Welcome..... Wissup??

WISSUP - WISCONSIN SPEAKS UP


Copyright (c) 2009 Ginny Maziarka. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

ALA President/ALA OIF called out on LYING/MISLEADING

Superior homework on the part of SafeLibraries.

The following is my response to American Library Association [ALA] President Jim Rettig and the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom Acting Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone regarding the matter in West Bend, WI.

"....in the past, Ms. Caldwell-Stone said, "There are times when a book might be moved, for example a young adult novel makes it into a fourth or fifth classroom and that's more appropriate for the high school library, and a committee can just say this was an inappropriate book to buy for this age group but it was an appropriate book to buy for this age category and it works for this high school library." Listen to the Deborah Caldwell-Stone say this in her own voice by clicking on the link located at "Deborah Caldwell-Stone Discusses Banned Books", by admin, American Library Association, 11 July 2008.Now my reading of that tells me that there are times when a book might be moved for reasons of age appropriateness. Yes, the context was a public school library, but the same principle applies, and the speaker was Deborah Caldwell-Stone herself."

"On the other hand, it is Deborah Caldwell-Stone who herself is being misleading. She says, for instance, "The ALA opposes book banning and censorship in any form, including censorship that arises from disagreement with and disapproval of positive GLBT materials." While outwardly true, the whole truth is that no book has been banned for many decades in the USA. I'm talking about banned, not moved for reasons of age appropriateness. Bd of Educ. v. Pico says the parties stipulate that pervasively vulgar material may be removed from public schools immediately. US v. ALA, a big loss for the ALA and the ACLU, saw the Court say, "The interest in protecting young library users from material inappropriate for minors is legitimate, and even compelling, as all Members of the Court appear to agree." Did Ms. Caldwell-Stone tell you about that? Does the US Supreme Court make book banning and censorship the law of the land? No and no. See also "LISNews Disses Judith Krug Unwittingly" for how the ALA, indeed the very Office for Intellectual Freedom Caldwell-Stone leads, misleads the public on the issue of censorship just as she is doing here on this Queery blog post.She misleads the public another way, but it may be innocently. Other than what she said about me that I proved was incorrect, the remainder of her comments addressed themselves not to the issues, but to a nonissue. The issue of "GLBT materials" is a nonissue because the proponent of the changes in the library has long ago (relatively speaking) dropped her claims regarding GLBT materials and has since requested only legal means for protecting children from inappropriate material in her own public library. That's the issue now. Legal means for protecting children. Deborah Caldwell-Stone did not address that issue. Why? My guess is that she knows they are legal and there actually are no arguments for not applying legal means to protect children. Hence the reliance on the out-of-date GLBT claims."

Common Sense Decency - ALL can agree

Looks like a good read:

PORCH TALK: Stories of Decency, Common Sense, and Other Endangered Species
Author: Philip Gulley

Recommended by the American Library Association's "Booklist" review.

Waving the banner of "freedom of speech" as an excuse to give pornography to children fails to land in the lap of common sense, and certainly does not embrace decency.

Screaming that protecting kids from sexually explicit material is a gay and lesbian issue, and abusing gays and lesbians to get these materials into the hands of kids is downright deceitful.

We may not agree with homosexuality, and homosexuals may not agree with us, BUT, we all can agree that sexually explicit materials do not belong in the hands of children. We have had numerous conversations from both sides of this sexual fence, and THIS was the conclusion. We CAN agree about this. It is "common sense decency."

But I guess if you have run out of options, you'll do anything.

And then there's the endangered species. The kids.

Fireside Books cleared - employee stands in opposition

According to information provided by a Fireside Books employee, the remarks made by the individual in the post about Saturday's signature drive were NOT made by the OWNER, but by an EMPLOYEE of Fireside Books.

There seems to be a misunderstanding about the conversation that took place.

HANRAHAN uses GAY PLATFORM from MADISON to gain support in West Bend

West Bend does not care what Madison thinks. Our community standards are much higher.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tomorrow's show - Banning books and sacking library board members in West Bend The southeast Wisconsin city of West Bend recently removed four of its library board members because the community library’s young adult section contains books that portray gay teenagers in a positive light, and the board should have responded to a complaint about them immediately by removing them or restricting access to them, some city council members said. One alderman compared the library to a porn shop. Join Queery this Wednesday, April 29, at 7 PM CDT as we discuss the controversy with community and legal activists, including Maria Hanrahan, the founder of West Bend Parents for Free Speech, and Deborah Caldwell Stone, acting director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. That’s this Wednesday, 7 p.m., on WORT 89.89 FM (Madison, WI) or http://www.wort-fm.org/

About Queery:

Queery features local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender news & information in a news magazine format. Queery covers local and national news affecting Madison’s LGBT community. The show airs on Wednesdays from 7 to 7:30pm.

TWO INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS THAT WERE LEFT ON THE AFOREMENTIONED BLOG:

2 comments:
SafeLibraries said...
""Tomorrow's show - Banning books...." No books have been banned in the USA for about half a century. See "National Hogwash Week." Further, the books will just be moved in the library. Even Deborah Caldwell-Stone has said that is appropriate in the appropriate circumstance."[B]ecause the community library’s young adult section contains books that portray gay teenagers in a positive light...." That is your opinion. That is not the truth as presented by media reports.Your show will be more informative if you stick to the truth and ask relevant questions based on actual facts.

April 28, 2009 10:26 PM

SafeLibraries said...
I see that "Queery covers local and national news affecting Madison’s LGBT community." The matter going on with the library has absolutely nothing to do with anything "LGBT" specific. The only thing that might possibly be related is the original stance of the complaining party, but that stance has been abandoned long ago, and now people are seeking relief by using legal means for protecting children from inappropriate material in a public institution. It's a public library after all, not an ALA library.US v. ALA:"The interest in protecting young library users from material inappropriate for minors is legitimate, and even compelling, as all Members of the Court appear to agree."

WE AGREE.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Intimidation tactics fail on productive day for signature drive.....

Someone called all the businesses we advertised as our drive-through signature locations and threated them.

After being given approval to use their parking lots, Hobby Lobby, Quilted Bear and the Germantown alternate location, were intimidated by the caller, Maria Hanrahan, who admitted this to this blogger via this blog's comment section (which will not be posted here as she has her own blog).

We had no problems despite this inappropriate behavior, which Maria Hanrahan admitted to me was within her lawful right to do. The sidewalk actually worked better.... We were closer to the street and people were glad to just pull up and sign, then drive away.

Kewaskum DQ and State Farm Insurance in Hartford refused to budge or be intimidated. The caller also called State Farm HQ to try to get the support of "higher ups," but they were not intimidated, either. No problems, either place. Hats off to both Kewaskum DQ and State Farm/Hartford for standing their ground. BE SURE TO THANK THEM.

We got hundreds of signatures today in a mostly steady flow. A little slow during downpours, but overall great day!

