Michigan rightwingers call school-assigned Vonnegut book "porn" -- get Bush's FBI to "investigate"

[villager]

Book flap gets referred to FBI
By Dan Meisler
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Allegations that Howell Public Schools teachers are violating pornography laws by assigning certain books to high school students have been referred to the FBI.

The office of U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy III has sent the matter to the FBI, spokeswoman Gina Bilaya said, after receiving a letter from Vicki Fyke of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education, or LOVE.


Bilaya said it was a routine move; "We do it with all complaints," she said. But she also said Fyke was right in assuming that federal prosecutor was taking the issue seriously. "Absolutely," Bilaya said. "We're going to look into it."

She estimated it would take a couple of weeks or a month to finish the investigation. Fyke and LOVE have objected to books by Pulitzer Prize-winner Toni Morrison, Richard Wright, Kurt Vonnegut, as well as "The Freedom Writers Diary" by Erin Gruwell. She has maintained that the graphic descriptions of sexuality and profane language are not appropriate for minors.

In a press release, Fyke called Morrison's book "The Bluest Eye" a "graphic child rape book" and said LOVE is "encouraged that so far, both the U.S. attorney and the county prosecuting attorney are taking seriously our attempt to protect students from exposure to obscene material that is harmful to minors."

Murphy was appointed as U.S. attorney by President George W. Bush in 2005. He was nominated by Bush for a seat on the Cincinnati-based Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in June, but has not had a hearing in the Senate yet. Murphy has ties to U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, as well, having contributed a total $450 to Rogers' campaigns in 2001 and 2004. Murphy contributed $2,000 to Bush's campaign in 2004.

<snip>

http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/NEWS01/703010301/1002

[kiahzero]

1. So... basically, the FBI is wasting money on bullshit.

Any competent agent knows that any action they took would be overruled by the courts, so even investigating is a waste of money; even if the allegations are true, the teachers aren't violating the law.

[northzax]

6. surely, they will do a thourough investigation

involving carefully crumpling up the complaint and throwing it in the trash.

[knitter4democracy]

2. Well, it is Howell . . .

Well known for being very conservative and having crazy elements.

On the other hand, they always prided themselves on their schools. Apparently, they don't want the kids to pass the AP Lit. and Comp. exam--it uses all those books and many others they'd probably hate.

[MountainLaurel]

3. Oh my shit.

Shouldn't the FBI be doing something useful, like, I dunno, catching terrorists?

:puke:

[villager]

4. haven't you heard? Under Bush, authors are terrorists!

n/t

[China_cat]

5. If it's Vonnegut's "Welcome to the Monkey House"

I can see why they'd want it banned.:sarcasm:

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

8. Yes!

One of his best :)

[REP]

26. It's Usually "Slaughterhouse 5" They Want Banned

The line cited is "Get out of the road, you dumb motherfucker."

The real reason, I believe, is the shattering recollection of the firebombing of Dresden.

The first few times I read it, I read the fantasy segments as a device to express observations on human nature, etc but as I got older, they seemed to be more a way for Vonnegut to escape from the memories and helpless rage that obviously still tormented him.

On edit, two things: the first, they were trying to ban Slaughterhouse 5 when I was in highschool, and that's been ... crap, 25 years ago. I bought copies to place in the library.

The second: Slapstick is kinda obscene. "Lonesome, Thank God!"

[kcass1954]

7. Does she KNOW any high school students?

"...the graphic descriptions of sexuality and profane language are not appropriate for minors."

High school students routinely engage in sexual acts, and speak using a fair amount of profanity. Maybe not in front of their parents or other "authority" figures, but they do. (Not a criticism of HS students - I did the same thing 30-whatever years ago!)

She needs to get a life, and let me decide what's appropriate or not for my children.

Serious question though - Why is a pornography complaint going through the US Attorney's office? Isn't this something that should be handled on a local level?

[Bright Eyes]

10. i guess it says something for my high school...

that they never made us read any of those books. lucky im a bookworm

[AnnInLa]

14. I taught high school students for 20 years, and

believe me, they know more about sex, profanity, porn, than we do and those illistrious authors do. It's the dopey parents who don't want to believe their little darlings should be "exposed" to things...things their little darlings have been doing and saying and thinking for quite some time.

I just love a good book burning, don't yall?

[WinkyDink]

23. I taught h.s. English. It isn't easy finding non-graphic contemporary novels.

[Guaranteed]

9. The idea is that they're supposed to learn not to do stupid and terrible

things from such stories.

Richard Wright? Give me a break.

[LostInAnomie]

11. Well, Vonnegut does say that Billy Pilgrim has a big wiener in The Slaughterhouse-Five.

Lord knows, without filth like that teens would be oblivious to genitals.

[WinkyDink]

24. Trivia: I was neighbors with the Bernard O'Hare family.

Unbeknownst to me:
"He (KV) actually did go to see Bernard O'Hare just a few weeks after finding him over the telephone. He brought his young daughters, who were sent upstairs to play with O'Hare's kids." The same kids I played with!
http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/slaughterhousefive/section3.html

[Rageneau]

12. It wasn't Vonnegut, it was Kilgore Trout who wrote that smut.

Actually, it wasn't even Trout, it's just that the only place he can get his SF stories published is as 'filler' in Men's mags.

In the same way, it is Huckleberry Finn, not Mark Twain, who talks like a racist.

[villager]

16. Maybe they should subpoena Kilgore Trout to testify in D.C.?

That'd be fun...

[PA Democrat]

13. It is outrageous that the FBI is being used to push this group's social agenda.

I'm sick of my tax dollars being wasted on this type of crap.

