Library board puts Jon Stewart's book back on shelves

[Rose Siding]

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- A library board reversed a ban on comedian Jon Stewart's best-selling satirical book, which it had passed because of its image of Supreme Court justices' faces superimposed on naked bodies.

The Jackson-George Regional Library System board of trustees was criticized by local residents and in e-mails from out of state after it banned "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" last month. The trustees had said they objected to the image.

But the board voted 5-2 Monday to lift the ban, and the book was returned to circulation in the system's eight libraries Tuesday.

"We have come under intense scrutiny by the outside community," said David Ables, board chairman. "We don't decide for the community whether to read this book or not, but whether to make it available."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/01/11/banned.book.ap/index.html

[goodboy]

1. proof letter-writing works! (eom)

[AlCzervik]

2. He talked about being banned last night

this part cracked me up "I know the obvious joke here is...Mississippi has libraries?"

[rkc3]

6. Be careful with that joke - we got a thread locked yesterday afternoon.

Too much bigoted commentary.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2931259

[AlCzervik]

7. It was a direct quote from him, i'm willing to take the chance.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[carolinayellowdog]

12. States don't have friends, individuals do

And any DUer who would rather be friends with a Bush voter from a "blue state" than with a Kerry voter in a "red state" has a screw loose. More than 40% of Southern votes went to Kerry. Yet many DUers seem (pretend?) not to understand the difference between 50-odd % and 100% when discussing "red and blue states."

[GOPFighter]

13. Point well taken

but, as I'm sure you know, when we refer to red-staters, we're referring to the stereotype Bush voter. I think I speak for everyone in a blue state like mine (Maryland) that we have nothing but admiration for you Democrats in red states.

:yourock:

[MADem]

31. And even blue states have crazy ass RED

...governors....MD and MA are prime examples.

[BrklynLiberal]

29. A significant number of people in the red states voted for Kerry

and that is as much more difficult place to be than to be a Bush voter in a Blue state!!!!!!

Alabama Kerry 36.8% 693,933 **********
Bush 62.5% 1,176,394
Other 0.7% 13,088

Alaska
Kerry 35.5% 111,025 *******
Bush 61.1% 190,889
Other 3.4% 10,684

Arizona
Kerry 44.4% *********
Bush 54.8% 1,104,294
Other 0.8% 16,041

Arkansas
Kerry 44.5% 469,953 ********
Bush 54.3% 572,898
Other 1.1% 12,094

California
Kerry 54.3% 6,745,485
Bush 44.4% 5,509,826
Other 1.3% 164,546

Colorado
Kerry 47.0% 1,001,732 ********
Bush 51.7% 1,101,255
Other 1.3% 26,643

Connecticut
Kerry 54.3% 857,488
Bush 43.9% 693,826
Other 1.7% 27,455

Delaware
Kerry 53.3% 200,152
Bush 45.8% 171,660
Other 0.9% 3,378

District of Columbia
Kerry 89.2% 202,970
Bush 9.3% 21,256
Other 1.5% 3,360

Florida
Kerry 47.1% 3,583,544 ******
Bush 52.1% 3,964,522
Other 0.8% 61,744

Georgia
Kerry 41.4% 1,366,149 ********
Bush 58.0% 1,914,254
Other 0.7% 21,472

Hawaii
Kerry 54.0% 231,708
Bush 45.3% 194,191
Other 0.7% 3,114

Idaho
Kerry 30.3% 181,098 **
Bush 68.4% 409,235
Other 1.4% 8,114

Illinois
Kerry 54.8% 2,891,989
Bush 44.5% 2,346,608
Other 0.7% 36,818

Indiana
Kerry 39.3% 969,011 ****
Bush 59.9% 1,479,438
Other 0.8% 19,553

Iowa
Kerry 49.2% 741,898 *****
Bush 49.9% 751,957
Other 0.9% 13,053

Kansas
Kerry 36.6% 434,993 *********
Bush 62.0% 736,456
Other 1.4% 16,307

Kentucky
Kerry 39.7% 712,733 ********
Bush 59.6% 1,069,439
Other 0.8% 13,688

Louisiana
Kerry 42.2% 820,299 *****************
Bush 56.7% 1,102,169
Other 1.1% 20,638

Maine
Kerry 53.6% 396,842
Bush 44.6% 330,201
Other 1.9% 13,709

Maryland
Kerry 55.9% 1,334,493
Bush 42.9% 1,024,703
Other 1.2% 27,482

Massachusetts
Kerry 61.9% 1,803,800
Bush 36.8% 1,071,109
Other 1.3% 37,479

Michigan
Kerry 51.2% 2,479,183
Bush 47.8% 2,313,746
Other 1.0% 46,323

Minnesota
Kerry 51.1% 1,445,014
Bush 47.6% 1,346,695
Other 1.3% 36,678

Mississippi
Kerry 39.7% 457,766 *********
Bush 59.4% 684,981
Other 0.8% 9,618

Missouri
Kerry 46.1% 1,259,171 ****
Bush 53.3% 1,455,713
Other 0.6% 16,480

Montana
Kerry 38.6% 173,710 **
Bush 59.1% 266,063
Other 2.4% 10,661

Nebraska
Kerry 32.7% 254,328 ***
Bush 65.9% 512,814
Other 1.4% 11,044

Nevada
Kerry 47.9% 397,190 ************
Bush 50.5% 418,690
Other 1.7% 13,707

New Hampshire
Kerry 50.2% 340,511
Bush 48.9% 331,237
Other 0.9% 5,914

New Jersey
Kerry 52.9% 1,911,430
Bush 46.2% 1,670,003
Other 0.8% 30,258

New Mexico
Kerry 49.0% 370,942 ************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bush 49.8% 376,930
Other 1.1% 8,432

