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in support of free expression
The information presented here by the National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) may be freely redistributed in its entirety,
provided that readers are informed that the information was obtained from
NCAC's World Wide Web site and that credit is given to the appropriate source
of whatever information is used. Permission is expressly granted for the information
obtained to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. Information found here
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without
the written permission from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
©Copyright 2005 NCAC
WEB DESIGN
Jeanne Criscola Criscola Design
free speech first amendment censorship
NCAC's letter to the Dyersville Commercial editor About Sari Says
To the Editor:
The James Kennedy Public Library Board of Trustees made a foolish, and potentially costly, decision by voting to keep Sari Says, by Sari Locker, off its shelves because of objections to its sexual content.
If the library can keep out Sari Says, it could also exclude Lady Chatterly's Lover, History of Sexuality, the Kama Sutra, Masters and Johnson books, and much, much more.
As numerous public statements reveal, the decision was based on constitutionally impermissible grounds: the book was excluded because some think it is "inappropriate." This is censorship, regardless of whether the book was "removed" or "returned." The Supreme Court has made clear that "the Constitution does not permit the official suppression of ideas" because "society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."
Not only did the board disregard its constitutional obligations, it displayed a basic misunderstanding of the importance in a democratic system of the right to read, think, and speak freely, and the library's role in protecting these rights.
Sincerely,
Joan E. Bertin, Executive Director
National Coalition Against Censorship
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