A group opposing our requests took signs and stood at the opposite end of the street. Opposers drove through Hobby Lobby parking lot and screamed obscenities at us and the children who were volunteering today. Some of the words were appalling..... (but pretty sure they could be found in many, if not most, of the books we are protesting). No child should be harassed in that manner. No adult should either, for that matter. They flipped us the middle finger. They called the police and tried to find violations, i.e., card table on private property (we did not have a card table out of any sort). The police officer was kind and explained city ordinances to us so there were no issues with loitering (we were not..we complied with the city ordinance and continued to have people move about), and the like.

We have said it before, we will say it again. We are not going away. We will not be shut down, despite the tactics used by those who know they are wrong and have no other means of battle.

We were proud of the wonderful group, adults and teens, who helped stand in the gap for the youth in our community today. They were cold and wet....REALLY cold and wet...but they received the cruel, inappropriate and mostly vulgar rants without responding in kind. They did not intimidate; they were respectful of the business owner's properties, they even picked up trash/cigarette butts and left the area in better condition than when they came.

Only thing mysteriously missing was the media. Hmmmm... Lots on the front of the WB News today that was oppositional to the work we are trying to accomplish on behalf of our youth, but nobody to cover today's event. :-) Ya gotta love 'em.

Despite the cold and rainy day, we met more amazing and wonderful citizens who feel as strongly as we do.

We would do it again...in the rain.

The kids are worth it.

Friday, April 24, 2009

This BUSINESS OWNER is NOT AFRAID

More and more our city and COUNTY citizens are becoming vocal about the standards we are setting for the youth in our communities. Read on...

______________________________________________


Just FYI, I got a call this P.M. from someone in Jackson complaining that I was "allowing" the petition drive on Sat. at Kewaskum DQ and gave me your web site address. After reviewing your site, YOU HAVE MY FULL CONFIDENCE; AND I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THE PRO GAY LOBBY TRYING TO PROSELYTIZE CHILDREN!!!!!

Just FYI for your group, because I was disappointed to see the Quilted Bear drop off your location list. Many businesses will cave in on just one opposing phone call on any political issue as "not to offend anyone". I believe this same phone call was made to the Quilted Bear.

Naturally, government never has to worry about being defunded, thereby can offend citizens with impunity.

I'm tired of government walking on the average taxpayer, especially those that try to raise their kids with Christ-centered values. If my small allowance for "democracy" in my parking lot "stirs the pot" with the intolerant gay lobby, so be it! I do not want my children exposed to this material while innocently looking for random library material!

Your group's demands are more than reasonable. I will be opening the DQ at 8 AM, 2 hours early, and any "troublemaking" elements interfering with your great exercise of democracy, via petition for redress of grievances, will be asked to leave.

I will gladly sign your petition in the A.M.

You may post my comments, signatures, and titles.

Kevin Scheunemann
Kewaskum, WI
DQ Owner
International Dairy Queen Drive-thru Champion(record 254 cars in one hour)
Kewaskum Village Trustee
Treasurer, St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kewaskum

COUNTY WIDE SIGNATURE DRIVE - TODAY!! SATURDAY!!


PETITION/SIGNATURE DRIVE and CITIZEN GATHERING!!!

Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Grafton, Milwaukee
Come on out and lend a hand!

TODAY!!
SATURDAY!!
APRIL 25, 8 A.M. TO 2 P.M.

  • WEST BEND: HOBBY LOBBY (7th AVENUE entrance in corner of lot)

  • KEWASKUM: DAIRY QUEEN

  • GERMANTOWN: NEW LOCATION!!!

  • SLINGER/HARTFORD: STATE FARM INSURANCE, BRANCH STREET, HARTFORD

DRIVE THROUGH AND SIGN!

DROP OFF FILLED PETITIONS!

GO OUT GATHERING SIGNATURES!

STAND OUTSIDE, MEET FELLOW CITIZENS/WISCONSINITES - BRING A SIGN!

LOTS OF PEOPLE NEEDED TO STAND TOGETHER!
JOIN US AND INCREASE THE VOICE OF ADVOCACY
FOR OUR CHILDREN!

For more information, email: WBCitizens4Safelibraries@gmail.com

See **NEW** Podcast clip - Mark Belling - WB Library

Just posted! Click on link in the left-hand column of this web page...

NEW! ON-LINE PETITION - Jefferson, Dodge, Washington Counties!

On-line petition is now available for folks in
JEFFERSON, DODGE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES!
West Bend Library is the SYSTEM RESOURCE LIBRARY for the 27 public library members of the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System.
IS THIS YOU?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

MASSIVE Signature Drive Slated for Saturday - WB, Germantown, Slinger, Hartford & Kewaskum

PETITION/SIGNATURE DRIVE and CITIZEN GATHERING!!!
Mequon, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Grafton, Milwaukee
Come on out and lend a hand!



SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 8 A.M. TO 2 P.M.

WEST BEND: HOBBY LOBBY (7th AVENUE entrance in corner of lot)

KEWASKUM: DAIRY QUEEN

GERMANTOWN: QUILTED BEAR (LOCATION CANCELLED) -

NEW LOCATION!!! FAMILY FUN LAND (Mequon and Maple Road or Mequon Rd. exit off of Hwy. 41 - East)

SLINGER/HARTFORD: STATE FARM INSURANCE, BRANCH STREET, HARTFORD

  • DRIVE THROUGH AND SIGN!
  • DROP OFF FILLED PETITIONS!
  • GO OUT GATHERING SIGNATURES!
  • STAND OUTSIDE, MEET FELLOW WEST BEND CITIZENS, BRING A SIGN!
  • LOTS OF PEOPLE NEEDED TO STAND TOGETHER! JOIN US AND INCREASE THE VOICE OF ADVOCACY FOR OUR CHILDREN!

For more information, email: WBCitizens4Safelibraries@gmail.com

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

West Bend School Board Apppointment Process OPEN TO PUBLIC

In a previous article in the West Bend News, Pat Herdrich erroneously reported that the school board would deliberate the candidates in a CLOSED SESSION. This is misinformation.

The appointment of another candidate to the West Bend School Board comes on the heels of an untimely resignation by former school member, John Duwell.

According to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, the entire school board appointment process will be an OPEN SESSION and the PUBLIC IS WELCOME TO ATTEND.


INCIDENTALLY.....KRIS BEAVER and CARL KNEPEL have now signed the petition that will ALLOW SEXUALLY EXPLICIT BOOKS (see excerpts at left) to REMAIN IN THE YOUTH SECTION of our library. Is THIS the type of representation our city wants for the SCHOOL BOARD?

See article below:

The deadline to apply for an open position on the West Bend Joint #1 School Board is Wednesday at 4 p.m.

As of Monday, six candidates have filed papers with the district: Sandy Banovich, Lynn Corazzi, Randy Stark, Bart Williams, Carl Knepel and Tom Boyer.

Stark and Knepel both ran unsuccessfully in the spring election for two available spots on the board. Knepel currently serves as West Bend West High School's student representative on the board.

The vacancy was the result of the February resignation of board member John Duwell, who was in his second tour of duty and held the position for the past three years.

Interviews are set for Monday, April 27 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Each candidate will be asked questions in an open forum style, and school board will then deliberate in closed session and make a final decision, Superintendent Pat Herdrich said.

The appointee will be seated at the May 11 board meeting and serve until the general election in April 2010.