New York
Kerry 58.4% 4,314,280
Bush 40.1% 2,962,567
Other 1.6% 114,894

North Carolina
Kerry 43.6% 1,525,849 *************
Bush 56.0% 1,961,166
Other 0.4% 13,992

North Dakota
Kerry 35.5% 111,052 ***********
Bush 62.9% 196,651
Other 1.6% 5,130

Ohio
Kerry 48.7% 2,741,165
Bush 50.8% 2,859,764
Other 0.5% 26,974

Oklahoma
Kerry 34.4% 503,966 **************
Bush 65.6% 959,792
Other 0.0% 0

Oregon
Kerry 51.3% 943,163
Bush 47.2% 866,831
Other 1.5% 26,788

Pennsylvania
Kerry 50.9% 2,938,095
Bush 48.4% 2,793,847
Other 0.7% 37,648

Rhode Island
Kerry 59.4% 259,760
Bush 38.7% 169,046
Other 1.9% 8,328

South Carolina
Kerry 40.9% 661,699 ****************
Bush 58.0% 937,974
Other 1.1% 18,057

South Dakota
Kerry 38.4% 149,244 ****************
Bush 59.9% 232,584
Other 1.6% 6,387

Tennessee
Kerry 42.5% 1,036,477 ************
Bush 56.8% 1,384,375
Other 0.7% 16,467

Texas
Kerry 38.2% 2,832,704 **************
Bush 61.1% 4,526,917
Other 0.7% 51,128

Utah
Kerry 26.0% 241,199
Bush 71.5% 663,742
Other 2.5% 22,903

Vermont
Kerry 58.9% 184,067
Bush 38.8% 121,180
Other 2.3% 7,062

Virginia
Kerry 45.5% 1,454,742 **************
Bush 53.7% 1,716,959
Other 0.8% 26,666

Washington
Kerry 52.8% 1,510,201
Bush 45.6% 1,304,894
Other 1.5% 43,989

West Virginia
Kerry 43.2% 326,541 ********************
Bush 56.1% 423,778
Other 0.7% 5,568

Wisconsin
Kerry 49.7% 1,489,504
Bush 49.3% 1,478,120
Other 1.0% 29,383

Wyoming
Kerry 29.1% 70,776 ******
Bush 68.9% 167,629
Other 2.1%

[rkc3]

14. I was kind of shocked at the commentary on that thread.

I'm pretty sure I beat Stewart to the punchline, but I'm also sure most everyone hear thought of it before he said it.

There were several people upset at my post and a few others took a pounding for it.

It was nice to start a flame war and be part of a locked thread - my first.

[QC]

20. Yeah, flame wars really add a lot to the quality of the discussions here.

n/t

[GiovanniC]

27. Stewart Said That Was the Cheap, Easy, Obvious Joke

His joke referred to all the MUCH MORE objectionable things in America than naked Supreme Court Justices. I love Jon.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tx_dem41]

16. But in the locked thread, it wasn't the state alone that was being

..attacked. It was ALL of its citizens being attacked. It was blatant, raw bigotry.

[Bridget Burke]

24. So--what's your state?

How can we know whether you're worthwhile?

[AllegroRondo]

3. Daily Show last night

guest was John Grisham, who basically said "congratulations on being banned, you're in good company." (Grisham has had books banned in several places) and "expect your sales to go up because of this."

[5thGenDemocrat]

22. And, in a nice bit of irony

Grisham is from Mississippi. So were Eudora Welty and William Faulkner -- off the top of my head.
John
States aren't blue or red -- voters are. Michigan (barely) went blue and we've produced troglodytes like Ted Nugent and Father Charles Coughlin.

[jbnow]

25. That was part of their discussion

That Grisham himself was from Mississippi and had been banned there too.

And after Stewart said "I know the obvious joke here is...Mississippi has libraries?" He added "...but I'm not going to go there" See, he stayed above the obvious.

He also pleaded with whoever decided to look at the book again. He said the naked judges they found so offensive was really one of the least offensive parts of the book

[Lisa]

26. I like the way he used humor to defuse the issues ...

By dismissing the regional stereotype like that, he turned people's attention to the real problem of censorship (much broader than particular states, as we're seeing). And I suspect he also tweaked the audience's interest -- "There's more controversial stuff in the book than naked pictures? Let's check it out!"


I'll bet he included that section on purpose, in the hopes something like this would happen.

