JesusFreak Morons Force Cancellation Of Summer Reading Program For Teens In SC

[maggiegault]

This shit will go on and on until ordinary Americans like these poor South Carolinans stand up to garbage like this.

*******************
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6453294.html

A South Carolina library system has closed down its summer programs for young adults after receiving threats and allegations that it was trying to promote "witchcraft" and "drug use."

The Pickens County Library System’s half-hour summer programs for middle and high school students were supposed to take a light-hearted look at the topics "Secrets and Spies: How to Keep a Secret by Writing in Code or Making Invisible Ink" and "What’s Your Sign?" Another program was to examine astrology, palmistry, and numerology; and others were to feature tarot cards, tie-dying t-shirts, how to make a Zen garden, and yoga.

Now the programs are cancelled in the wake of phone and e-mail threats from the community, believed to emanate from a single local Baptist church. The astrology program was labeled as "witchcraft" by callers, while the Zen garden and yoga programs were objected to as "promoting other religions." The t-shirts workshop? "Promotes the hippie culture and drug use," callers said.

"If you have an anonymous call of a bomb, what do you do?" asks Library Director Marguerite Keenan, explaining her decision to cancel the YA programs. "You clear the building, you close the building for the protection of the children. And that’s hugely sad."

Keenan says that the stream of threatening 20 or 30 anonymous phone calls, plus e-mails, began two weeks ago. Callers spoke of "picketing" the county’s four libraries and made statements such as "We’re going to get you" and "How dare you?"

She says that a local reporter traced some of the signed e-mails to congregants of a Baptist church, whose pastor was interviewed about the threats.

Keenan adds that she made her decision because she also runs children’s programs and "I’m not going to have preschoolers walk between a gauntlet of pickets.

"It’s just sad that they didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk," Keenan says of the church protest. "We do have a broad community here. And we are a public agency that needs to support all."—Joan Oleck

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. Bizarre.

MKJ

[sakabatou]

2. ::headdesk::

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lorien]

4. Sheesh

my mom is a born again in Ohio and she may have fussed about the Tarot cards, but Zen, yoga, and tie-dye?? Any Christian can practice Zen and Yoga...do they just not understand this? Man, what a bunch of whack jobs. :crazy:

[maggiegault]

5. We used to do tie-dye in Girl Scouts, while at camp. I still do it to this day...because it's FUN

:hippie:

[aquart]

6. Tie-dyeing is satanic?

This is just a case of persistent hippie-phobia. They should get treatment.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Funny, lately I've seen a whole bunch of tie-dyes with Christian slogans or statements on 'em.

...Beyond that, they've kinda gone out of fashion out here, I guess. :shrug:

I dunno, I still wear 'em sometimes, in summer at least. :hippie: But I went to a big annual west coast hippie festival not too long ago, and while there were some majorly freaky dressed folks, I swear I was one of the few people there with an actual, old-school tie-dye on. I guess I like being obstinately out of style.

[Orsino]

18. Tie-dyeing has been corporatized, so it is safe and Christian now.

It's a way to pretend to rebel.

[Warren DeMontague]

45. I always just liked the way it looks.

Still, Deadheads do the best tie-dye jobs. There's still some folks who do it up right around here.

[GreenPartyVoter]

49. It's not even rebellious anymore, and even some of them wear birks now too

[tech3149]

7. Love your cats

The third reminds my of old cat Pursey. He couldn't resist crawling into any purse available.

[B3Nut]

26. Most fundamentalist Christians view Zen and Yoga

as being gateways for letting De Debbil(tm) into your life. In my addleheaded fundie daze(sic) years ago I toed that line. I think it's bullshit now, but back then I imbibed on quite a fair bit of kool-aid.

But the Christian bookstore shelves are loaded with books warning believers against this kind of thing, so I'm not surpised a Baptist church down south has their collective knickers in a twist over it.

Though even as a fundie, I liked tie-dye and my lava lite. :D (I still have my lava lite, it's groovy! hehehehe)

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[GreenPartyVoter]

47. Sadly true

[Why Syzygy]

8. Pitiful.

The hippie culture is about 50 years old. Hardly dangerous stuff.
And as for "promoting other religions"? Are they sure they allow books in the library at all?
WHAT other relgions? As compared to WHAT? Their brand of bothersome holy nosy bodies?

[nonconformist]

9. This really pisses me off, and makes me sad too

I will never, ever in my life understand why if someone doesn't like something they JUST DON'T PARTAKE IN IT. This "church" should be investigated for terroristic threatening.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Yeah, god forbid you should encourage teens to do anything that might corrupt them....

like, you know, read.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

12. Jihad, American Style n/t

[CrownPrinceBandar]

15. Yup. Al-Qaeda uses this kind of intimidation as well..........

I am aghast that some folks don't see the hypocrisy of fighting a war against fundamentalist factions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but allowing this to go on at home. I guess they feel its okay since its Xtian strong-arming.