Former Library Board members not bad people

Let's be clear on this, lest this get taken down a road it shouldn't by others.

We do not feel the library board members who were removed this week are "bad people". In fact, we feel they have worked hard and been faithful servants of their community. We thank them and we lend our appreciation for their past dedication.

We simply do not agree on this issue, and a very large group of this community, as well, does not feel they are being represented by them on this point.

Former library board member confirms aldermen's decision

Glad I didn't have to say more. This is exactly why she is no longer a library board member.

Mary Reilly-Kliss, WB News, 04/23/2009:

"If by moving materials we limit access, we deny patrons of their right to free
access of information and are in danger of encroaching upon a core value of our
democracy: intellectual freedom."
By having children walk to a different area of the library so ALL children don't have to view sexually explicit material (intentionally or UNintentionally),this denies access? This keeps them from checking it out? The kids in our city get more exercise in gym class than this.

"Directional labels such as those for the Dewey Decimal System or fictional
genres are entirely appropriate for a library, but value-based
labels
intended to alert patrons to the language, themes or content
of a book are not."

Value-based? So is that the determining factor on explicit music CDs and movie media? If Ms. Reilly-Kliss believes that the excerpts she sees when clicking on the links to the left are appropriate for our community's children, then she has done us all a favor and confirmed what our city aldermen have decided. She does not represent our community. Our standards for our children are higher than this. And we want our tax dollars spent on materials of much higher quality. Truly this is a reasonable request.

FYI:

WRITTEN ON ANOTHER BLOG (the first one is BEFORE the board meeting):

Mary Reilly-Kliss 4 days ago
Kudos to all of you for stepping up and speaking out on this issue, and to Maria for the petition. I have sent an 'op-ed' type piece to the Daily News, but it has not yet been published. I will try and post it here or elsewhere on the web if it appears that it will not be published by the end of the coming week. I have just returned from a few days in Washington D.C. and I cannot tell you how many times I thought about this West Bend scenario as I visited the Library of Congress. When Thomas Jefferson offered his collection of books to the government, a controversy arose because it contained books written in foreign languages and also books which, at the time, were not thought of as necessary for a legislative library. Jefferson's wishes prevailed, and the history lesson here is that libraries must be inclusive, and, in our situation, shelved without prejudicial labels. Good Luck with the petition drive. Mary Reilly-Kliss WBCML Board Member

Mary Reilly-Kliss 2 days ago
FYI- At a meeting just completed, The West Bend Common Council did not approve the reappointment of the four WBCML Board members whose terms were up. If you believe that the board members have been doing their jobs you may want to contact your alderperson to find out the reason for his/her vote.

Citizens being deceived - don't understand the real issue

I wonder if parents and grandparents, citizens and taxpayers have read the excerpts listed to the left on this blog before signing a petition okaying the material for kids. If they did, I sincerely doubt they would sign an agreement that states they feel these materials should be categorized for YOUTH. The comments in the WB News today makes one feel that those who are commenting really do not understand what is being asked and most probably have not read our petition. Could it be they are being led astray with words like "censorship" and "taking away first amendment rights?"

“I came out because of my children and their right to information,” Alder said. “You can’t take that away from people. It’s up to the parents to police what their children read, and it’s up to the library to provide the information that people need it and want it to read it.”

Ms. Alder is absolutely correct, and we agree. Children DO have a right to information. It should NOT be "taken away" and it IS up to parents to assist their children with good choices. Nicely said.

"....and I really think it’s important that everything is available and when it comes to kids, the parents should make the choice."

Again, we agree. Parents should assist their children with making choices. And since everything still WOULD be available, then this commenter should feel relatively comfortable with our requests.

Richard Hendricks, another city of West Bend resident, attended the signing because he doesn't want censorship to infiltrate the library. “The thought of books being censored or removed is very disturbing to me,” he said.

Here is a disturbing twist that lends one to believe that petition signers are being given misinformation. Censored? Removed? WHO is doing that? We want to know!

“Tonight we have urged our supporters to contact all of the council members that voted the four library members off and express their displeasure to them,” Hanrahan said. “We believe that their action was out of line.”

Hanrahan's push to the citizens to rail on their aldermen after a difficult decision is clearly an invitation to harass.

Noted on her blog:
No matter which district you live in, please contact ALL of the aldermen and tell them of your anger over their vote and their comments at the Common Council meeting. No matter who your alderman is, you have the right to talk to the above aldermen about this issue and their votes. Express your frustration, anger, disappointment, and maybe the reappointments will be reconsidered.

These aldermen should be receiving letters, emails and calls of support. They had to deal with something that should never have gotten to that level. It is a shame, indeed.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

WB Aldermen turn out mayoral library board appointees

Tonight's City Council organizational meeting was a full house.

The aldermen were first sworn in.

Alderman Kist was appointed as Council President.

Alderman Schlodtfeldt was appointed as alderperson to sit on the Planning Commission.

Alderman Carter was appointed as chairperson to Board of Public Works.

Alderman Dobberstein was appointed as chairperson to the Finance Committee.

The "Resolution Designating the Public Depositories" was approved.

The West Bend Daily News was designated the official city newspaper.

The Mayoral appointments were next; quite a number of them....the mayor asked for a motion to accept all of the appointments.

Silence.

Alderman Terry Vrana asked to have the library board appointments separated out from the other appointments.

Seconded by Ald. Schlodtfeldt (I think, not sure about that)

Ald. Schlodtfeldt asked to have the library board appointments brought up for discussion as a separate issue.

All said aye.

Alderman Vrana began the conversation stating his disappointment in the library board's handling of the issues concerning inappropriate materials in the youth section of the library. He felt that it should have been handled swiftly, and never should have come this far.

Alderman Turner agreed with Vrana and said he felt the citizens of the City of West Bend had been "stonewalled," and the length of time that had passed in trying to resolve this issue was not acceptable. He stated that he felt the citizens should have had the opportunity to meet with the library board long ago.

Alderman Hutchins agreed with Aldermen Turner and Vrana, stating his disappointment with the handling of the issue as well.

Alderman Dobberstein gave information about his many accomplishments with the library board over the years. He also asked if Mr. Tyree, the library director, could speak to the aldermen since he was present.

The mayor denied this request.

Alderman Carter suggested the appointments be put through and "wait for any misconduct issues to be brought forward." If that should happen, they could be addressed at that time.

Alderman Schlodtfeldt (I think, not sure) did not agree with Ald. Carter. Alderman Schlodtfeldt also stated openly that he was angry with Ald. Dobberstein for sending out an email in opposition to the citizens who were addressing the library board. He said it was the equivalent of "throwing gas on the fire."

Alderman Dobberstein gave more information about his tenure on the library board, including the fact that he "built the library." (We do appreciate that, and it is definitely beautiful. That has no bearing on the library issue of the moment, however.)

Alderman Vrana spoke loudly of his opposition, once again, to the actions of the library board.

The attending constituents applauded.

Mayor Deiss did not feel that the current library issue had anything to do with the mayoral appointments to the library board.

Yes, you read that right.

