And now, for the rest of the story.
Sent a letter to the editor of THE KEWASKUM STATESMEN with the information concerning the homosexual and pornographic books offered in the YA Zone of the WB Community Memorial Library. Parents can then choose to oversee their children concerning these books, or speak to their librarian directly.
This is Andrew Kuehl's response.
"I am writing to tell you, I will NOT be running your letter to the editor.
To tell my readers that they should avoid our wonderful community library would be in my mind very detrimental.
I think the library needs to carry books that will be enjoyed by all no matter what they are.
I think parents and whom ever should take responsibility and avoid the library if they think what is in the library has on the shelves is unappealing. There are plenty of Christian book stores where you can buy the books or materials you want before your children until they are 18 and not in your control any longer. I think it is completely outrageous that you think it's the library's job to tell us what we can and can not read. Whatever happened to taking r esponsibility? If you don't like what's at the library and you want to completely control what your kid reads then go and get a selection of books for he or she.
Furthermore, who are you to judge what's right and wrong. That's God's job. Yes, in the Bible is says homosexual acts are an abomination. It also says that you shouldn't eat certain things. If people want to live that sort of lifestyle, they eventually will need to answer to the one who judges us all. In the mean time, just take of your front porch and make sure that everything you or those with your mindset do you can answer for when your judgement time comes.
Please leave our Libraries alone. If I run a commitment ceremony notice in the paper I suppose you'll be writing me a similar letter. This is the society we live in. You can't avoid it. All you can do is take care of ourselves and make sure we do the best we can!
Andrew R. Kuehl
STATESMAN
Printing & Publishing LLC
240 Main Street
PO Box 98,
Kewaskum, WI 53040-0098
262-370-0831 Office/Mobile262-626-1382 fax
andrew@kewaskumstatesman.com"
NOTE: Mr. Kuehl accuses me of telling his readership to avoid the library. I did not. I gave him the same information I gave our WB Library. Nothing more, nothing less. It seems he is not comprehending the information that was within my letter to the editor.
Furthermore, we are not asking for all "Christian" books to be placed on the shelves. People leave homosexuality every day. The information should be there for those wanting it, seeking it, needing it. Our library needs to give everyone with UNWANTED SAME SEX ATTRACTION the resources needed in order to make an educated decision.
Mr. Kuehl goes on to say it is God's job to judge what is right and wrong, not mine, yet he continues on with judging me for what I feel is dangerous to the children in the communities our libraries serves. So how exactly does this work? He can judge me and make accusations that are faith-based, but I should not?
What is clear is this.
Mr. Kuehl would rather keep his friendships with the local libarian(s) than respect the parents/families in his community by giving them the opportunity to know what is available to their children on the bookshelves at their local library.
It also seems that Mr. Kuehl is more concerned about his readership than the children in the Kewaskum area who are patrons of the local library.
This editor refuses to run my letter on the grounds that he does not agree that the families deserve to know.
A sad statement, indeed.
6 comments:
I think you should correct the multiple spelling and grammar errors and send it back. Holy crap. He runs a newspaper? A rinky-dink one, but still.
Wendy
What ever happend to printing both sides of argument and let the readers decide. Just goes to show how news is filtered.
I am rethinking my subscription to the Kewaskum Stateman.
I applaud Andrew Kuehl's decision not to publish your letter, and I concur with his thoughts because I think your complaint with the library has no merit. It is YOUR responsibility as a parent to monitor what your children read or what websites they visit, if that is the stance you wish to take. The library is not responsible for policing what children read or view, and the idea that reading LGTB books will make a person gay, or that reading anti-gay or "ex-gay" materials will "fix" them is ludicrous. One look at the Young Adult Booklists page of the West Bend Community Memorial Library website shows that this "Out of the Closet" category is just one of many categories, including Sports, Autobiographies and Biographies, Historical Fiction and Christian Books. There is is definitely aleady a balance of subject matter, one of the things you seem to call for in your complaint. If there are titles you feel the library should have, I suggest you submit a list of these titles to the library instead of deciding for the rest of the community what the library should or shouldn't make available to the public.
Maria Hanrahan
Maria,
Your statement confirms what we have been saying all along. Thank you.
We are not asking for people to stay away from their library.
We are not asking for the homosexual books to be removed.
Nobody has said that reading LGTB books "makes" a person gay.
Nobody has said there are any books that will NOT make a person gay.
The balance that is currently missing from our library is simply an addition of more free speech, more books. We would like to see the broadest spectrum of information on this subject,i.e., books that affirm traditional heterosexual perspectives and oppose a pro-homosexual ideology.
This is all in accordance with ALA and WB Library policy.
Simply holding them accountable to what they state they are doing.
Andy seems to be misinformed, as do you.
Thanks for your input.
I suggest you post the complaint you made to the library here on your blog and let readers determine what indeed you are asking for. Here on your blogs you DO ask for the removal of certain books. The print media reports that you have also asked/suggested that the "Out of the Closet" list of the library's website should be restricted. You say "We would like to see the broadest spectrum of information on this subject,i.e., books that affirm traditional heterosexual perspectives and oppose a pro-homosexual ideology." If this indeed is true, wouldn't the more appropriate action be to draft a list of titles you feel accomplishes this end (balance), rather than lodge a complaint that suggests the library has done something wrong or must take action? And cannot one argue that many of the hundreds of titles listed on the website booklists in the various categories I mentioned "affirm traditional heterosexual perspectives"??
In some of the recent articles about your complaint, the print media has said that you are requesting "ex-gay" titles. How does one become "ex-gay," exactly?
My problem with this whole situation comes down to this:
If you feel the library has material that is offensive, avoid it. If you feel the "Out of the Closet" category of titles on the library website is inappropriate for your children, limit and monitor their Internet use. I view your complaint (as it has been reported in the media) as an attempt at censorship and will continue to do so until your complaint/objective is clearly stated. Again, this forum provides you the opportunity to post your original complaint (in its entirety) to the library board here, so we in the community can see it first hand.
Maria Hanrahan
West Bend resident
I don't care what euphemism you give it, "ex-gay" literature harms children far more than homosexual literature ever could. Unless you just consider our abysmally high suicide rate the cleansing of another queer?
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