How ironic that this Board professes to be “real republicans” and they consistently want to grow government and don’t honor freedom of speech, guaranteed by the Constitution.🤔
You know, the pious completed who just got fined $8k for ethics violations? I can't roll my eyes high enough in my head when she starts talking about morals, ethics, and values.
This government is based on God?? I actually had to listen to this discussion. Obviously, Vanessa has NOT read the Constitution, the Bill of Rights-as it is very clear, that the Government of the United States is NOT based on ANY Religion. That would be Iran, Afghanistan-not the US, as the establishment clause in the 1st amendment was intended specifically for the separation of Church and State. For some founding fathers a central reason for escaping England was to escape religious tyranny . Please educate yourself Vanessa-even you can go into library and check out a book.
Okay, let me get this straight, your observations came from the same workshop that I attended?
It is obvious, once again that the lens with which you comment only focuses on your agenda. I find it odd that on one hand you forsake the 2nd Amendment in your fight to abridge it, while on the other hand you hide behind your gross misunderstanding of how a republic works and that a representative form of government, with its officiates acting on the behalf of their constituents.
What is missing from your side of the debate are the children. Florida Statute 847.011 makes it illegal in almost every way to be associated with obscene materials. It is illegal to possess, sell, lend, give away, transmit, show, or advertise any obscene material. And yet these types of “works” are found in all of our public libraries (BTW: district school libraries are also public. And I am sue you are unaware of a library policy that allowed Manatee School District students to have unfettered access to our libraries without a library card or parental notification of the titles being read by our children!)
The authors of these adult themed materials, with an innocent look, have become quite adept at passing off books, pamphlets, and on-line materials as absolutely necessary for grooming our children in ways that are neither healthy or age appropriate. All of this, and the barring of titles by conservative authors on every subject from religion, to economics, to the sciences (the library officials were stunned to hear such an allegation).
So if the efforts of the commissioners are to ensure that minors are not exposed to unhealthy, and sometimes illegal subject matter without the consent of the parent, your leftist ideology immediately takes you to outrageous ad-hominem attacks on these conservative patriots.
Their motivation concerning the preponderance of non-conservative titles, is one of fairness and propriety to those authors not represented. Based on the comments of you op-ed, it appears you like censoring titles you may find distasteful and unsupportive of you progressive, left wing ideology.
No one’s 1st Amendment rights (which you and a previous commissioner are apparently clueless) have been violated, or in any way obscured. If ensuring the rights of parents to protect their underaged children are not subjected to titles they deem unfit, is a blot on the 1st Amendment, then you are unschooled on the court’s ruling concerning parental rights.
And as to the comment from Jim Cain, I recommend he read the Mayflower Compact, and get his facts straight. Jim might also come to grips with the fact that what he was allowed to read 60 years ago has no comparison to the guttural filth that he is more than ready to expose to a generation that is being guided, tutored, and groomed to accept such. What a travesty for the unknowing and uncaring are foisting upon our youth.
Like 50 Shades of Grey? Harlequin Romance Novels? Mein Kampf? Heck, even the Bible is pretty darned explicit.
Parents need to take responsibility for what their kids read.
If books are REALLY your concern here, I'm going to need to invite you to the 21st century where books at the library are the least of parents' worries today. What they can access on their phones, or their friends' phones/tablets/laptops is much more concerning to me as a parent of 3.
The librarian was clear that the libraries don't carry explicit material. She was clear that anyone under 16 has to have a parent's signature in order to have a library card, parents can choose not to allow their kids to check out adult materials, parents have full access to their kids' accounts to see what they do check out, kids under 12 have to be accompanied by an adult and anyone under 18 has filters on what they can access at the public library.
This is a 1st Amendment issue, plain and simple. You want your guns? That's great. It's in the Constitution. I want my kids to be able to access what they want at public libraries. Your feelings don't trump their or my rights.
Leave the parenting up to parents. We don't need a Big Government nanny state telling us what to do.
Shannon, you are the parent, and you decide. Maybe. You missed the part about students having a free ride without parental consent. You missed the part about the fact that the books that are now inappropriate in schools are in the libraries and what is more obvious is that you believe they are all okay. They are not. maybe your are busy indoctrinating your children into the ways of the world... that is your business. But not to want safeguards in place, shows how naïve you are to the titles available to kids. Yes they look innocuous, and I am sure you judge a book by its cover. However it is not the cover we are concerned about.