FINAL VOTE - APPROVE THE LIBRARY BOARD APPOINTMENTS

AYE
Dobberstein
Schlodtfeldt
Kist

NAY
Turner
Hutchins
Lindbeck
Carter
Vrana


Alderman Dobberstein, Mary Reilly-Kliss, Attorney James Pouros and Tom Fitz are no longer library board members.

A good time was had by all.

Letters to Editor just plain silly

THESE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WERE POSTED IN THE OPINION SECTION OF THE WB NEWS THIS MORNING:

This first one is from John Jost, who has openly been opposing the West Bend Citizen's petition from the start. When one has a blog, they share their viewpoint and they post other's thoughts that share their viewpoint. There are no policies that govern blogs and state that one must post opposing viewpoints. In fact, what John fails to mention is that the people who liked this disgusting book had very warped ideas about what makes good reading material for children. So we have a large group that posts positively on Amazon and we trust their review? We think not. And why not? Because, as John must not understand, people can CHOOSE to leave a review. Therefore, one reads book reviews on Amazon with a grain of salt, as the weight of the reviews is skewed. One cannot know how many people found the book revolting and simply did not leave a review. (Kinda like an online survey.) I posted reviews from people who shared our thoughts. And I can. It's MY blog.

Furthermore, what is most amusing, is that John refers to the book referral I have up entitled "Marriage Under Fire" by Dr. James Dobson. Now, remember, this is my personal recommendation. What that has to do with his opinion concerning the library books is... um...nothing. In fact, if one reads the negative reviews, the common thread of objections to this book is the opposition to homosexual ideals. Clearly this does not apply to anything we are discussing with the library. Since we do not agree with those who gave a low rating to this book, we simply do not care. It is irrelevant to this situation. FYI, John, as stated above, I am not required to give "both sides" of book reviews. I give my viewpoint here for those who agree, and for those who don't agree, go read The Motley Cow.


Give full information about book ‘reviews’
In the continuing West Bend library books saga, Ginny Maziarka published a blog entry on her website about negative Amazon customer reviews of “Deal With It!,” one of the books she objects to.

I checked the book on Amazon. In fact, its rating from 88 reviews is 4.5 out of 5. (Seventheight) reviews give it a 4 or a 5, and what Ms. Maziarka did was copy excerpts of those (six) reviews that gave it a 1, the lowest rating. On the other hand, one of the books recommended on her Web site is “Marriage Under Fire” by James Dobson, rated by Amazon readers at a whopping=2 02.5. Ms. Maziarka, when one needs to twist the truth to make a point, one has no point.

John Jost West Bend

We find this next one interesting. We have received cc's from numerous people who have written letters to our editor supporting what we are doing, yet we have not seen them appear in the WB News as of today. Interestingly, here is a letter filled with GAY AND LESBIAN, SEXUALLY EXPLICIT books, recommending them to the children who are patrons of our library! What is amusing is that Mr. Goska made sure to counterpoint and interject "Huck Finn" and other novels to imply a balance and draw in the general public to coerce them into agreement. Ridiculous. We don't buy it. But nice try.


Celebrating Banned Books Week?

Will West Bend celebrate Banned Books Week this year? (Gee, we hope not.)

Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. (How AWFUL! THOSE TERRIBLE PEOPLE!) They object to profanity and slang, (GASP! STOP THEM! We want our children to have access to these books!) and protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups – or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore the latest problems to classic and beloved works of American literature (PLAYING VIOLIN TO ACCOMPANY THIS SAD STORY)

According to the American Library Association (sorry, yawning), more than 400 books were challenged in 2007. The 10 most challenged titles were: 1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell 2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes 4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman 5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle 8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris 10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

Dave Goska
Fredericksburg, Va.

WE NEED TO REITERATE......we are not asking for BANNING on books. So once again, this letter DOES NOT APPLY to our situation.

City attorney rejects request for investigation - cites need for notarization

See my thoughts in red....


West Bend News, 04/21/2009 (Llinked back in title, but link is not working properly. Working on that issue.)


A call for an ethics investigation into the mayor’s and an alderman’s handling of a citizens group’s protest of allegedly sexually-explicit books at the library needs to be notarized before it can be considered a formal complaint, West Bend City Attorney Mary Schanning ruled Monday.

“What they submitted to us does not qualify as a complaint,” Schanning said.

Missing is a sworn statement outlining the allegations, the city attorney said.

Of course. No posted policy. No direction for an average citizen complaint. Dang! We did it wrong AGAIN!


“Basically, it means a notary (public)” is needed to witness the document, she explained.

Probably because it is so unbelievable that anyone would ever file a complaint, we just have to be sure it's really real.

Friday, Jim and Ginny Maziarka, addressing themselves as advocates for the citizen group they formed West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries, addressed an e-mail to the five members of the city’s Ethics Committee asking for the probe:

“We hereby submit a formal complaint concerning Alderman Nick Dobberstein and Mayor Kristine Deiss to the City of West Bend Code of Ethics Committee for investigation and action.”

The e-mail was sent to the city clerk’s office intended for Ethics Committee members William Alderson, Ric Leitheiser, Lawrence Hoffman, Barbara Landis, and Lonny Borns.

Monday, both Deiss and Dobberstein said they had no comment about the Maziarkas’ complaint.

That's okay. We have plenty of verbage in our open records request.

Schanning said she sent the town of West Bend couple a letter explaining the procedure to file a formal ethics complaint.

How kind. Now we will get that in a day or so and be fully informed as to how to file a "real" complaint.

The Maziarkas, who also called for the removal of Dobberstein from the city’s Library Board, claim the District 4 alderman abused his authority because he forwarded to friends e-mailed information from a city resident about a Web site promoting a petition counter to one the Maziarkas are circulating.

(Ooops! Tiny mistake there. Forwarded to "friends"? Um, we learned he forwarded to constituents, some of whom were scratching their heads as to why he would have sent that to THEM as the only emails they have ever received in the past from Alderman Dobberstein were those that pertained to District 4 news. Interesting, indeed!)

They also call it inappropriate that a later email from Dobberstein mentioning the Maziarkas’ petition referred to a blog site that had commentary critical of the Maziarkas’ efforts to restrict some books at the library.

(The link that Dobberstein sent out was actually a long personal attack. It was not a link to information from the first constituent who sent him the email with her petition, which would have been the appropriate link to send, if any at all. No, this was clearly inflammatory and vicious material directed towards us in a personal manner. Think he was trying to send a message? WE do.)

The Daily News ran a more detailed article on that Maziarkas complaint in Saturday’s paper.

In their call for an ethics complaint, the Maziarkas write, “Alderman Dobberstein’s choice to petition against the WBCFSL while acting as library board member, and representative of the taxpayers, is completely malapropos. We feel this is a hindrance to any decision the library will be making concerning our group's requests for policy creation, an inappropriate misuse of his aldermanic position, and shameful behavior of a library board member, whom we had hoped would remain fair and impartial, acting as an advocate on behalf of ALL citizens.”

The couple also are angry at the mayor’s decision not to remove Dobberstein from the Library Board or force him to abstain from voting as a Library Board member.

(We wouldn't say angry. We would, more appropriately, say appalled.)

Deiss has said Dobberstein and any other member of the Library Board has a right to express an opinion.

