Kan. AG removes CDs headed for libraries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas attorney general has withheld more than 1,600 compact discs from distribution to state libraries because officials determined the albums promote violence or illegal activity, records show

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Whitney Watson, a spokesman for Kline, said the attorney general would not discuss the screening of the CDs but said the decision to remove some albums was made to ensure state officials were not disseminating objectionable material.

Watson said the office's consumer-protection and antitrust division vetted the list. In some cases, they were familiar enough with the albums to determine if they had questionable content. In others, they looked at Internet databases of lyrics.

"We don't have the manpower to look at every album and every song lyric, but we feel we removed most of the albums that did not mesh with the values of a majority of Kansans," she said.

Seattle PI

I don't think libraries should be in the banning business. Isn't that the antithesis of what a library is?

I'm just guessing but the AG has to be Republican right??

Republican or Democrat, doesnt matter to me. This myopic view that government has to protect people from what they (gov) consider objectionable is the worst kind of action.

Its not their business nor mandate to decide who reads something, what one may listen to.

As a conservative I do believe in the rights as laid out in the constitution and this type of action is against my belief.

curme we don't agree on much but on this subject I stand with you.

These people are just stupid. The thing that ignited Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters in Iraq is when they shut down a newspaper. Free speech and freedom of the press is one of the most important things in having an intelligent democracy.

This is so NAZI. Just like Hitler's book burnings. Government deciding what it is ok for you to read, see, think and say.

NAZI Germany ended up with burned out cities and defeat.
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Originally posted by curme
I don't think libraries should be in the banning business. Isn't that the antithesis of what a library is?

I agree 100%. It's a good thing that the U.S. is full of private libraries (including bookstores, CD/DVD stores, video game stores, etc.), because the government, whether liberal or conservative, tends to ban things... The only difference is what they ban. Extreme liberals end up banning anything they consider "hate speech," and extreme conservatives end up banning anything they consider "nonreligious"...