[BrotherBuzz]

13. A single local Baptist church?

Perhaps there is a Fred Phelps wannabe in the making.

[salin]

14. what ever happened to - if you don't like the content.... don't participate

or have your children participate? The brutish tactics to prevent ALL kids in the community from participating is just ugly. I wish the favor was returned and folks would turn up outside the Church and picket their bullying tactics. Something like : "Jesus wouldn't make bomb threats!"

[PA Democrat]

16. That is sickening. I hope they catch the people responsible for the bomb threats

and prosecute them, and throw their despicable asses in jail. They are terrorists, pure and simple. For Christ's sake, if they didn't like the library's program, they should have put their efforts into creating one of their own, not threatening other people who don't share their twisted, imbecilic beliefs.

[Orsino]

17. The fascists fight to advance the cause of ignorance.

The stupider they make us, the more recruits for their side.

[rasputin1952]

19. It will not be long before there are book burnings in some

communities.

What is incredible, is that if things like astrology, palmistry, phrenology and a host of other pseudo-sciences are discussed rationally, the flaws in such items are readily exposed.

THe threats should be dealt with through investigation and charges should be made against the few idiots that made the threats. Threatening people w/bodily harm and threats against property are crimes that can easily find a conviction.

Someone should remind the those that threaten people the reason these are called Public Libraries. They can expound upon religious theories and teachings in churches and other houses of worship, but a Library is a place of learning, not a place where people could go to face a fanatic with a hand grenade...:grr:

[Odin2005]

20. I'm more concered that the library is introducing the kids to New Age woo.

[Le Taz Hot]

24. Yoga and tie-die

are New Age woo? :crazy:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

40. Yes and no. -nt

[greenman3610]

27. New Age Woo?

Better get a new screenname ODIN....

Nothing worse than a Druid fundamentalist...

[blondeatlast]

28. Funniest GD post I've read in a long time. Um, you are being funny, aren't you?

At times, I have to wonder.

Um, about your screen name... :eyes:

[Richard Steele]

35. Thanks for your CONCERE. nm

[guitar man]

21. JesusFreak Morons

cool, thanks, I think I have a name for my new band, "The JesusFreak Morons" :D


Seroisly though,what a bunch of asshats. I am really sick of the christofascist whackos throwing their weight around :grr:

[blondeatlast]

22. The county Board of Supervisors must be the chickenshittiest

bunch of no-accounts on the planet. Back your library--or drown in illiteracy.

For many kids, a summer reading program is as close as they often get to a book outside of school.

[Nikki Stone1]

23. The secret ink is ok, but why have the library support superstitions?

It's a no brainer that the highly superstitious fundies would have a pretty violent reaction to equally superstitious astrology and tarot cards.

[LeftHander]

25. Like the bible is without superstition...::groan::

Give me a effing break. These zealot tali-born-agains need to be slapped down HARD. I say picket their effing church for being a hot bed for promoting religious extremism and being a domestic terrorist training center...

[Nikki Stone1]

30. Dear Left Hander: If you had read my whole post, you will see that I say exactly that

The worst thing you can do to the superstitious is to try and teach their kids about other superstitions. No wonder they are so threatened.

[Bucky]

29. I somehow doubt that that was all the books they were focusing on

The story mentioned the books that might've set the terrorists off. I don't think it was all tarot and astrology books.

But kids like that kind of stuff: secret knowledge, fun with magic, other cultures' myths. It's fun to explore. This is why the fundy nuts attacked and called in bomb threats. They hate curiosity.

[Nikki Stone1]

32. What is the difference between exploring and proselytizing when it comes to superstition?

One of the reasons we don't want the bible taught in public schools is that there is a fine line between discussing the bible as literature and discussing it as "truth", especially in the hands of believers. I don't want the bible in my public institutions and I don't want tarot cards either.

Why can't they do a program of science exploration? How about planting herb gardens? Raising bunnies? or how about some everyday chemistry or learning about physics with a gyroscope?

[Bucky]

43. We'll have to disagree here, Nikki

Who's to say they weren't doing a program on science? The article only mentioned the readings found objectionable by the terrorists (or "concerned citizens making the bomb threat phone calls" if you will). It sounds to me like they put together a variety of reading-interest packages for the kids to explore. The idea being for the kids to look in some detail at different topics.

