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| Boots & Sabers exposes p-rn/fines shut down WiFi at WBCML. |
This is the very ALA that effectively controls a third of American libraries, according to the author of the Children's Internet Protection Act. This is the same ALA that made personal appearances in West Bend to sway the public. This is the same ALA that made factually false statements to emotionally shape people into refusing to use legal means to protect community members. The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined in that propaganda effort. This is the same ALA that attacked everyone who sought to apply legal means to control p-rn in the WBCML or who sought to assist them, like myself. This is the same ALA that quietly, without public statement, granted $1,000.00 to one community member to sway the events that occurred in that community; that's called astroturfing.
At least one community member recognized the problem and stood up to try to do something about it. As a result of her work the local government refused to reappoint a number of library trustees. The board president herself was removed as well.
That said, the ALA propaganda was effective on the library board as constituted at the time, so the community remained exposed to harm it would have been legal to control. And here we are today, with p-rnography flowing over the library's WiFi system so much that the federal government fined the library:
- "Update on WB Library Wireless," by Owen Robinson, Boots & Sabers, 29 August 2012.
Remarkable, especially given this WBCML library's history of defending its anything-goes policy:
Due to illegal downloads and fines,
the West Bend Library is eliminating wireless access
to all laptops and mobile devices.
When a practical solution can be implemented
we will resume wireless service.
the West Bend Library is eliminating wireless access
to all laptops and mobile devices.
When a practical solution can be implemented
we will resume wireless service.
Our other 13 internet stations are still available for use with your library card [sic]
Source: "No Wireless," by Unnamed, West Bend Community Memorial Library, 28 August 2012.
Will the community finally jettison the harm done by the ALA? Maybe the WiFi fine will provide some motivation. I call upon the library to publicize the letter advising the WBCML of the federal fine.
"Acceptable Use" Policies are Absolute Failures
By the way, this matter illustrates once again the absolute failure of library "acceptable use" policies. WBCML had a "Wireless Internet Access" policy: "Users are expected to comply with the Library Acceptable Internet Use Policy." Did that work? No, and that's why the library got fined. You see, the ALA advises libraries to use acceptable use policies and not Internet filters. Given the ALA's heavy involvement in this community and quiet grants, perhaps the ALA should pay the fine.
"The Library is not responsible for the content of websites or email accessed through the Library network." Given the federal fines, that statement is patently false. As are many of the library's other policy statements.
If your library is relying on policies instead of filters to control illegal activity, your community may be next up for a federal fine. You don't have to sit back and let that happen. Contact me or Safe Schools, Safe Libraries Project if you would like assistance in restoring local control to your public library.
NOTE ADDED 30 AUGUST 2012:
Two additions of note. First, a comment on the Boots & Sabers blog from one of the library's trustees in response to the blog and quoting another comment. Second, an email to a radio personality from the person who raised the alarm many years ago.
Comment by WBCML Board of Trustee Member Matt Stevens:
We are paying the fine per recommendation of the city attorney. My understanding is that charter verified the download took place. The addition of the webfilter is two-fold. Stop most users from doing anything illegal, and give us logging capabilities so we can verify something took place should this come up again (and depending on the filter, possibly give us the ability to identify the offender).
According to the Daily News, it is a p-rno production company claiming $200 x 2 for because someone downloaded two copyrighted p-rnos. Also claiming there could be more to pay for legal expenses, etc. I hope the library ignores this - I suspect the p-rno company is used to getting their payments because the downloader doesn’t want anyone to know it. Kind of like a form of legal blackmail. Anyway, the library should just blow it off & see what happens.
Article also notes that Library Board member Matt Stevens will donate his services to help set up the web device that will reduce the chances of this happening, so that this outage of access will not be unnecessarily longer than it needs to be. A big shout-out for that!Thank you. The library is important to me, which is why I'm on the board in the first place. I think the library could find volunteers for other various needs as I know there are many who care about the library too.
In addition, we also were able to almost 0 balance our budget last night thanks to the fantastic work of Sue and her staff. They worked hard, came up with ideas, and we approved a plan that will balance the FY2013 budget save maybe a few thousand dollars, which will come out of the reserve fund. That's far better than the $60,000+ deficit we started with. I'm guessing another article in the daily news this week will cover the details, but we were able to make the adjustments without cutting services or eliminating any positions. We did increase the late fees slightly, the copy fees slightly, etc as well, but the fees are all still very low and in-line with other libraries in the area.
Posted by Matt Stevens on August 30, 2012 at 0821 hrs
Comment by Ginny Maziarka of West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries:
They're at it again. The West Bend Library has been busted for illegal p-rn downloads on their WiFi.
This is exactly what West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries predicted, and fought against. Why did we lose? Because bully outsiders, people who don't live in our community and by our community standards, came to West Bend and shouted down the local parents and taxpayers to get their way. People like the wealthy, uber-liberal American Library Association, Wisconsin Library Association, Office of Informational Freedom and, of course, the biggest crybaby bully of them all, the ACLU.
Now we have perverts using our taxpayer-funded WiFi to download p-rn in West Bend. Nice. Guess what? They're looking at it on the hardwired taxpayer-funded computers, too. How do we know? Because we filed an ORR three years ago and have copies of police reports and complaints. No surprise here, though. This is the now the standard, the norm, instead of a rare occurrence. These stories are in the paper all the time across the nation because goons like the ACLU and the ALA insist that folks like us shouldn't get to say what we will and will not pay for, and put up with, in our local communities in the glorified name of censorship.
Three years ago the citizens of West Bend said NO.
We asked for filters on the computers in our library - the library board said "no."
We asked for gay kiddie p-rn to be removed from the young adult section of the library - the library board said "no." To this day we still have the same young adult librarian, Kristin Pekoll, pushing the same garbage onto our shelves.
I've included an article (with the link) below for you that was written by Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries, a national organization that exposes the American Library Association for what it is - a p-rn-pushing, liberal, immoral, George Soros buddy of an institution that intimidates and censors small-town folks.
The West Bend Library now has a new board headed by Chris Jenkins, a supposed conservative in the area. Wonder if he'll take the initiative to push the board towards investigating what goes on at the hard-wired computers? Wonder if he'll take another look at the crap that's being shoved down our kids' throats in the Young Adult section. Better yet, wonder if he'll size up Kristin Pekoll and take note that she wants nothing more than to indoctrinate our kids with gay p-rn through the back door of our (cough, cough) "family-friendly" library. I wonder....
West Bend is better than this, and it is a sad reflection on the morals and values of the folks who live here. But don't let it be said that we didn't try. We did. But they came, they bullied, and they won.
Ginny Maziarka
West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries
LINK TO SAFELIBRARIES ARTICLE: http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2012/08/LibraryWifiEnded.html
Article in entirety below:
....
NOTE ADDED 31 AUGUST 2012:
In a big win for the community and a restoration of local control after the ALA debacle three years ago, the library will now install web filters:
- "Library to Install Web Filter; $3K Will Cover Wi-Fi Protection, Fines from Illegal Downloads," by Dave Rank, West Bend Daily News, 30 August 2012, p.A1:
The West Bend Community Memorial Library will spend up to $3,000 to install a Web filter to prevent illegal downloads off of its free wireless Wi-Fi service and the ensuing fines for copyright infringement the library must pay.
- "Library P-rn Removal Roadmap; NCRL Director Dean Marney Details How to Legally Remove Legal P-rn from Public Library Computers and Advises that the ALA Relies on Outdated Dogma," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 15 November 2010.
Text updated to add a hyphen into the p word to bypass the censors.
