WAPO: School librarians face a new penalty in the banned-book wars: Prison

[DBoon]

Librarians could face years of imprisonment and tens of thousands in fines for providing sexually explicit, obscene or “harmful” books to children under new state laws that permit criminal prosecution of school and library personnel.

At least seven states have passed such laws in the past two years, according to a Washington Post analysis, six of them in the past two months — although governors of Idaho and North Dakota vetoed the legislation. Another dozen states considered more than 20 similar bills this year, half of which are likely to come up again in 2024, The Post found.

Some of the laws impose severe penalties on librarians, who until now were exempted in almost every state from prosecution over obscene material — a carve-out meant to permit accurate lessons in topics such as sex education. All but one of the new laws target schools, while some also target the staff of public libraries and one affects book vendors.

One example is an Arkansas measure that says school and public librarians, as well as teachers, can be imprisoned for up to six years or fined $10,000 if they distribute obscene or harmful texts. It takes effect Aug. 1.
...
The consequences vary slightly between states: The Indiana law, signed by the governor in May, says school staffers can be forced to pay up to $10,000 or serve 2½ years in prison for providing obscene or harmful material to minors. A 2022 Oklahoma law says school employees and public library staffers can be fined up to $20,000 or serve up to 10 years in prison for facilitating “indecent exposure to obscene material or child pornography.” One of the Tennessee laws, passed this year, says book publishers, distributors and sellers can face up to six years in prison and up to $103,000 in fines for providing obscene matter to K-12 schools.

my emphasis. Imagine a shipping clerk at Barnes & Nobel being charged. Will Amazon require proof of age before delivering books? Will an adult have to sign for books like with liquor shipments?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/18/school-librarians-jailed-banned-books/

[reymega life]

1. the librarians wont put up with this much longer

[Walleye]

2. Laura Bush was a librarian, I'd like to hear her weigh in on this

[Diamond_Dog]

5. Me too Walleye

[yardwork]

8. We will hear crickets.

[Boomerproud]

15. You won't hear a peep out of her.

She isn't into "good trouble". While I was growing up I thought I would like to be a teacher or librarian. It's turned into a dangerous job. Never thought I'd see it.

[Walleye]

23. No I don't expect her to say anything on this, but she should

[Initech]

3. This is pure fucking evil.

And I’m going to start calling the GOP out on their “save the children” bullshit - they don’t care about kids at all. They’re just doing this to look good on those stupid talk shows and that’s about it.

[Diamond_Dog]

4. If they want to "save the children"

How about banning the most common weapon used to gun them down in school? Expanding food stamps and Medicaid? Universal pre-k?

The wing nuts think banning books and policing bathrooms is more important. Gah!

[appalachiablue]

19. +1

[Initech]

25. Instead they're installing bulletproof shelters and making kids wear clear backpacks.

Or in some cases, no backpacks. Because the fucking GOP refuses to do the right thing and ban the damn guns.

[Diamond_Dog]

26. And signing bills to abolish any liability by the gun companies.

The insanity just boggles the mind.

[CrispyQ]

12. These are the only children they care about.

[yardwork]

6. The goal is to stop publication of books.

The bullies don't want people to be informed. They don't want people to think. They certainly don't want people to be challenged, to see things differently. Mind expansion is the enemy.

Stop the books. Intimidate publishers into going out of business, or into just publishing only what the bullies want. Drive librarians away and close all the libraries.

Burn the books that cause these troubling thoughts. Oh, and burn the witches, too. Burn all the women and men who don't bow down to authority.

[reymega life]

10. I don't think they'll succeed because Americans are reacting

[yardwork]

11. I hope not.

[AntivaxHunters]

7. Non paywall link

https://archive.ph/I7S5O

[GoodRaisin]

9. Gestapo in red states next?

[reymega life]

14. BIDEN needs to send in federal aid TO protect education institutions

like IKE did when he sent in the national guard into the south to desegregate.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

13. No room in Shithole Utopia

For teachers, librarians, women who can do and think for themselves.

[keithbvadu2]

16. Arrest preachers and Bible salesmen who promote the Bible with all its filth to the children.

Arrest preachers and Bible salesmen who promote the Bible with all its filth to the children.

[mjvpi]

22. Arrest a librarian who checks out a copy of the Old Testament in Arkansas . Test case.

[mopinko]

17. oh i wish a mutha would.

i want front row seats at the trial.

[Jimvanhise]

18. DEFINE OBCENITY

A previous national anti-obscenity law from decades ago was overturned because it did not actually define what was obscene and used the "I know it when I see it" standard. The people who write these laws are too embarrassed to describe what they want to arrest people for and the word "obscene" in and of itself is too broad to be accepted as a legal definition.

[Joinfortmill]

20. Nazi Book Burning: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum...Remember, "Never Again".

[highplainsdem]

21. This is insane.

[world wide wally]

24. The GOP is actually acting on and upholding the "ignorance is bliss" attitude