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Posted on 02/07/2012 7:56:35 AM PST by marktwain
When the right-wing Second Amendment Foundation teamed up with the left-wing First Amendment foundation to sue the Eastern Washington library system for filtering out gun websites, it serves as a case study as to why the Seattle Public Library was right last week when it said it wasn't going to do anything about Internet porn.
There's not much titillating about Women & Guns magazine.
About as racy as it gets is a recent photo spread on "practical leather" — gun holsters and casual carry handbags for the lady who packs heat.
With articles like "Taming Shotgun Recoil" and "Ammunition on a Budget," nobody is likely to confuse it with porn.
But a few years back, the magazine's website, womenshooters.com, nevertheless got blocked by computers for the library system in Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.
Also known as "gun country."
"We couldn't believe it," says Dave Workman, an editor for the publisher, the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue. "In the middle of gun country, the libraries are blocking us?"
The intent, according to the North Central Regional Library in Wenatchee, was to block porn and other potentially offensive adult material from the straying eyes of children. Yet as often happens when government starts banning stuff, it didn't know where to stop.
Out was not only Women & Guns. But Soldier of Fortune. Myspace. Art sites. Many Web pages that had anything to do with drugs or alcohol.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Let it be known that the browsing history of all patrons is public record published on the library website, linked with your library card and identification information.
How is porn considered freedom of speech?
A kid can’t go into an rated x movie, people can’t screw out in public but because a government building has an internet access, anything goes?
There should be age restricted areas where kids are not expose to that kind of crap.
IMO, this IS easy. The first amendment guarantees freedom of the press. It does not guarantee that the taxpayer has to provide pornography (or gun magazines) for you. Buy it yourself. This is not censorship, in my opinion.
Georgia has a nice way to do this. You can’t use state internet for Porn, and all the internet services for Libraries are provided by the State.
Yes, there is. Block all porn sites.
The downtown San Antonio public library had the same attitude years ago and slimy porn addicts were bringing up the worst sort of porn right in front of kids. I objectted and the librarian said the same thing ‘Free of speech, we can’t do anything about it’ etc.
Then a year later when I went back porn was blocked and the slimy porn addicts, who used to wait around the doors for the library to open at eight in the morning, were all gone.
I think what happened was an article in the newspaper and interviews with kids who had seen the porn, or brought it up, etc. but suddenly they changed their attitude completely. All blocked. And all of a sudden the First Amendment seemed to have ceased to matter.
Maybe this article will help Seattle wise up. Kids should feel safe in a library for God’s sakes!
Why shouldn’t there be one computer in a restricted section and let them sign and clock in to browse their porn there. Then the browsing history could be reviewed and if they browse kiddie porn the police can prosecute them. I am sick of the “rights” of one person impinging on many other people. Parents have a right to expect that their children won’t be exposed to second hand porn at the library. The librarians have a right not to be abused by having to see it as well. Why do we need to remove prayer monuments and statues with a religious theme however faint to avoid some atheist having to see them but the right to see pornography trumps the right not to see it! If a person showed those pictures to a child that would be a criminal act just like exposing him/herself in a public place. But somehow because the pornography is on a computer screen its protected. This judgement is absolutely flawed, and is yet another example of political correctness, overriding common sense and decency.
Absolutely not. My browsing history, like my reading history, should be private barring a court order to reveal it.
If an action doesn’t rise to the level of being criminal then there is no reason it should be subject to the scrutiny and judgement of others.
Only an idiot could be so utterly clueless when writing this article.
tieing it to gun rights is the scraping at bottom of barrel
they can ban PORN, it is well defined and don’t need to go to a grey area about it all over again
Taxpayers are paying for your Internet connection at the library. They have a right to know what you are doing with their money.
Surf porn on your own dime.
Also get rid of the IRS and EPA.
We need a much smaller government . We shouldn't be debating what should be allowed in a government abomination. This government abomination (a government library or school) is totally unconstitutional , is socialism and is against freedom. 15 trillion in debt , Obama is exploding the debt by trillions , letting in immigrants, sending our jobs to China , growing the government, letting in illegals , censoring the Internet with ACTA . Impeach democrat Obama.
What other kind of story can you expect from the Seattle Times, the New york Times, The LA Times.
Don’t buy any paper names Times.
My point was that if it was criminal it would be prosecuted. It is illegal to browse kiddy porn.
I have a better idea. Close all libraries. Why the government has to provide books for the public is beyond me. It is expensive and not necessary. Talk about cutting government spending. If I were to be President, libraries would be one of the first to go.
‘Casual carry handbags for the lady who packs heat’.
LOL.
Don’t forget the ‘Tampa Bay Times’!
Even those who hold a right for adults to view porn, should object to any such viewing in places where children are present. What’s next? XXX videos playing in display windows at the mall?
If you allow preemptive surveillance this will almost certainly kill a lot of inquiry through self-censorship and other subjects -will- eventually be censored.
Prosecute for public indecency when classless idiots view porn in public - don't offer up the minutiae of everyones browsing habits (book or web) before they have committed a crime. Punish perps not private citizens gathering knowledge in a library.
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