Of course they do! We agree! In fact, to a large degree this has allowed the community to openly see that Alderman Dobberstein has no issues with sexually explicit material targeted to an audience of kids, and offered in his very own public library. VERY REVEALING! Expressing this opinion, however, using his aldermanic position of authority, as a voting library board member, without ever communicating with us and investigating the issue is what we do not agree with. It is an act of manipulation and influence.

Citing the city’s Code of Ethics, the Maziarkas claim both Deiss and Dobberstein violated that code.

If the Maziarkas resubmit a notarized complaint, Schanning said, it will be brought to the Ethics Committee.

Yes, yes, we know. Do it over. Make the citizen jump through hoops. Watch and laugh. Enjoy the show. We have bigger fish to fry and this is a small distraction; therefore, we will not pursue the additional paperwork and time necessary to complete this complaint. We think 'nuff has been said.

It will then be up to that committee to decide if it wants to proceed to determine if any action is warranted, she said.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Missouri looking at bill to protect kids in local libraries...

Found this interesting...


SB 450 - This act requires public libraries, by January 1, 2010, to adopt written policies, consistent with contemporary community standards, on the placement of books and other materials to restrict minors from gaining access to material that is obscene or pornographic for minors. Exempted books and materials include those in collections that require the written permission of a parent or guardian of an unemancipated minor. Policies must also contain procedures for members of the public to challenge the placement of such books and other materials and provide comments and guidance on the library policies. As an alternative, any library that does not adopt written policies must prominently display a statement that the library may contain uncensored materials that may be objectionable and offensive to minors. Libraries must include in their annual report the number of complaints about placement of books and their resolution. Library policies must be recorded with the city or county and made available to the public at the library and city or county government office. A violation of this section is subject to a misdemeanor.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Amazon feedback on "Deal With It!"

Guess others find this book disturbing, too...

Feedback left on Amazon about the book by author Esther Drill, "Deal With It!":

TITLE: No Way You Should Buy This Book For Your Daughter!

What a trashy piece of literature masquerading as a "how to" book for adolescence.
I bought the book for my ten year old and am so glad I read it thoroughly before giving it to her.
Who would think it appropriate for a mother to instruct her daughter on the proper means of orally gratifying a male! That could very well be thought of as bordering on child abuse or molestation.
I am an open minded, loving mother. I am no prude - and found the book very frank and to the point. But I DO NOT recommend any mother give it to her daughter - no matter what her age.

and

Title: Parents Beware!

I stumbled across this book at the local library. (I have a preteen daughter, so I have an interest in books she might be attracted to.) The book is extremely graphic (subject matter, language, and various sex-related and sexual position illustrations), but very colorful and attractive on the outside. Inside there are plenty of sidebars to send the reader to other parts of the book, I'm sure with intentions of luring the reader through the whole thing.The book is geared toward preteen and teen girls, supposedly to teach the girls about what they need to know in today's society, despite what adults might tell them. Unfortunately, it promotes teen sex, homosexuality as a viable option worth trying, sex with multiple partners (even simultaneously), masturbation (with pornography for added pleasure), and is very condescending about the "outdated" laws of sodomy in some towns.I wasn't surprised when I saw Planned Parenthood, P-Flag, and other extremely liberal organizations listed as references; however, the book writers managed to get the Right To Life organization in there, and I'm not so sure that organization would like to be associated with a book like this. The website, [website], only touches on some of the subject matter in the book, but it's explicit enough, and discerning adults can certainly be able to see the motives of the people behind the website and book. The focus is destructive.However, many youth and parents are not so discerning. I am concerned that a book like this (and its flashy website) is so visually appealing, written by "trustworthy" adult women, and readily available to impressionable young women. My children are going to have a greater battle as teens and adults than I anticipated if their peers are being conformed to this way of thinking.

and

TITLE: Don't Go There!

My daughter received this book as a gift, and I was appalled by some of its contents. This book should only be purchased by adults and should be removed from adolescent access. "Deal With It" is nothing short of a sex manual. There are ways to present such information without be vulgar. The book contains excerpts, graphics and slang that are unnecessary, as well as inappropriate. This publication gives teenagers disgusting ideas and potentially harmful thoughts/actions.

I am very honest and open-minded when discussing such topics with my daughter of 12 years. I don't want her walking around saying the things that are printed in this book. What happened to discretion? There should be a warning label on this book!

Please review this book thoroughly and carefully before purchasing. I would hate to think that this is the type of "educational/informational" material being fed to our youth. What happened to morals?

and

TITLE: Why isn't "0" stars an option? (referring to Amazon rating system)

This book "Deal With It!" Is an information manuel on how to find an abortion clinic, diagnose your own sexually transmitted diseases, and its a how to manual on lesbian sex acts. NOT a good choice for anyone. No parent should purchase this book for their children, rather they should sit them down and explain these things to them. Sometimes "read the book" dosen't work.

and

TITLE: Holy Cow! I was floored!

I admit first off that I did not read this entire book - I flipped it open to a page at random in the bookstore today, and the first thing I read was instructions on how a girl could give a boy a B*ow J*b. If that's what you want for your daughter, knock yourself out, but it sure won't be bought by my family!

and

TITLE: Unbelievable!

I can't believe any responsible parent would buy or allow their daughters to read this. Sexual education about your body should be taught by the parents. CHILDREN should not be having sex or given INSTRUCTIONS and TIPS on how to do it like this book does. DISGUSTING!

Our thoughts exactly...

(Note: Since posting these reviews, I have received two protests that I did not add "stastistics" and "opposing reviews." Am I required? My opening statement here said that these were people who left reviews that "find this book disturbing, too." My closing statement was "our thoughts exactly." Am I being censored? Just sharing other's sentiments. No statistics or other info needed. But thankyouverymuch for trying to take control of my blog. Yes, that's right. MY blog.)

UWM pokes nose into West Bend's issues

From Dan Kleinman at Safe Libraries (there, all better now!):

The School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has made a public statement to the citizens of West Bend, WI.

"The School shall contribute locally ... in information-related education, ... and service," says the "SOIS Vision." However, the "contribution" in West Bend is to mislead the community into giving up legal means to protect children from harm. And by this means the American Library Association [ALA], which accredited SOIS and whitewashes child rape in public libraries, again pressures another community to keep the ALA's "anything goes" policies.

Here is my response to "UW-M School of Information Studies Statement of Support for the West Bend Library," by Dr. Joyce Latham, School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, April 14, 2009:

Dear Dr. Joyce Latham,

"In recent weeks, two citizens of West Bend, Wisconsin have petitioned the West Bend Community Memorial Library to remove gay-themed books...." Yes, but they are no longer seeking that goal and implying they are can only be misleading. Issues should be fought on the issues, not on false implications. Besides, after refining their goals, those two citizens have grown to hundreds. A fair report would have included that information.

"They further demand that the books be labeled with a warning about their content, arguing that they are obscene and pornographic." Perhaps, but that's not the real issue. And if someone does not articulate the real issue well, that does not mean the real issue should be ignored. The real issue is not pornography, rather it is material that may be legally treated differently from other material for reasons of age inappropriateness.

