A Library Reconsideration Materials hearing was held Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Mat-Su Borough Building to challenge two books: “Red Hood,” by Elana Arnold and “Identical,” by Ellen Hopkins.
The reason? It’s alleged that shelving these books in the Young Adult section of borough public libraries violates Alaska Statutes 11.61.128 (Distribution of Indecent Material to Minors), AS 11.41.452 (Enticement of a Minor), and AS 11.51.130 (Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor), exactly as Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor stated in his letter to Alaska School and Public Libraries dated November 16, 2023.
The meeting was recorded by the borough for later distribution, but it was also live-streamed by Politadick on Facebook and uploaded to YouTube and other outlets.
The meeting is being characterized as “rowdy” and “unacceptable.” One far-left leaning librarian board member – Sutton Library Secretary Kathy Kysar – even suggested that people opposed to these books are engaging in “terrorism.”
Please note that Ms. Kysar is also including a politician who was present and spoke – along with many other members of the public in the aftermath of the abrupt ending of the hearing – and that politician was none other than retired 26-year-school teacher and current Mat-Su Borough Assembly Member Dee McKee.
If you watch the video, you will see fascism in action. The Mat-Su Library System has created a process to control the acquisition, retention and challenge of controversial materials. They control the entire hearing, and place biased librarians and library board members on the hearing committee. They don’t allow anyone except the patron who challenged the book to speak. Rowdy is not the word for this meeting. Righteous indignation is what you will see if you watch the video.
Have you read and contents of these books? Do you know what these two librarians and two library board members are defending? The contents of “Red Hood” are spelled out in this recent Watchman article.
What about “Identical”? As just one GoodReads.com reviewer says: “There is no way I will ever want my kids to read this book. I have never banned my children from reading any book they choose, EVER. But it will be a cold day in hell before I ever let them read this sick piece of garbage.”
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
The list of violations in this book would be almost endless. It has sexual deviancy, promiscuity, sex-for-drugs, masochism, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm (cutting, binging/purging, attempted suicide and ideation), and child molestation/incest starting when the child was NINE. But this is not just a description of these acts (and more), the book glamorizes and entices. Click here to read excerpts.
Then there’s the passage about playing “lollipop with Daddy,” and another that glamorizes and entices minors to explore cutting.
“I’m kind of liking this blood thing. Fetish? Fixation? Not quite an obsession yet, but I can see it growing into that. Drip. Drip.
Steady. Slow. Drip-drip. Quicker yet. Drip-drip-drip. Drip-drip-drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
I’d probably just let myself drip, but I did promise to show up at work and help out with the Halloween decorations.”
There is so much more, and so much worse.
This is America. We have a First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech, but we also have the right to protect our children from child predators and pedophilia-pushing grooming. The Supreme Court decision Miller vs California is clear. Obscenity is not protected speech under the First Amendment. Every word ever written is not instantly protected by law.
Read the evidence. Watch the video. Decide for yourself. Was what happened at the book hearing for “Red Hood” and “Identical” hearing terrorism? Or righteous indignation?
TAKING ACTION
— The Mat-Su Borough Library board meets again on Feb. 13, 1 p.m. at the Talkeetna Library. During this meeting the public will have an opportunity to speak to the board directly.
The views expressed here are those of the author.
21 Comments
“They have learned nothing, and forgotten nothing.”
Kudos to the good people of Mat-su. Continue to knock on their door. Do not stop. Ultimately they have neither the heart or the will in the long run, while God is on your side.*
* Matthew 18:6
After this meeting, Library Board Member Kathy Kysar threatened a local business because that business was mentioned as a sponsor in the video broadcast. A public official threatening to use her influence to damage a local business over politics. Disgraceful.
I never knew how sick some of the people in the Valley are! Wow, this is an eye opening read. I guess now I can see how we have so many sex predators in the Valley. GOD, help us!
Those people are everywhere. Not just the valley.
The people promoting this sick deranged agenda are blind to evil and led by the nose by the ‘author’ of destruction and confusion – satan. That any normal balanced person can think such sick depraved writing is appropriate for anyone, let alone children, is so mind boggling it defies comprehension. Lord may their eyes be opened to the evil they are perpetrating.
So Treg Taylor writes a letter! So what! Does it make a difference? Sounds like anything goes, mainly because we have lost our law abiding structure! You now are abiding in chaos and anarchy! “ righteous indignation “ based on opinions not law! We are at the end of our civil society unless our leaders decide it time to uphold the law! Treg Taylor and dunleavy have chickened out as appointed leaders that refuse to lead!
attachment A link. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/WqCPQCezcTWQmeM6/?