Oh yes we are equally concerned with web and its preponderance of filth. And I'm sure you have all of the protections you can get to insure you TV, iPad, iPhone and other devices are secure. My, are you denying your children their 1st Amendment rights? I'm sure you are. And if you are I applaud you for it.
As far as the librarian being clear, I'm sorry, she was not. She had no response to the question, that if a child checks out materials (does not have to be just books) while on a "free ride" from parental consent (just checking in on their Manatee School District ID tag) could not be purchased by that child because of age, did she realize that was against the law (FYI: a 3rd degree felony?) Crickets!
Times have changed. Children’s lives have changed. Many children are growing up in households without any parental involvement and are subjected to abuse and neglect before they even reach school age. If you really want to protect children, that should be your focus. The “guttural filth” to which you refer doesn’t exist in the children’s section. That’s why our public libraries have children, teen, and adult areas. However, in the United States we allow every thought, every expression. That’s what sets us apart. You and your children don’t have to read any of the books in the library, but you don’t have a right to abridge others’ rights or how they choose to raise their kids. And neither the 1st or 2nd Amendments are absolute. Both have limitations to ensure the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of all who live here. The government has no right to tell me or my kids what we can read. And if you read some of the novels that have been banned this year you might see they are filled with gritty, complex issues that our children are living, but they show them a way through or around many traumas with which they live.
It is available. I looked yesterday. I got very curious when Amanda Ballard started listing all of the searches she did. I also found thousands of books on Christianity, the Bible, religion, and church. I found 58 titles about our by Ayn Rand when KVO questioned it. I found a lot of books on conservatism. I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but I wrote them down.
It seems that she only mentioned the searches that she felt would support her viewpoint, which I guess is what people do when they're debating. I just had a feeling that she wasn't telling the whole story.
How ironic that this Board professes to be “real republicans” and they consistently want to grow government and don’t honor freedom of speech, guaranteed by the Constitution.🤔
They want to impose a nanny state and dictate what my kids can access, like it's any of their business.
And honestly? Amanda Ballard can't read the description of a book before she reads it to her kids or allows them to check it out?
Who needs to be in charge? Government or parents?
Freedom! Not selective Freedom!
It's right there in the First Amendment.
I think that was Baugh?
You know, the pious completed who just got fined $8k for ethics violations? I can't roll my eyes high enough in my head when she starts talking about morals, ethics, and values.
commissioner*
This government is based on God?? I actually had to listen to this discussion. Obviously, Vanessa has NOT read the Constitution, the Bill of Rights-as it is very clear, that the Government of the United States is NOT based on ANY Religion. That would be Iran, Afghanistan-not the US, as the establishment clause in the 1st amendment was intended specifically for the separation of Church and State. For some founding fathers a central reason for escaping England was to escape religious tyranny . Please educate yourself Vanessa-even you can go into library and check out a book.
Okay, let me get this straight, your observations came from the same workshop that I attended?
It is obvious, once again that the lens with which you comment only focuses on your agenda. I find it odd that on one hand you forsake the 2nd Amendment in your fight to abridge it, while on the other hand you hide behind your gross misunderstanding of how a republic works and that a representative form of government, with its officiates acting on the behalf of their constituents.
What is missing from your side of the debate are the children. Florida Statute 847.011 makes it illegal in almost every way to be associated with obscene materials. It is illegal to possess, sell, lend, give away, transmit, show, or advertise any obscene material. And yet these types of “works” are found in all of our public libraries (BTW: district school libraries are also public. And I am sue you are unaware of a library policy that allowed Manatee School District students to have unfettered access to our libraries without a library card or parental notification of the titles being read by our children!)
The authors of these adult themed materials, with an innocent look, have become quite adept at passing off books, pamphlets, and on-line materials as absolutely necessary for grooming our children in ways that are neither healthy or age appropriate. All of this, and the barring of titles by conservative authors on every subject from religion, to economics, to the sciences (the library officials were stunned to hear such an allegation).
So if the efforts of the commissioners are to ensure that minors are not exposed to unhealthy, and sometimes illegal subject matter without the consent of the parent, your leftist ideology immediately takes you to outrageous ad-hominem attacks on these conservative patriots.