Or, if we don't want to recognize the differential status of the material in question, then shouldn't it be treated like all other holdings, with its subject matter properly identified? This is similar to the argument that indicating that the book is about sex or violence is considered "labeling," which carries a bad connotation. Yet if we label a book about "wood carving" as being about wood carving, that is okay. If the subject matter is neutral, then it's called "cataloging," yet if the subject matter is controversial, then it's considered "labeling."

And I love the way Dr. Latham makes it appear such a request is some out of this world idea. I suppose it would not help to further mislead people to disclose that other communities have already been successful in this regard. And look at this: "Missouri SB 450 - Requires public libraries to adopt policies on the placement of books and other materials that are obscene or pornographic for minors." Dr. Latham only discloses one side of the picture, and a distorted view at that.

"The books are from major publishers, sold in general bookstores, and are available in public and high school libraries throughout the state." True, but again this is misleading. For example, possibly the most liberal city in the USA, New York City, removed one of those books from hundreds of its schools because of its inappropriateness for children. Yet Dr. Latham makes no mention of that, choosing instead to mislead the public. Again. A pattern is starting to be established. Further, bookstores are private businesses, not public entities supported by taxpaying citizens.

"Throughout the history of the American public library, special interest groups have attempted to exert a disproportionate degree of influence on the development of a community wide resource." True, but the implication is citizens seeking redress under existing library policies are in the wrong, yet Dr. Latham does not address that the "special interest group ... exert[ing] a disproportionate degree of influence on the development of a community wide resource" may be the American Library Association [ALA] and its local acolytes.

"The public library was developed to be the anchor of free inquiry in our democracy." True, but tell me where "free inquiry" allows children access to inappropriate materials despite the law and common sense?

Does "free inquiry" for children include the following: "Lara unbuttoned my pants and pulled my boxers down a little and pulled out my penis. .... And then she wrapped her hand around it and put it into her mouth." The ALA awarded that book the top book of the year for children 12 and up, and with no notice as to the contents other than how wonderful was the book. I personally got the author to admit he would not even give his own award-winning book to his own 12 year old if he had one. Is providing publicly funded access to such material for children despite the law and common sense an "anchor of free inquiry in our democracy"?

"Over 15,000 public library branches throughout the United States maintain access to quality materials collected and arranged according to national standards developed by thoughtful and committed information professionals." Right, but Dr. Latham fails to disclose how the US Supreme Court allows certain materials to be kept from children despite this. For example, from US v. ALA, "The interest in protecting young library users from material inappropriate for minors is legitimate, and even compelling, as all Members of the Court appear to agree." Why does Dr. Latham exclude that? Such a stance is consistent with America's long history of aged-based laws designed to protect its youth.

"The education of these professionals is rigorous and expansive, demanding sophisticated skills in assessment, development and leadership; it ensures their preparedness to take the lead in developing and delivering information resources to their communities." So she says, apparently to explain why common sense, community values, and US Supreme Court decisions do not compare to "sophisticated" professionals. The Annoyed Librarian would disagree with Dr. Latham: "A library school by any other name would still be irrelevant to the concerns of actual librarians." And again, Dr. Latham fails to disclose that all such education must be ALA approved and thereby based on ALA policy.

"We, the faculty and teaching academic staff at the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, along with the SOIS Graduate Student Organization, commend the West Bend Community Memorial Library Board of Trustees, administration, and staff for their support of the principle of intellectual freedom in the face of pressure to abandon their professional and communal commitments." Excuse me? A legitimate filing of a request to reconsider material under an existing library policy is "pressure to abandon their professional and communal commitments"? The ALA said despite US v. ALA, its policies will remain unchanged and children will still have access to inappropriate materials. Are those the "professional commitments" the library is being "pressured to abandon"?

Furthermore, why would the library even have a policy of "material reconsideration" if the very act of "material reconsideration" is perceived as a threat or inconsistent with their philosophy. Many libraries maintain such policies, but often when someone wants to exercise the policy, it becomes a threat and the person is labeled a "censor." Maybe they just need to nix this policy, so no one bothers to ask in the future.

In summary, the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has totally misled the community. Then it recommended support for a policy made up by an out-of-state organization that continues to act despite a ruling against it in the US Supreme Court and that whitewashes library crimes. As a result, the West Bend community is being misled into voluntarily giving up legally available means for protecting children from harm in public venues.

I certainly hope the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is not receiving taxpayer funding to mislead those same taxpayers into allowing their children to become sexualized or otherwise endangered by "special interest groups" like the ALA despite the law and common sense.

Why do I have to make this statement? Large organizations array themselves against local communities, but they usually can't force the locals to act. Instead, they mislead the local communities to think like they think so the people will act like they would act. It's a propaganda technique called conversion. Voices like mine are few and far between, and our resources do not measure up to those of, say, the ALA's, which partly come with backing from George Soros and Playboy Enterprises:

Playboy's own sex and violence agenda long funded The American Library Association and its Freedom to Read campaign. Such a conflict of interest becomes significant when the ALA seeks to bring into our libraries previously prohibited "harmful matter" produced by one of its legal patrons.

Source: "The Toxic American Public Library: Violating Children with 'Harmful Matter'; 'A Clear & Present Danger,'" by Dr. Judith Reisman, The Institute for Media Education, 4 April 2000, footnote omitted.

Along comes the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies. It basically tells West Bend residents to oppose "pressure to abandon their professional and communal commitments." It does so by flat out misleading the public. Based on that false information, the community is suppose to act the way the library school and the ALA would want it to act, namely, ignore the law and common sense and leave the children exposed to harm.

Just look at the false and misleading "information" the "School of Information" provided. Certainly the great and powerful "School of Information" could not be wrong. Certainly we must oppose the "pressure to abandon professional and communal commitments." Small voices like mine, like Ginny Maziarka's, we are little bugs to be squashed by the great and powerful ALA-accredited "School of Information" and the Playboy-funded ALA. They know better. The library board knows better. We little people are too unsophisticated (I was actually told this by a library board). After all, that's why there's a library board in the first place, right?

Nothing happened here in West Bend. Move along. Children remain exposed to harm, so what, at least the citizens fought off the pressure to abandon professional commitments to ensure children have access to anything and everything despite the law and common sense. Who cares anyway, it's happening everywhere, there's bigger fish to fry. As Judith Krug, the 40 year de facto leader of the ALA and former ACLU-IL Board member said, "Parents who would tell their children not to read Playboy 'don't really care about their kids growing up and learning to think and explore.'" She's right; Ginny's wrong. Move along, nothing to see here. As Krug would say, "What we're dealing with is a minority of people who are very vocal.... These people are small in number but they start screeching, and people start getting concerned."

So that's why I had to make this statement. Someone has to stand up and support the children against the powerful interests. I'm doing it, Ginny's doing it in West Bend, and a few others nationwide are doing it, but we just don't have the machine the powerful interests have. So if you are reading this, this may be your only chance to hear another side of the story. Try to put the ALA propaganda out of your heads, think for yourselves, and protect your children as you are legally allowed to do.

If I were the UW-M School of Information Studies, I'd be embarrassed by Dr. Latham's one-sided, misleading attempt to influence West Bend citizens. The "SOIS Vision" is a distant vision right now..

