Alabama Book Burning Bill

[Ani-man]

Welcome to a post Hitler book burning, amazing thta in 2005 this goes on:

 

 

 

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

 

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

 

Books by any gay author would have to go: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" has lesbian characters.

 

Allen originally wanted to ban even some Shakespeare. After criticism, he narrowed his bill to exempt the classics, although he still can't define what a classic is. Also exempted now Alabama's public and college libraries.

 

Librarian Donna Schremser fears the "thought police," would be patrolling her shelves.

 

"And so the idea that we would have a pristine collection that represents one political view, one religioius view, that's not a library,'' says Schremser.

 

"I think it's an absolutely absurd bill," says Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

 

First Amendment advocates say the ban clearly does amount to censorship.

 

"It's a Nazi book burning," says Potok. "You know, it's a remarkable piece of work."

 

But in book after book, Allen reads what he calls the "homosexual agenda,"

and he's alarmed.

 

"It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal."

 

He says he sees this as a line in the sand.

 

In Alabama's legislature, the reviews of Allen's bill are still out on whether to lower this curtain for good.

[ArmadilloUCC]

"Books by any gay author would have to go: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" has lesbian characters."

 

Someone should tell Mr Allen that his bill would mean banning the bible.

King David declared that his love of Jonathan surpassed his love of women. Also, Ruth declared her love and devotion to Naomi in the famous words used as wedding vows by many straight people. "Where you go I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God , my God"

[Cynthia]

Fabulous Armadillo!

[DCJ]

Their relationship was nothing more than a loving friendship. That's all the text allows us to conclude. It's a shame that in our day people can't have a close friendship without being assumed gay. Besides, if they really did practice homosexuality, they would've been stoned to death as their law dictated.

Edited April 29, 2005 by DCJ

[des]

One interpretation. It may be that stoning was considered punishment for a more public type of conduct, such as temple prostitutes.

 

--des

 

>Their relationship was nothing more than a loving friendship. That's all the text allows us to conclude. It's a shame that in our day people can't have a close friendship without being assumed gay. Besides, if they really did practice homosexuality, they would've been stoned to death as their law dictated.

[FredP]

Of course this legislation is a ridiculous witch hunt, but I really dislike the Spong approach of raising unwarranted biblical speculations to twist the Bible into backing your point of view. When it comes to the Bible and homosexuality, let's face it, you're not going to find the Bible either overtly or covertly praising it. Passages like this are just too ambigous to depend on; and in fact, referring to them will more than likely result in a throng of "Is that the best you can come up with?" types of responses. Let's have an inclusive framework based on a robust theology of love or diversity.

[ArmadilloUCC]

" Passages like this are just too ambigous to depend on; "

 

Exactly my point. No doubt Mr. Allen picks passages from other texts just as ambiguous. People who like to censor things can find something objectionable in any book. MY point is that people can pick and choose a couple lines here and there out of any book to support their sides.

People like Mr. Allen take books and find something they don't like, such as references to violence, or rape, or incest,or prostitution or something that might be construed as homosexual, and want to burn books. My point is that these people who want to censor things for religious reasons tend to forget that the Bible is full of the things they want to censor. Violence, or rape, or incest, or prostituion and things that might be construed as homosexual.