book and media groups in
opposing the board's actions. One of the votes to reverse the decision
to restrict the books was cast by a new member of the library board; a
Methodist minister spent time observing the use of the health section
and concluded that minors were not looking at the books.
The board's decision is reported
here.
The Campaign for Reader Privacy Launches New Effort to
Amend the Patriot Act
 On
April 7, free speech organizations launched the latest phase in their
five-year campaign to restore the reader privacy safeguards that were
stripped away by the USA Patriot Act. Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can
search any records it believes are "relevant" to a terrorism
investigation, including the records of people who are not suspected of
criminal conduct. Because the Patriot Act orders bar recipients from
revealing their existence, it is impossible to know how many National
Security Letters have been served on bookstores and libraries. However,
in a memo to Congress, the Campaign for Reader Privacy observed that
there have been at least three significant and disturbing attempts to
obtain records from libraries since 2003.
Click here to view
the memo.
Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to FCC
 In
a setback for free speech advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court declared on
April 28 that the FCC's ban on "fleeting expletives" on television and
radio was not "arbitrary and capricious." In a 5-4 decision, the Court
said that the FCC had not exceeded its authority when it cracked down on
the use of so-called "dirty words" following the outcry over Janet
Jackson's exposed breast during the 2004 Super Bowl. ABFFE joined an
amicus brief in the case.
Click here
to view the amicus brief.
However, the case could soon return to the Supreme Court. The Second
Circuit Court of Appeals has already indicated that the "fleeting
expletives" ban may violate the First Amendment. It will now formally
consider this issue. If the case does return to the Supreme Court, it
may prompt the justices to reconsider the 1978 case that authorized the
federal government to censor broadcast media. For a forecast of what
could happen next, click
here.
ABFFE Book of the Month: "Burn this Book" edited by Toni Morrison
 The
ABFFE Book of the Month for May is Burn this Book
edited by Toni Morrison (Harper Collins), 978-0-06-177400-3.
Burn this Book is a collection of essays by notable authors from
around the globe, including John Updike (in one of his final pieces),
Nadine Gordimer, David Grossman and Salman Rushdie. Produced in
collaboration with PEN American Center, Burn this Book examines the
complex relationship between censorship and literature and asserts
that "a writer's life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its
necessity."
To sign The Right to Read petition to stop censorship, click
here.
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.
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