West Bend Mayor says reasons not good enough to table Library Board appt.

We expected this.

West Bend Mayor Kristine Deiss said she will not delay appointing members to the city’s Library Board, even though a local couple wants the appointments tabled until their complaint about sexually explicit books at the library is decided.

Friday, Ginny and Jim Maziarka sent an e-mail to local media outlets, conservative commentators and the town of West Bend clerk, asking they help stop the Library Board appointments.

Tuesday, the Common Council is holding its organizational meeting following the April 7 election.
Normally, an elected body’s organizational meeting is fairly routine. Newly elected members are swore in, committee chairmanships are decided and, in this case, the mayor announces her appointments to various city boards, committees and commissions. “I don’t see why,” Deiss said Friday when asked if she would consider tabling the Library appointments. “Nobody’s given me a good reason.”

While the mayor makes committee appointments, ultimately it is up to the aldermen on the Common Council to approve those appointments, Deiss said.

Current members of the Library Board are: Chairperson Kathryn Engelbrecht, Doberstein, Barbara Deters, Mary Reilly-Kliss, Pattie Geidel, Tom Fitz, John Aynesworth and James Pouros.
Dobberstein, Reilly-Kliss, Fitz and Pouros are finishing their current appointed terms on the board Tuesday.

Dobberstein said Friday that Deiss asked him to serve another term on the Library Board “and I said yes.”

In their e-mail Friday afternoon, Jim and Ginny Maziarka label themselves “Advocates” and also list the citizen group they formed, West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries.

Tuesday, newly elected aldermen Steve Hutchins, District 2, and Roger Kist, District 8 as well as reelected aldermen Dobberstein, District 4, and Michael Schlotfeldt, District 6, will be sworn in.
Monday, the Common Council will meet with its current membership, including Aldermen David Krolchak and Neil Narveson, who were defeated in the April 7 general election by Hutchins and Kist.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

West Bend Mayor approves alderman's emails

Mr. & Mrs. Maziarka,

I will assume that this is the issue you wished to speak to me about when you left your phone message at my home while I was celebrating Easter this weekend with my family.

Alderman Dobberstein, as well as the other members of the Library Board, certainly have the right to speak their views on any issue facing the Board. It is no different then any of the alderman who serve on the Common Council. They are certainly free to speak out on any of the issues that come before the Council and they often do. It appears that the only reason you want Alderman Dobberstein removed is because he disagrees with your viewpoint. I see no reason to remove him from the Library Board nor any of the other members for voicing their opinions be it pro or con on any issue before them. As I stated to you previously, any formal complaints made to the Library will be handled by the procedure they have in place. If it comes before the Board, I do not feel it is the place of the Mayor to coerce, threaten, or dictate what course of action they are to take. It will be their decision; not mine and not yours. I know there are strong emotions on both sides of this issue, but I am confident that if this does come before the Board, their decision will be what they think is best for all.

Kristine M. Deiss
Mayor, City of West Bend

West Bend Alderman & LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER Dobberstein confirms his position against WBCFSL

West Bend 4th District Alderman, Nick Dobberstein, abused his position within his district and the West Bend community to lend influence to his personal convictions concerning the library policy requests we (now known as WBCFSL, West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries) submitted.

To date, we have not spoken with any library board members, nor has there been any direct communication of any type between us. The WBCFSL is currently awaiting acceptance within the agenda of the next board meeting. We have fairly complied with all of the library director's/library board's requests thus far. Though we did not agree with the City Attorney, Mary Schanning, or Mr. Tyree, on the unilateral withdrawal of our original complaint, we have started the process over respectfully, as requested by both.

Yesterday, a constituent emailed Dobberstein with information about an oppositional petition they were circulating, asking for the information to be shared with others. Alderman Dobberstein forwarded the email to his constituents and others in his email address book, making his position public concerning the library issue requests.

Alderman Dobberstein's choice to petition against the WBCFSL while acting as library board member, and representative of the taxpayers, is completely malapropos. We feel this is a hindrance to any decision the library will be making concerning our group's requests for policy creation, an inappropriate misuse of his aldermanic position, and shameful behavior of a library board member, whom we had hoped would remain fair and impartial, acting as an advocate on behalf of ALL citizens.

After notification of his biased and inappropriate actions by another constituent, it appears that Mr. Dobberstein has furthered his efforts to discredit our group's requests by sending out another email.

Though he states this second email was being sent out of "fairness" to us, it was quite the opposite. In this second email, he accuses the WBCFSL of censorship and shares a controversial and oppositional link to a website where our group is personally attacked and ridiculed in a raunchy and crude manner.

Just over a week ago, on behalf of WBCFSL, we supplied Mr. Dobberstein with a copy of the full power point we shared with the community on March 26th. We included our personal contact information and website address, which was not the website listed within his email. The website Mr. Dobberstein passes on out of "fairness" does not contain the link to the library petition (though we have added it as of last night due to this misinformation), nor does it have complete information about the library issue. It is not the website we gave to him.

Mr. Dobberstein has clearly taken his opinion on this matter to a new level.

His unprofessional behavior should be disappointing to his district constituents, and it is most certainly an embarrassment to the City of West Bend.

We request his immediate removal from the library board.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

St. Joe's Hospital did NOT give the baby to the wrong family

Though the newborn was erroneously given to the wrong mother BRIEFLY while in the hospital, the HEADLINE IN THE WEST BEND NEWS IS WRONG.

No babies were sent home with the wrong families.

St. Joseph's Hospital president, Michael Laird, stated "This morning our Public Relations Department received a call from Jill Badzinski, Managing Editor of the Daily News, alertng us to this major error. To correct this error, Ms. Badzinski assured our organization that the online version was already corrected on page A1 in tomorrow's edition.

We provided the newspaper with accurate information; however, during publication at the newspaper, the inaccurate headline was attached to the story."

West Bend School Board vacancy DEADLINE EXTENDED

Good.

NOTICE OF SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to qualified electors of West Bend Joint School District No. 1, Washington County, Wisconsin that a school board vacancy exists and an appointee will be named to serve from May 11, 2009 until the next general election in April 2010.

Any qualified elector desiring to be considered for this vacated position on the school board should submit the following:

1. Letter explaining their interest in being a member of the Board of Education,

2. A copy of their professional resume,

3. The answer to the following question:

The West Bend Joint School District is responsible for educating all of the students within our community well for their futures. How will you ensure that your decision-making is based on the best interest of all of the students we serve?


President, Board of Education, West Bend Joint School District #1
735 South Main Street
West Bend, Wisconsin 53095.

In an effort to expand the pool of candidates, the deadline for application has been extended to April 22, 2009, 4:00 p.m.

Interviews will be held April 27th from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

The new board candidate will be seated at the May 11th Board Meeting.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

26-minute video - Town Hall Meeting - Library Issue

WVCY "In Focus" was present at the West Bend Town Hall meeting of citizens held on March 26 concerning the library issue of sexually explicit books available to children.

The first portion of the show is a 26-minute clip of the last portion of the meeting. The second portion is informational and a call in show. Get a glimpse of what West Bend area citizens feel about the issue.