What do you think is wrong with the passage you linked? YOU are the one glamorizing self-harm. A regular person reading that ought to feel sorry for the poor teen. A regular parent who find out their teenager is reading books like this ought to ask their kid how they are feeling. Ask if they have any questions about the story. Let their kids know that if they have had similar experiences or feelings then they can come you for help and understanding. Posting here about how deviant and diseased the material is just emphasizes the need for such literature to exist. The current estimate is that about 1 in 5. ONE IN FIVE kids 12-18 engage in self-harm. Maybe they can identify with some of these characters struggles? Tons of kids are abused and never report it…maybe reading this book can help them realize they aren’t alone and find the words to seek help. Maybe they read ‘drip drip’ and it gives them a sinking pit feeling in their stomach, reminding them that if they ever feel that way, they need to talk to someone.
I read a bunch of the excerpts…in total they are a tiny fraction of the 500+ page book. What do the characters do in the story? Do they waste away and die in a gutter? Do they find a support structure? Do they find any treatment for their problems? Is anyone ever held accountable? Do they find any catharsis? Sorts feels like you are gutting the entire point of the book by boiling it down to simply the number of times the F word and ass and bitch appears.
And FYI, to be in violation of any of Alaskas porn/obscenity laws, the entire work must be considered. Which is why they are approved all over the country by multiple libraries and schools. Because they are educational and literary in nature. Hence why the ACLU lawsuit will quickly put this matter to rest.
If the best hope for abused kids is to read this in a library for therapy, then society sure has failed them. The adults in their lives advocating so hard for keeping these obscene books in libraries should advocate this hard to fight child abusers instead of giving abusers an expressway to get them addicted to p0rn they will find in the libraries. Eww.
What does Ms. Goforth mean by “fascism?” I don’t think she even understands the word.
Please enlighten us. What is the definition of fascism?
Clark. Alas. You are correct. My posting skills leave a lot to be desired. No doubt that is probably what is wrong with the link. The image should be a meme posted by a library board member from the hearing that read “Terrorism: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of personal aims.” Below that is a poster who stated: “This is every politician.”, To which the library board member responded with: “It’s also the folks who are trying to ban books around here.” I hope that helps. As for what is meant by saying the book IDENTiCAL glamorizes (entices), here is one definition: to attract someone, usually to do something, by arousing hope, interest, or desire. You may want to attend or listen to any of my upcoming appearances. I believe the best evidence is printed words on paper, and the book will speak for itself. I look forward to presenting excerpts for the citizens of Mat-Su to hear, and digest, and not rely on diatribes from clearly biased individuals. God bless.
“Oppressive, dictatorial control. “.
American Heritage Dictionary.
simple
Is this an attempt to define fascism Jacquelyn?
Hello Micah, Perhaps you don’t understand the meaning of the word “attempt”. That is a literal definition of fascism, taken from the American Heritage online Dictionary. Here is another one in case that one is unclear: 1 – “A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, suppressing opposition and criticism.” 2- “The philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.” WEBSTER’S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, RHR PRESS, 2nd Edition, Random House, Inc. 2001. PS – I have the actual book and don’t use it as book shelf decoration. I am referencing definition #2 in case you can’t figure that out. Looking forward to your next post.
In today’s age, one can not go to one place, copy and paste the information into ones brain, and then be done with it. It’s not good enough. It can be wrong, woefully inadequate or only partially true. In this case it is the latter two. It would help very much to understand the foundation of the term which is a system of government were the state fuses with large corporate interests to rule by fiat. This system was created by Mussolini in 1920 in Italy. It has had different flavors in other countries: Germany, Spain, Chile, Argentina and sadly now in the USA. It is not simply a government by dictator. The fusing of corporate interests is key, as one can see in our country right now.
I am glad to read that your books are not just for decoration. I too am a bibliophile.
If defendant Trump is elected this year, he will define fascism for all of us.
That is a statement without much merit….unless, perhaps, you can specify actual examples where Trump “defined fascism” during his term as 45th President? And by actual, I mean factual events backed with documented evidence that can be corroborated with research. Please refrain from using propaganda that has been proven false, such as the Russia collusion narrative. I think we are all tired of falsehoods. Thank you.
Goforth: Trump tried to steal your right to participate in representational government. He was OK with the murder of his vice president. He used violence to retain power. These are attributes of fascism. These claims are “backed with documented evidence that can be corroborated with research”.
He used violence to try and retain power? That is a blanket statement with nothing to support it. Is the definition of “specific” an issue here?
…and if you refer to January 6th, you haven’t been watching the real, actual, not-tampeted-with, video evidence presented on Tucker Carlson’s X account. God bless.
Lucy is fully immersed in the left narrative spewing her lies about President Trump. Over and over and over these demons repeat the same thing. Echo echo echo