Their motivation concerning the preponderance of non-conservative titles, is one of fairness and propriety to those authors not represented. Based on the comments of you op-ed, it appears you like censoring titles you may find distasteful and unsupportive of you progressive, left wing ideology.
No one’s 1st Amendment rights (which you and a previous commissioner are apparently clueless) have been violated, or in any way obscured. If ensuring the rights of parents to protect their underaged children are not subjected to titles they deem unfit, is a blot on the 1st Amendment, then you are unschooled on the court’s ruling concerning parental rights.
And as to the comment from Jim Cain, I recommend he read the Mayflower Compact, and get his facts straight. Jim might also come to grips with the fact that what he was allowed to read 60 years ago has no comparison to the guttural filth that he is more than ready to expose to a generation that is being guided, tutored, and groomed to accept such. What a travesty for the unknowing and uncaring are foisting upon our youth.
Like 50 Shades of Grey? Harlequin Romance Novels? Mein Kampf? Heck, even the Bible is pretty darned explicit.
Parents need to take responsibility for what their kids read.
If books are REALLY your concern here, I'm going to need to invite you to the 21st century where books at the library are the least of parents' worries today. What they can access on their phones, or their friends' phones/tablets/laptops is much more concerning to me as a parent of 3.
The librarian was clear that the libraries don't carry explicit material. She was clear that anyone under 16 has to have a parent's signature in order to have a library card, parents can choose not to allow their kids to check out adult materials, parents have full access to their kids' accounts to see what they do check out, kids under 12 have to be accompanied by an adult and anyone under 18 has filters on what they can access at the public library.
This is a 1st Amendment issue, plain and simple. You want your guns? That's great. It's in the Constitution. I want my kids to be able to access what they want at public libraries. Your feelings don't trump their or my rights.
Leave the parenting up to parents. We don't need a Big Government nanny state telling us what to do.
Shannon, you are the parent, and you decide. Maybe. You missed the part about students having a free ride without parental consent. You missed the part about the fact that the books that are now inappropriate in schools are in the libraries and what is more obvious is that you believe they are all okay. They are not. maybe your are busy indoctrinating your children into the ways of the world... that is your business. But not to want safeguards in place, shows how naïve you are to the titles available to kids. Yes they look innocuous, and I am sure you judge a book by its cover. However it is not the cover we are concerned about.
Oh yes we are equally concerned with web and its preponderance of filth. And I'm sure you have all of the protections you can get to insure you TV, iPad, iPhone and other devices are secure. My, are you denying your children their 1st Amendment rights? I'm sure you are. And if you are I applaud you for it.
As far as the librarian being clear, I'm sorry, she was not. She had no response to the question, that if a child checks out materials (does not have to be just books) while on a "free ride" from parental consent (just checking in on their Manatee School District ID tag) could not be purchased by that child because of age, did she realize that was against the law (FYI: a 3rd degree felony?) Crickets!
A third degree felony is if you expose a child to obscene material. Nothing in the library is obscene, even under Florida’s statute.
Times have changed. Children’s lives have changed. Many children are growing up in households without any parental involvement and are subjected to abuse and neglect before they even reach school age. If you really want to protect children, that should be your focus. The “guttural filth” to which you refer doesn’t exist in the children’s section. That’s why our public libraries have children, teen, and adult areas. However, in the United States we allow every thought, every expression. That’s what sets us apart. You and your children don’t have to read any of the books in the library, but you don’t have a right to abridge others’ rights or how they choose to raise their kids. And neither the 1st or 2nd Amendments are absolute. Both have limitations to ensure the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of all who live here. The government has no right to tell me or my kids what we can read. And if you read some of the novels that have been banned this year you might see they are filled with gritty, complex issues that our children are living, but they show them a way through or around many traumas with which they live.
It is available. I looked yesterday. I got very curious when Amanda Ballard started listing all of the searches she did. I also found thousands of books on Christianity, the Bible, religion, and church. I found 58 titles about our by Ayn Rand when KVO questioned it. I found a lot of books on conservatism. I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but I wrote them down.
It seems that she only mentioned the searches that she felt would support her viewpoint, which I guess is what people do when they're debating. I just had a feeling that she wasn't telling the whole story.