I don't particularly object to the Bible or Biblical stories being put in a public library. It's a far more important part of our cultural heritage than, say, the pantheons of the Olympic gods or the creation tales of Egypt or the Aztecs or fables about Anaansi the spider-trickster. And yet you'd easily find stories like that in the children's section of a good public library. So if there's kids books about Noah's Ark or Adam and Eve in the same area, it's all about building cultural literacy. I think that's a good thing. Libraries are supposed to be places of exploration and repositers of our cultural past.

A strict prohibition on any field of inquiry, even for as good a cause as promoting science, runs against the whole idea of library. It's not as offensive as a bomb threat, but I like the idea of libraries trying to make reading in different areas kind of fun. When I was a kid I went to a pretty conservative church. Yet we had some palmistry card games in our youth room. We liked looking at them and playing the palm reading game and no one got a bug in their ear over the kids having fun with it. Exploring new things doesn't corrupt kids, children learning about other belief systems doesn't mean they'll grow up as suckers.

I'm biased. I am always pro-learning and pro-curiosity.

[Nikki Stone1]

46. Ok. We'll have to disagree.

:)

[GreenPartyVoter]

48. Because the library was offering fun things to do. That's all. Just fun

But the fundies are scared for the souls of their kids.

[mainegreen]

31. Fine. Raid the church on Sunday morning as it clearly is a terrorist cell.

Round up everyone inside, drag them of somewhere to be held until the FBI can personally grill each and every one of them.
Making bomb threats against children at a library is not a fucking joke.

[Az]

33. I have to admit that the Astrology, numerology, and palmistry made me raise an eyebrow

I am not certain I would want my school teaching these practices either. I mean how bout a class on contacting the dead? Ouiji board use and practice? Mind reading?

I agree the other issues are an overreaction on their part. But I think the schools can be put to better use than in promoting astrology, numerology, and palmistry.

[GreenPartyVoter]

50. Did you never have a magic 8 ball? Did kids not play MASH where you lived? I play MASH with

my cheerleaders when we go to overnight competitions. It's a really fun, silly little overnight party game. Neither of the team moms objected.

[Az]

54. Not outright objecting

Just saying it got my attention. I am an all or nothing advocate. Either you allow all beliefs in after school programs or you do not allow any beliefs. You cannot favor one over the other.

[GreenPartyVoter]

55. I think this is a county library system? Not sure who gets juridiction there, school or library

[Az]

56. Ok, that clears things up a bit

There is no cause for censorship in this case then. Its definitely voluntary and it allows access to all views. No complaints here.

[GreenPartyVoter]

57. Yeah, that's what had me wondering. :^) It's all good now.

[Kerrytravelers]

52. It's not a school. It is voluntary summer reading program at the public library.

[Beelzebud]

34. The American Taliban

[dkofos]

36. I say let them protest. If they threaten staff or patrons, have them arrested

as terrorists!

[Clark2008]

37. Pickens County needs to worry less about books and more

about the weirdness in their kids.

I used to cover crime for the newspaper there and there were plenty of cases of kids digging up bones from cemetaries to perform rituals with them. In fact, most of upstate South Carolina is just odd (no offense to any DUers who live there - hell, they probably agree with me). People running around with their newly-dead strapped in the pickup truck's bed with beers propped up in their hands, ritual killings, racial segregation, drugs... Anderson/Pickens is just odd.

[The Icon Painter]

38. Easley, Too

Include Easley in that list. I lived in that area for a while and still have relatives there. It is a strange, inbred, rabidly fundamentalist area. I rejoice daily that I managed to escape before my brain was eaten.

A large part of South Carolina is peculiar. That's where the theocrats are trying to set up their xian country, you might remember. Save for the lovely and rational coastal cities, I think we should just let the place go on and secede.

[Clark2008]

42. I remember Easley - and yes, I would include that, as well.

I worked for The Anderson Independent-Mail. We covered three upstate counties and the two Georgia counties on the SC side.

You're absolutely correct about the inbred, rabidly fundamentalist folk. I only stayed there four months before I took a paycut to come back home. It was HORRID there.

[dogday]

44. I lived in Gville for over 10 years, that is

where my family comes from and I could not live there any longer...

[Tsiyu]

39. Can the librarians now bust up their cheesy Vacation Bobble School?

Hell No! The backwards bapptissts have a right to have whatever kind of classes they wish this summer . They have freedom of religion in South Carolina.

But nobody else better have any of that freedom.

The Bobble sez freedum iz only fer Bapptissts!!!!!

[Matariki]

41. Bastards. I'm going to start protesting churches like this. I swear.

[GreenPartyVoter]

51. Just make sure you got one of the right kind. Not all Baptist

churches are nuts, and some are quite liberal.

[AspenRose]

53. We did tie-dye for our kids at our church.

My son and I had matching tie-dyes. It was cool.

Guess we're going to hell now. We probably aren't really considered Christians, being Methodist and all. :sarcasm: