The Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) has selected a curious place to put together an old-fashioned book burning: a court. In West Bend, Wisconsin, Christians are upset over a book called Baby Be-Bop and other books contained in the “Young Adult” material that they say are sexually explicit and inappropriate. In a 9-0 vote, the library trustees refused their demands to remove or restrict the material at the West Bend Community Memorial Library.
Irate Christian activists Ginny and Jim Maziarka have been fighting for four months to cleanse the library and Robert C. Braun of the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) has distributed copies of a claim for damages he and three other plaintiffs filed April 28 with the city. They are demanding $120,000 in compensatory damages for each plaintiff for being exposed to the book in a library display, and the resignation of West Bend Mayor Kristine Deiss for “allow[ing] this book to be viewed by the public.”
They insist that the book by Francesca Lia Block is “explicitly vulgar, racial, and anti-Christian” and that “the plaintiffs, all of whom are elderly, claim their mental and emotional well-being was damaged by this book at the library.” They are reportedly seeking the right to publicly burn or destroy by another means the library’s copy of Baby Be-Bop.
For the full story, click here
GW MOM,
One Question, If Jesus was not a Jew then what religion was he? If you will read Paul, James or JohnII, you might get your answer.
markk writes:
Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
CAN I GET AN ANSWER PLEASE OR DO I HAVE TO GO TO A BLOG WHERE THERE ARE REAL ATTORNEYS POSTING INSTEAD OF YOU PHONIES?
good grief. don’t get your panties in such a twist. those reporters, young women, were not sent into N.Korea. they were sent to s. Korea to interview refugees from the north and they got too close to the line and were snagged.
maybe if you want al gore to answer questions you might contact him.
as to your little snit about real attorneys, maybe no one has answered you because we don’t like your style. feel free to find a blog more to your liking. i don’t think you will be missed.
Anon writes: The catholic faith is based upon the Jewish traditions and they call these the High Masses. If you go to an Orthodox or some other related, the Jews are not viewed as enemies other than in business. Catholicism is and has always been based on Jesus being a Jew, dare I say, Jesus never renounced Judaism. From what I understand he was extremely proud of his heritage.
me: not so much. no. I’ve read the christian bible and I think I understand a few things about the church and I don’t get any sense of jesus as any sort of jew. had he been even remotely observant he’d have married and would have had children. that is the core obligation for religious jewish males since god told adam to go forth and multiply. he never would have overturned the moneychanger’s tables either. moneychangers were the bank of jerusalem. pilgrims came from all over the countryside and from all over region to offer sacrifices at the temple. they had to exchange currency to buy grain or small birds, the most common sacrificial offerings just as we change money when we travel. we are charged a fee for this. the moneychangers charged a fee for this. this was their profession, work that they did so that they could support their families.
those are only a few examples.i could go on but I’ve spent too much time in the lane.
Markk,
Can Al Gore be personally liable, no more than any other corporation. You figure that out. Make the Corporations pay taxes and we will give you an answer.
In addition to being off topic, you’re rude. Why don’t you do what normal people do if you’re so intent on pursuing this inquiry? Call a lawyer, make an appointment and pay a fee.
Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
CAN I GET AN ANSWER PLEASE OR DO I HAVE TO GO TO A BLOG WHERE THERE ARE REAL ATTORNEYS POSTING INSTEAD OF YOU PHONIES?
I still have emotional damage from having (in a moment of bored desperation) read part of “Twilight,” but it is our scars that make us interesting.
Swarthmore mom writes:
Also the evangelicals say the Catholics aren’t christian and are going to hell.
me: Mormons are going to hell, jews too and well I’m going to hell too and their decision that I go doesn’t bother me a bit. I will be in excellent company. so why don’t we just hold hands and go together.
Author: Swarthmore mom
It seems very fashionable to bash Catholics. The Catholic Church is on record to be anti- death penalty. I have noticed that the states with high Catholic populations tend to much more liberal than those where protestants dominate.The peace and social justice movement in the catholic church is also a very positive thing. The Catholic Church has taken a turn to the right which has nearly driven me out, but there are still some good priests and parishes out there.It is very hard to be a Catholic these days.The pope stifles you and your non catholic friends look at you askance.
I don’t think anyone is bashing Catholics…. just the history of the church and its failure to take responsibility for its failures to their own people and of course victims of their policies of evangelism conversion inquistion and that kind of stuff in general.
its easy to be liberal about the death penalty when it is actually in line with a genuine pro life stance. but what is the cost to the other side when the church won’t allow a woman to use birth control?
I dislike many things about organized religion and if its hard to be Catholic then maybe its too hard or maybe it was never supposed to be easy.
its still easier than being lots of other things like a Jew or black or gay
Author: lottakatz
Comment:
A little subversion would not be out of place- if everyone in the town that disagreed with them just showed up and threw a bible in the fire I’m sure most of these thought-fascists would have a heart attack and the bible burners would get a little camera time to express their views, whatever they may be.
me: Va-Ca? Road Trip? Anyone?
Anon writes: could not agree with ya more. The Pro-life/Death Penalty one really gets me. But more that that the book burners, suppressionists have been around a long, long time. From ancient Greece to Sarajevo of recent. Power, is the theme. I do not know if most people are aware the Roman Catholic Church or at least some diocese would not let parishioners read the old testament. I think that this was up and until PiusXII.
Me: I think I remember something from 8th grade social studies about how the church kept literacy under wraps for the entire middle ages, hence the descriptor “dark” as pertaining to learning and not the weather.
knowledge is indeed power and the currency of modernity is information. witness the recent discussion on The Hill about release of photos of tortured detainees at Gitmo. The right is threatening a filibuster and even Obama thinks that maybe they should not be seen.
Anon: The destruction of the Library of Alexandria; the burning of books and burying of scholars under China’s Qin Dynasty; the destruction of Mayan codices by Spanish conquistadors and priests; Nazi book burnings which occurred May 10, 1933; and the destruction of the Sarajevo National Library.
me? I’m keeping my little printing press going for as long as my bony fingers can type.
I have a question: Can Al Gore be legally liable for damages for sending his two journalists to North Korea? Al Gore is worth over 150 million dollars. These two journalists could have been shot on the spot in North Korea. Al Gore needs to answer some questions.
Of course book burning is legal. That’s not the issue. Mr. and Mrs. Maziarka are welcome to spend their entire family fortune on Amazon if they wish, and hold a massive bonfire (provided they secure the proper permits from municipal and county agencies). But the type of “book burning” which has grown in popularity involves intimidating local libraries into stocking only those volumes which meet some sort of vague test of fundamentalist theology. Buy the book. Burn it. Preach against its messages. But don’t lynch the librarian.
Mike A. and Swartzmore Mom,
The catholic faith is based upon the Jewish traditions and they call these the High Masses. If you go to an Orthodox or some other related, the Jews are not viewed as enemies other than in business. Catholicism is and has always been based on Jesus being a Jew, dare I say, Jesus never renounced Judaism. From what I understand he was extremely proud of his heritage.
The neo-catholics have separated themselves from any symbolical Jesus significance only to gain a wider audience. The separation from what I understand was who the messiah was, so therefore John and Jesus must die. Christianity was not a recognized religion until about the year 380. Then at that time they moved the business to Rome. I have read an account that Peter never stepped foot in Rome and maintained his underground existence in Jerusalem.
Many Popes have been Antichrist and it is the individual that sets the policy of the church and therefore precedent. The marriage contract was all about counting for the money, to finance various wars.
I need say no more at this time.
Hey where is Buddha and mespo?
this is a problem, isnt book burning free speech? And while distastefull it should be protected. I dont like flag burning but I think it should be legal.
Swarthmore Mom, I agree with your comments. I occasionally speak my mind, such as it is, on the “America” magazine website. I have long argued that evangelicals are hardly the friends of either Catholics or Jews. The pope is the Antichrist, but Catholic conservatives are useful allies in the abortion wars. Jews are likewise doomed, but the U.S. must support Israel unconditionally in order to fulfill the Armageddon prophecies. It is all nonsense and the Catholic hierarchy, in addition to its other obvious failings, has allowed the fundamentalist community to limit the moral debates in this country to abortion and capitalism (as though the latter were some sort of biblical virtue), while virtually abandoning its positions on capital punishment, social justice, support for unions, etc.
Aside from the First Amendment issues raised by this story, the actions of Mr. and Mrs. Maziarka are foolish on common sense grounds. It appears that they are not happy with the publisher’s classification of the book in question, so instead of discussing the story line with their children, they reacted by expressing their unhappiness in an extreme fashion, simultaneously convincing every kid in West Bend to get a copy of the book. When I was a young Catholic school student in the ’50s, my parents subscribed to the diocesan newspaper. During that period a Catholic organization known as the Legion of Decency published a rating system for films. I routinely viewed the ratings for the movies classified as “C,” meaning condemned (morally objectionble for all audiences). In my mind, “C” meant there had to be sex in the movie. To this day, I do not remember any of the films with “A” ratings. But I do remember “Baby Doll,” “And God Created Woman” and “I Spit on Your Grave.” I knew that anything with Brigitte Bardot would automatically receive a “C” and must obviously be worth seeing. I never actually saw any of those movies, but the Legion of Decency regularly inflamed my pre-adolescent lust by keeping me informed of the forbidden pleasures just beyond my reach.
“our enemies’ babys” (excuse me)
I was at me Gran-Gran’s last weekind and I stumbled me accross a book that said if a lady-fella gits herself rapeded in the city she should be stoned to death on accout-a the fact that she mustn’t ah screamed loud enough and there for be a whore. Same book said we could smash the skulls of our babies and take their lady-fella’s as our wives if they was pretty.
What really a-scared me though was this part about this man-fella a-named Ham who was curseded forever on-account the fact he saw his old-man’s weiner. Man, I’m pretty sure I saw my daddy’s weiner when he took a leek on our last opossum hunting trip. Also said it was a sin to eat cheese-burgers.
I burned that crazy-ass book.
Also the evangelicals say the Catholics aren’t christian and are going to hell.