Today I was pointed to this WebJunction thread in which someone from the group Plan2Succeed asks “How many years will the ALA be allowed to defy the US Supreme Court with no consequences other than possibly a continuing stream of raped and molested children.” Looking into their site further I found the following two gems:
“3) The ALA has in the past guided children to inappropriate web sites like those discussing autoerotic asphyxiation, bestiality, fisting, etc.
“5) After years of efforts to protect children in public libraries, the US Supreme Court struck down each attempt as unconstitutional until CIPA. In June 2003, CIPA was found to be constitutional in US v. ALA and libraries receiving federal funding must now filter all computers. The case de facto decided issues that apply to libraries not taking federal funding as well.”
I suppose I can’t really comment on the validity of point #3 other than to say that I want to see proof. As for point #5, stating that the CIPA decision de facto applies to all libraries, regardless of whether or not they get the relevant federal funding is, at least, a gross misunderstanding of how the law works. At worst, it’s applying a baseless legal interpretation with the intention to spur discontent.
