Book and Play Banning...just sad

[scorpioboy33]

Alabama Bill Targets Gay Authors
MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 27, 2005

A college production tells the story of Matthew Sheppard, a student beaten to death because he was gay.

And soon, it could be banned in Alabama.

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

Books by any gay author would have to go: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" has lesbian characters.

Allen originally wanted to ban even some Shakespeare. After criticism, he narrowed his bill to exempt t classics, although he still can't define what a classic is. Also exempted now Alabama's public and college libraries.

Librarian Donna Schremser fears the "thought police," would be patrolling her shelves.

"And so the idea that we would have a pristine collection that represents one political view, one religioius view, that's not a library,'' says Schremser.

"I think it's an absolutely absurd bill," says Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

First Amendment advocates say the ban clearly does amount to censorship.

"It's a Nazi book burning," says Potok. "You know, it's a remarkable piece of work."

But in book after book, Allen reads what he calls the "homosexual agenda," and he's alarmed.

"It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal."

He says he sees this as a line in the sand.

In Alabama's legislature, the reviews of Allen's bill are still out on whether to lower this curtain for good.

[kentuckyklira]

Soon they´ll start burning books in public. Just like my ancestors in 1933, and we all know where that lead!

[s.o.s.r]

i told myself i wasn't gonna post in this section when i first got here a couple days ago. mainly 'cause i'm a pretty fuckin' angry guy when it comes to a lot of political issues, i get caught out by my own fury, a lot more than i do with music, even by spammy.

i wasn't gonna post 'cause a lot of what i read, i didn't agree with. i didn't wanna start arguing with folks in here, especially the ones who i agree with in other sections, ones who crack me up no end, make me laugh up a vertebrae.

issues like this though, issues of your most basic freedom of speech, this is the first amendment man. look, i'm not gay, it doesn't float my boat in any way, i don't like the idea of it, but once you let censorship in, defending it by saying it's un-american, then it's the thin end of the wedge my friends.

what comes next? is he gonna ban black sabbath 'cause he thinks it's the word of satan? why not, he got away with it this time. is he gonna ban rock concerts? it'll be like a lot of places the doors played in in the 60's. it'll be like communist europe for fuck's sake.

pople trying to ban books, it's fuckin' sinister. tennessee williams, truman capote? these are lynchpins of modern american society man, what the fuck? it's sick, worse than what could be written in any book, is pretending it doesn't exist, going down to your library or book shop and getting told, "sorry, we don't have this book in our system." anyone here read 1984? it's that kind of shit.

he wanted to ban some shakespeare? what exactly? romeo and juliet for men saying they love eachother, macbeth for the witchcraft, sure as hell won't be the merchant of venice for portraying jews as greedy. hell, maybe he's getting the wrong end of the stick and didn't like shakespeare in love.

censorship fucks me right off, i think i made that point already huh? like with any issue on free speech, i go with voltaire, "i may not agree with what you say, but I will defend with my life your right to say it."

[Nickdfresh]

Maybe Alabama can take all of the gay stuff and set up a "Museum of Degenerate Art." :)

[LadyTudor2711]

Originally posted by scorpioboy33
Alabama Bill Targets Gay Authors
MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 27, 2005

A college production tells the story of Matthew Sheppard, a student beaten to death because he was gay.

And soon, it could be banned in Alabama.

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

Books by any gay author would have to go: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" has lesbian characters.

Allen originally wanted to ban even some Shakespeare. After criticism, he narrowed his bill to exempt t classics, although he still can't define what a classic is. Also exempted now Alabama's public and college libraries.

Librarian Donna Schremser fears the "thought police," would be patrolling her shelves.

"And so the idea that we would have a pristine collection that represents one political view, one religioius view, that's not a library,'' says Schremser.

"I think it's an absolutely absurd bill," says Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

First Amendment advocates say the ban clearly does amount to censorship.

"It's a Nazi book burning," says Potok. "You know, it's a remarkable piece of work."

But in book after book, Allen reads what he calls the "homosexual agenda," and he's alarmed.

"It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal."

He says he sees this as a line in the sand.

In Alabama's legislature, the reviews of Allen's bill are still out on whether to lower this curtain for good.



Hello:

Book banning is absurd. I distinctly remember our summer/course reading list that included books like , The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair and Lord of the Flies..

What about The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger? What a great book! How many people here wish they had never read that book?

How about the Marquis de Sade? Josephine, that landed him in a a mental prison. Forget the fact that he was a sadist... lol Great read.

Why people feel the need to try to grade or rate the contents of literature frustrates me. Who is qualified to decide?

The idea or thought of of banning Shakespeare is by far the worst idea I have ever heard. Moronic.

What is Macbeth about? It is about the numbing of the moral senses and what happens when that occurs; it can lead to tragedy. That is not a good lessoned learned?

His plays and sonnets are and will continue to be celebrated and debated. Henry V is my personal favorite, you must use your imagination.

People are never satisfied no matter what you do, someone will always have some moral platform on which to stand and bark out loudly to the rest of those who will listen.


People like this state representative (from Alabama, need I say more..). is only using this as his podium, and the simple fact that he is using children to further his cause, his words will fall on sympathetic and confused ears. That is a scarry thought.

Again, I have always advocated thinking for yourself, duh. It is one thing to disallow a child to read a book that they may not understand because of their age or the content, but it is another to remove a book from a library shelf.

There are some books that discuss ideas, plots or characters that can be misunderstood by younger children/people, but that does not mean when they are ready to comprehend or to gain some insight; that this indeed would be the appropriate time to encourage reading "that" book.

Another vent, thanks.

LT