Comments on: Anne Kilkenny comments on the Sarah Palin book banning story

By: Bruce Clyne

Bruce Clyne — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:13:36 +0000

While I was in college a student and a teacher battled over a book in the library that the student felt was offensive to his “religious beliefs”. The book was “The Bible”. That was 1981. I went back to that Library and found the same bible still there. Advanced citizenship has not changed.

By: Mr. Boot

Mr. Boot — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:00:01 +0000

As a library employee, I find it appalling that so many Americans think it’s okay to remove books. It’s not the censorship of library materials that’s the biggest worry, in my opinion (though it does not bode well); rather, it is the utter lack of personal responsibility on display. It is not the job of a public employee to censor books. It is the job of parents to pay attention to what their children are reading. Everyone’s list of appropriate books would be different. Do you want the librarian deciding these issues for you?

By: ken

ken — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:37:03 +0000

Daniel M. said in post 125620: I find it amusing that some people find it so offensive that someone would want to monitor what is in a public library that is funded by the city. This discussion isn't about monitoring what is in the public libraries, it is about censoring what is in the public libraries. These are very different things. Anyone can monitor what is in the library, simply by looking through the library catalog. It is when people start trying to dictate what can't be in the library because they don't like it the the problems arise. Further "these people" that you refer to don't include me, because I have never supported banning video games.

By: Eddy

Eddy — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:58:56 +0000

Warren:
Any progress on that “I forgot to subscribe” button?
…forgot to check the notify box again….

By: Eddy

Eddy — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:56:07 +0000

Warren,
Just a bit of enlightenment on what they can do nowadays to make an email seem personal. I first encountered it back in the ’70’s in the prayer and counseling center of a mega TV ministry.
LOL. The prayer room was directly above the mail-receiving room. That way, when the TV minister said “I have personally prayed over your letter”, he or she was not lying. (I believe a lie is in the intent and that this logic is hypocritical beyond belief.) But anyway…
I found this out when a client came in with a somewhat bizarre situation. He/she was turned down for sex-reassignment surgery. He lived as a woman and then had a charismatic conversion experience. He then believed that ‘the “God of Miracles” was going to miraculously give him the sex-change that he had been denied. I met him once or twice before he came excitedly into the office with letters he had received from the famous evangelist and how they supported his belief that God was going to change his body to match his mind.
I had a bit more of the kind of boldness you have in those days and got through to the head of the prayer/counseling center by telephone. I had read the letters my client received several times and I had asked him what he had said in his letters to them. That’s when I learned that each paragraph or response is canned.
Someone reads your letter. After every few sentences they key in a ‘response code’ to that comment.
1) I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. Please be assured that I have read and prayed over your letter.
2) (Writer mentions a specific concern. Reader codes whether it’s a compliment, a prayer request, a comment on a recent sermon, etc. Appropriate response is generated.
3) … …Well, you get the picture.
In the case of my client’s pouring out his heart about his transsexual dilemma (that the doctor’s couldn’t or wouldn’t help him), he got the preprogrammed responses for ‘new believer’, ‘deeply troubled’ and ‘needs a miracle’…
I strongly suggested that they develop a hybrid letter. Several paragraphs could be ‘canned’ or preprogrammed but very specific questions or concerns would be coded so that someone would actually create a response paragraph. (Unfortunately, if it’s one that addresses a question or concern that is likely to come up again, it gets its own code for future use.)
Anyway, I’m thinking you got a hybrid. 😉
(Warren: Had an incredible vacation with the fam back in PA. Never traveled further than 10 miles from ‘home’ though. We’re going to make it an annual thing. Take your family to the Kipona next year and we’ll hook up.)
Ken:
It seems you and I are often adversarial. Just wanted you to know that I was nodding in agreement a number of times while reading your comments on this thread. The one I remember the most goes to the point that the books in the library are the librarians responsibility. And the follow-up logic that so many seem to be forgetting: it is the parent’s duty to supervise their children in the library!