ALA ACLU CENSOR Miami School Board over Cuban Book - LOSES BATTLE IN SCHOOL LIBRARY

From the mouths of babes.


It appears the ACLU, with it's cohort ALA (American Library Association), were pounding on a Florida school in order to keep a book that the school board wanted removed from the school library, citing it "presented an inaccurate picture of life in Cuba." The original complaint was filed by a former political prisoner of Cuba.  Whether this information about the book itself is true or not, I can't say, but I find it ironic that the very same organizations that came into West Bend, demanded their version of FREE SPEECH, then CENSORED community standards, has taken their battle to Miami to do the same - AND LOST.  




School board members in Miami have won their battle to remove a children's book from the shelves of Miami-Dade school libraries because they said the book presented an inaccurate picture of life in Cuba.
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The board majority said the book was inaccurate and contained several omissions about life in Cuba under Fidel Castro....
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida had appealed to the high court to overturn the 11th Circuit decision.
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The action lets stand a 2-1 ruling by the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals that the school board's decision to remove the book was not censorship in violation of the First Amendment. Instead, the Atlanta-based appeals court said the school board was seeking to remove the book because it contained substantial factual inaccuracies.


He (ACLU Exec. Dir. Howard Simon) added, "If that is to become the new standard for censoring books from public library shelves, the ACLU may be immersed in censorship battles for years to come."


Bring it on!


I think Cuba would gladly welcome the ACLU and ALA.  Perhaps they should consider relocating.


Here is the ALA commentary:


Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, told American Libraries,“Naturally we are disappointed with this decision. The book ban is unconstitutional, and we will continue to support the ACLU’s efforts to return the books to the shelves of the Miami-Dade school libraries.” ALA’s Freedom to Read Foundation had filed an amicus curiae brief (PDF file) for the plaintiffs in ACLU of Florida v. Miami-Dade School Board, along with Reforma and other groups.

Source: "Appeals Court: Miami-Dade Book Ban Isn't Censorship," by ALA, American Libraries, 11 February 2009.