If these people object to the reading assignments, then they should home school their kids. After all, keeping high school kids in total isolation is the only way that you can prevent them from hearing "profane language" and "graphic descriptions of sexuality'.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. What a bunch of perverts.

[AnnieBW]

17. Vonnegut Is Enjoying Every Minute Of It

I'm sure that Mr. Vonnegut is enjoying every minute of this tempest in a teapot. He's probably laughing his ass off at these losers.

[Hekate]

27. "And so it goes." nt

[Paulie]

18. Everything I learned about glove+Vaseline and rabbit fur

I learned from Of Mice and Men.

[Bozita]

19. Detroit local TV news reported a SURGE in sales of Kurt Vonnegut books in Livingston County

Everything about the book burners horrifies me.

I apologize in advance for not noting the broadcasting station. I was too swept up in my own personal anger over the concept of book-burning.

[villager]

21. Thank God the anti-burners took to the bookstores first...

n/t

[shugah]

20. some interesting anecdotes about howell, MI

- probably best known within the state (of MI) for it's affiliation with the KKK. a grand dragon of the klan once took up residence in howell and held well attended cross-burnings on his property

-recently, a local auction house auctioned off the estate of the now dead grand dragon

-well over 100 howell residents came out to protest the auction "hate has no home here" was the slogan

-the city of howell has an official and active diversity committee

-quote from a high school student in howell who swore her family would leave the country if john kerry was elected, "people should be able to marry who they want to. i agree with gay marriage."

-there was a huge controversy at the howell high school because of a group that wanted to hang a rainbow flag that would represent their diversity club. (there is not much racial diversity in howell, so the club was largely seen as pro-glbt).

-the rainbow flag of the diversity club was allowed to hang in the main hall of the high school

-there are several openly gay/lesbian students that attend howell high school

-howell has a very high (per capita) rate of domestic violence and women's shelters

-howell has a very high (per capita) number of offenders listed in the sex offenders registry (every other block seems to have at least one offender)

-howell is apprx 50 miles from detroit and has reasonably priced housing, a low crime rate (if you exclude the sex offenders), and "good schools" (at least one of the books in question - the freedom writers - has already been through the process and approved).

-howell public schools recently rejected a bible course that was being pushed by religious right groups

-70%+ of livingston county residents attend church regularly

-the demographics of howell are changing.

-there are more than a few people like Vicki Fyke in howell

-there are more than a few that are not like Vicki Fyke at all

howell is a great study in contrasts. i hope they approve the books. i even have some hope that they will (and all controversial books come home with the "alternate choice" for parents who might not be comfortable with the reading selections.

[provis99]

22. maybe the Republicans would prefer students read Scooter Libby's

book on pedophilic-bestiality; seems to reflect their right wing sensitivities more.

[Bozita]

25. Doesn't everybody's ultimate fantasy involve bears and little girls?

yes

oh yes

yes

oh yes

Hey! ... What're you looking at?

[villager]

28. They could throw some Lynne Cheney on the syllabus, too....

n/t

[LWolf]

29. Happily,

I can always count on a strong response to challenges like these. The ALA is a great resource, and place to start. This certainly isn't the first challenge of Vonnegut's work, lol.

I met Erin Gruwell last year, and own a copy of her book. It would be protested because it's too real. It doesn't candy coat the lives of the real high school students whose journal writings make up the bulk of the book. It glaringly portrays the dark side of the "family values" coin.

As an educator who has worked from both the library side and the classroom side, including defending many books challenged by the conservative/religious right, I should say that the gray area is in "assigned" books. Books in a library, which are not required but available for students to choose, get more protection than assigned books.

The ALA cites some pertinent cases here, although I don't remember any focused on pornograpy, lol:

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/firstamendment/courtcases/courtcases.htm#fes

[villager]

30. thanks, LWolf

What's the Harriet Tubman quote? That freedom really isn't free -- mostly you have to keep fighting for it...?

[LWolf]

31. "Be free or die"

is the quote I remember from Tubman.

You might be thinking about this quote, so pertinent to much of what has occurred under the Bush administration:

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

Enlightened people from many time periods have recognized the dangers inherent in attempting to restrict access to ideas. Here is a small sampling of my favorites:

"Every burned book enlightens the world."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"This is slavery, not to speak one's thought."
-- Euripides, Greek tragic poet (480 or 485 B.C. - 406 B.C)
"If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed."
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1730

"Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education."
-- Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education

"One man's vulgarity is another's lyric."
-- John Marshall Harlan, Supreme Court justice, 1971

"Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice."
-- Holbrook Jackson

"Did you ever hear anyone say 'That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me'?"
-- Joseph Henry Jackson


But, of course, the best of the day for this instance has to be:

"All these people talk so eloquently about getting back to good old-fashioned values. Well, as an old poop I can remember back to when we had those old-fashioned values, and I say let's get back to the good old-fashioned First Amendment of the good old-fashioned Constitution of the United States -- and to hell with the censors! Give me knowledge or give me death!"
-- Kurt Vonnegut, author

:hi:

[noonwitch]

32. Howell is in Livingston County, which is known for KKK and militia activity

There is all kinds of weird stuff going on out there-militias, klansman, burning crosses on people's lawns, and so forth.

When we have to go from Detroit to Lansing for training, most of my black coworkers will not stop or get out of their car anywhere in Livingston County, even in Brighton.

[cgrindley]

33. Vonnegut is sometimes a tough sell

Students routinely misunderstand him, even at the university level. The number of times I've had to argue people down about his use of "nigger" in Breakfast of Champions is difficult to count. Jesus. He's the least racist writer living in America. It's sad but hardly atypical. I would imagine that in a high school teaching Vonnegut would be as difficult as teaching Vollmann's Whores for Gloria.