[KarenS]

4. sheesh,,,,,

The image that I see in my mind is those kind of people yelling "Flip Flop Flip Flop" and waving their arms to the rhythm of it,,,,

[piece sine]

33. they really got under your skin...

didn't they?

[KarenS]

34. yep,,,,,,

'the faithful' make me crazy,,,,, they will follow the NeoCons anywhere and do anything for them,,,,,,

[msanthrope]

5. Proof that public scorn, finger pointing, and laughter at fundies

works. Couldn't happen to better people.

[carolinayellowdog]

8. Board should never have been involved-- director problem

Hey,

The original headline discussed "library officials" but only one was cited, the director-- whose stance is totally out of keeping with that of his professional colleagues in Mississippi or anywhere else. Boards are not supposed to get involved in materials selection choices, but in this case the director needed overriding. I bet that board was overjoyed at getting negative national attention thanks to this director's intemperate remarks!

Alas, this news won't affect any of the stereotyping of Mississippians, librarians in the South, etc.

CYD

[juajen]

9. Hey, if it hadn't been for my library in the deep "Alabama" south,

I wouldn't have known other worlds existed. It and the librarian were lifesavers for me and opened my eyes in so many ways. Don't step on the South's libraries or librarians, please. They're great places and people.

Glad Jon Stewart's book is back on the shelves.

[donsu]

17. agree - librarians are great where ever they are found on the globe.

and they have spine and protect their libraries with fierceness and fairness.

[Lisa]

28. I just talked to one Alabama librarian who adores Jon Stewart

.... and can hardly wait for the book to arrive at her workplace! She is also a big fan of Michael Moore.

[southlandshari]

36. Very, very well said, juajen

I grew up in small-town Alabama and have recently returned after nearly 20 years away from home. During those two decades, I have lived in three different countries on three different continents. Here in the U.S., I have lived in other "red" states, in "blue" states, and in our nation's capitol.

I owe some very special people - many of them Alabamians who were a part of my life early on - who encouraged my love of reading a great debt of gratitude for helping to shape my path in life. Without my love of books and the local public library, I would not be who I am today. I did a book report on "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the 4th grade, for heaven's sakes!

Librarians are wonderful people, no matter where they are!

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[benddem]

18. another indication of the power

of the blogs and DU. The idiot Congressman in VA withdrew his law to have women report their miscarriages.

[Ian David]

19. Is this the same congressmen that wanted men to report nocturnal emissions

And for the record, I apologize if I appeared bigoted against Southern-Americans in my posts from the previous thread.

We can criticize the Catholic Church without being bigoted against Catholics.

We can criticize the policies of Israel (in the proper forum, anyway) without being anti-Jewish or even anti-Israeli.

We can criticize America without being anti-American (but not if you ask the freepers).

We can come down hard on Walmart without being bigoted against the honest Democrats that work there.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I talk about "the south" or about Mississippi, I do not mean to criticize every citizen that lives there or to paint all of them with the same brush.

The south is just one big Walmart full of both people who deserve to live there, and people who HAVE to live there.

Love the Southerner, Hate The South.

I am sorry if you live in the Big Red Walmart to the south. I appreciate your efforts to drag it kicking and screaming out of the 15th century, but you have to acknowledge that the governments of your states are ruining our country.

It's not your fault that the people RUNNING your state and the people who vote for them have made it suck.

Because your states really do suck.

Despite people like you who don't suck.

We have a right to be angry at the South.

That does not mean we are angry at YOU.

We have a right to be angry at Walmart.

That does not mean we are angry at the chubby little Walmart greeter girl that looks really cute until she smiles because she has no teeth.

Yes, we have toothless people here in Massachusetts, too.

[QC]

21. Interesting that this thread is sinking so fast.

I guess it's just not as much fun to see people do the right thing as it is to have yet another chance to sit around congratulating ourselves on how superior we are to the hayseeds and shitkickers.

[southlandshari]

37. Kick

I spent 30 minutes looking for any posts about the Mississippi reversal before posting in the GD forum earlier tonight. I couldn't find this thread at first because it had dropped so far down in the forum.

You just articulated my thoughts exactly. Good news about the South - evidence of brain cell activity and good will around our "neck of the woods" - just doesn't generate the same enthusiastic interest as the "F#$% the South" threads seem to on a daily basis.

Ah, I'm not bitter. Just more committed than ever to keep up the good fight here in Alabama. And I'm not alone (there are at least two of us, right?!) =)

[Hosnon]

23. Victory! Go DU! nt

[Kber]

30. Attack of common sense?

First the genius from VA withdraws his assinine bill requiring women to report miscarriages to the police. Now the trustees of a library recocnize that stocking a book and forcing the public to read it are two different things and that libraries should not be in the censorship business.

What's next? I can't even imagine. Maybe another state will make systematic discrimination agains people based on who they sleep with illegal (here's to you Illinois!)

[Swamp Rat]

32. Better watch out! Ashcroft may go on one last witch hunt...

[lonestarnot]

35. Stewart a perfect example of don't give up!

[maddezmom]

38. kick