Click on the "older" program to the right.

http://vcyamerica.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=164&Itemid=153

Citizen appeal - Dumpster anyone?

I know I blogged about this, but more helping hands are needed...

BJ & Company owned by Barb Justman, local hair salon, long-time business owner - heavily damaged by fire this week.

Has enough boxes for now. THANK YOU! :-)

Can anyone DONATE A DUMPSTER for a day so this business can get all the ruined stuff off of the front lawn on Main Street?

Biggest loss was wigs and hair care for cancer patients.....

LOTS OF VOLUNTEER HELP is needed to scrub products damaged with smoke to prepare for a "fire sale"...

Just for the record, I don't know this business owner personally.

OK, WEST BEND......you know what to do!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Area Business Owner hit by Fire - Needs help of West Benders

Local hair salon owner, Barb Justman, had her business, BJ & COMPANY, heavily damaged by a major fire yesterday.

Another area business, CREATIVE CUT SALON, 530 Walnut Street, has graciously allowed Barb to temporarily MOVE HER BUSINESS while damage is assessed and repairs take place. BARB CONTINUES TO TAKE CALLS FOR BUSINESS from her home at 338-6009.

Here is a time for WEST BENDERS to lend a hand, and a community hug:

1. DROP BOXES OFF AT 446 S. Main so Barb can pack up equipment and move things out for cleanup (she hopes to reopen in one week).
2. Call her and offer to lend a hand with packing or ??? word of encouragement ?? or ???
3. Get the word out (blog, email, etc.).

West Bend, do your thing!

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Get informed on the State Supreme Court race between Chief Justice Abrahamson and Judge Koschnick(click here for survey)

I AM VOTING FOR JUDGE KOSCHNICK.

Get informed on the State Superintendent of Public Instruction race between Deputy Superintendent Tony Evers and challenger Rose Fernandez (click here for survey and endorsements)

I AM VOTING FOR ROSE FERNANDEZ.

Find out which races and candidates will be on your local ballot (click here to find out how)

WEST BEND SCHOOL BOARD: I AM VOTING FOR TIM STEPANSKI and NOT casting SECOND VOTE (you may choose two) SO AS NOT TO GIVE EXTRA VOTES TO OTHER CANDIDATES.

See http://www.wbsbinfo.blogspot.com/

Determine which candidates align with your values on the pertinent issues (click here for ideas)

CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE: CAIN OR GRUNDAHL Click here for info about Cain or Click here for info about Grundahl

I AM VOTING FOR CAIN.


NO !!! TO BOTH REFERENDUM QUESTIONS

Sunday, April 5, 2009

West Bend Library Board - A little FYI

An important note that concerns the people who serve on our library board.

1. To correct any myths out there..they are NOT elected. The people who serve on our library board are appointed by the mayor, Kristine Deiss. They were not appointed by THE CURRENT MAYOR, though they ARE ACCOUNTABLE to her.

2. Library board members serve a term of three years. http://www.ci.west-bend.wi.us/Departments/Mayor/CommitteesCommissions.htm


LIBRARY BOARD
Consists of 9 members (3 year term) appointed by the Mayor. The Board shall have control of the expenditure of all monies collected, donated, or appropriated for the library fund and of the purchase of a site and the erection of a library building whenever authorized. The Board will audit expenditures of the public library.

MEMBERS
Ald. Nick Dobberstein
Barbara Deters
Kathryn Engelbrecht, Chairman
Mary Reilly-Kliss
Patti Geidel
Tom Fitz
John R. Aynesworth
James Pouros

Updated 7/08



3. We do not view the library board as our adversaries. On the contrary, it is our hope that this current library board will be an ADVOCATE for the City of West Bend; that they will act as representatives of their community on behalf of the children/families who are library patrons.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Petition Signature Drive brought in droves of people...and signatures...


SATURDAY PETITION SIGNATURE DRIVE.....
Beautiful day to be outside! Met lots and lots of folks! Great people in this community!
Someone brought us warm chocolate chip cookies....NICE! (Thank you!) Many offers from people to bring us food/drink, etc..... Some stayed to chat... Volunteers stood with families.. THAT is the community we know and love!
VFW crew were AMAZING! Great facility and super-nice gang! Thanks so much!
WBKV, what can we say? YOU ROCK! (in a "country" kind of way!)
So many brought stacks of completed sheets....HUNDREDS of signatures.... Some left and came back with pages after going through their neighborhoods. VERY ENCOURAGING! WOW!
WEST BEND CITIZENS - Your support today was an enormous statement of your love for the community's kids! WAY TO GO! (Don't stop now! Keep it coming!)

Friday, April 3, 2009

Signature "drive-thru" - West Bend Library Petition - SATURDAY 8 to 2

WEST BEND, KEWASKUM, GERMANTOWN, SLINGER AND HARTFORD
THIS IS FOR YOU
AS PART OF THE SHARE LIBRARY - OUR BOOKS ARE YOUR BOOKS!
DRIVE-THRU PETITION SIGNING SLATED FOR SATURDAY
CITIZENS SAY NO TO PORN IN LIBRARY
VFW HALL
260 Sand Drive, West Bend
8 A.M. TO 2 P.M.
SATURDAY, APRIL 4

Area residents and other concerned citizens will be at the local VFW parking lot from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parents, taxpayers and citizens who would like the West Bend Community Memorial Library to adopt a number of policies that protect children from easy access to sexually explicit materials will be able to "drive through" and sign a petition that will be presented to the library board. STUDENTS are encouraged to stop by and sign.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Censorship? Or Selective Review?

WHEN NEWSPAPERS DECIDE TO PRINT OR NOT PRINT A STORY--THE ISSUE IS CALLED EDITING AND THIS CAN BE ESPECIALLY WITH LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

-WHEN TV/RADIO DECIDE TO AIR OR NOT AIR A STORY--IT'S CALLED PROGRAMMING

--WHEN LIBRARIANS DECIDE WHAT WILL BE IN THE COLLECTION-IT'S CALLED--SELECTIVE REVIEW

WHEN CITIZENS/TAXPAYERS DECIDE TO HAVE OR NOT HAVE BOOKS/MATERIALS IN THE LIBRARY--IT'S CALLED CENSORSHIP

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS THE CHOICE FOR OR AGAINST SOMETHING--BUT THE ONLY ONE WITH A STIGMA ATTACHED TO IT IS THE CITIZEN/TAXPAYER--CENSOR.

See how labeling can bring about an opinion--this is verbal gymnastics.

Hope you see the point.

(Source: NMC)

Opposition just doesn't get it - Book "banning"? NOT

Saw the WB News today and noted two articles about the West Bend Library issue.

One librarian playing the "poor staff" card and trying to let the community know how they are "all" suffering greatly because of this issue and how there is not agenda to target children with inappropriate materials of any kind. She further went on to mention our book ban.

Another concerned citizen....again - mentioned our book ban.


::::sigh:::: They just DON'T GET IT.

Get the junk out of the kid's faces. How hard is this? And how can anyone possibly object? Go to previous posts and click on the links for a reality check for excerpts of what the kids currently have offered to them. It's disturbing.