Beware, Public Library

  Are you ready for this? One of the most dangerous places you can send your child today may be the public library. That's right, the public library. Why? Well, under the guise of free speech, many librarians have decided it's their duty to permit patrons to explore the underworld of virtual perversion by logging onto pornographic websites. And your tax dollars are paying for it. It's not a local problem but a nationwide campaign, and nobody knows the full extent because some libraries cover it up. A Minneapolis study documented only three cases of pornographic Internet use. But, off the record, library staffers admitted that its use was widespread. And its use leads to incidents with children being victimized. In Greenville, South Carolina, a man forced a seven-year-old boy to view pornography on the library's computer. In Denver, a woman was briefly distracted, only to find her seven-year-old daughter viewing pornography with a stranger. While some libraries have installed software to filter this trash, others simply refuse. And you should know that the librarians who insist on public access to porn aren't just the misguided few; they're the intellectual mainstream, trained and accredited by the American Library Association. The ALA, in league with the ACLU and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, has embraced pornography as "free speech." They say everyone, minors included, has a right to unrestricted access to it. But most disturbing, according to Robert Marshall, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates who has become an expert on the subject, parents' wishes are often dismissed. He says the ALA frowns on efforts by schools to require age-level restrictions, or even permission from parents before children can gain unlimited access to pornography in books or on the Internet. In the ALA's view, parents have the right to control what their children can access only while they are with them. If no parent is present, children can get anything they want. Think about that! It's illegal for minors to buy pornography at magazine stands, but librarians will look the other way, under orders from the American Library Association. The ALA's own website illustrates that uncontrolled Internet access is just part of their larger agenda: to radicalize society, starting with our kids. The website invites kids as young as 13 to log on to "Go Ask Alice," a so-called advice column sponsored by Columbia University. But bluntly put, it encourages teenage sex. The column even explained to one teen how to have "safe sex" with animals. Other topics include first-time sex, love toys, and sado- masochistic role-playing. Yes, you heard it right. And that's just for starters. The ALA aggressively promotes homosexuality, sponsoring an annual "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Book Awards," and it opposed the Boy Scouts for refusing to allow gay scoutmasters. It has challenged statutes to limit obscenity in libraries and elsewhere. Tomorrow, I'll tell you how you can speak up and counter the ALA's influence in your community. But whatever you do, don't assume your public library is a safe place for your kids.

08/10/00