• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Jon Stewart's Book Banned.

Roadtoad

Bufo Caminus Inedibilis
Roadtoad
Joined
Nov 27, 2002
Messages
15,468
Location
Citrus Heights, CA
I'm not a fan of Stewart. Generally, if I know he's going to be on, I make sure the TV is on something else, even if it's an infomercial. (And, yes, I already have a set of Ginsu knives.)

But, a friend sent me this with the lead, "AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

Normally, he's a pretty mellow dude. But reading this, and frankly, maybe the group DEVO was right: maybe we ARE de-evolving.

Cue up "Jocko Homo," and brace yourself. It's about to become a long four years...

Mississippi County Libraries Ban Jon Stewart Book

GULFPORT, Miss. (Jan. 9) - Library officials in two southern Mississippi counties have banned Jon Stewart's best-selling "America (The Book)'' over the satirical textbook's nude depictions of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices.

"I've been a librarian for 40 years and this is the only book I've objected to so strongly that I wouldn't allow it to circulate,'' said Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System of eight libraries in Jackson and George counties.

"We're not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public,'' Willits said. "If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we'd have the book.''

Wal-Mart has declined to stock the book because of the page, which features the faces of the nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies. The facing page has cutouts of the justices' robes, complete with a caption asking readers to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe.''

The book by Stewart and the writers of "The Daily Show,'' the Comedy Central fake-news program he hosts, was released in September. It has spent 15 weeks on The New York Times best seller list for hardcover nonfiction, and was named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine.

Former English teacher Tara Skelton of Ocean Springs said the libraries shouldn't decide what is in poor taste.

"It just really seemed kind of silly to me,'' she said. "I don't think the Supreme Court justices have filed any defamation of character or libel suits. It's humor.''
 
...the only book I've objected to so strongly that I wouldn't allow it to circulate...
Click to expand...

?!? If after 40 years this is the only you've found so objectionable, you just aren't trying hard enough.
 
Wal-Mart has declined to stock the book because of the page, which features the faces of the nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies.

Ha-hah, hilarious.

Seriously, is this really censoring Stewart, or a policy of not selling (or lending) books that contain nudity?

The question is: does Wal-Mart sell (or the library have) OTHER books that DO have nudity, or not?
 
re: walmart

I'm considering suing Walmart for selling The Da Vinci Code, a book that libels the good Lord jesus Christ.
 
Nonsense.

I have the book. It's great.

It also has 9 old farts in the nude.


Funny. Tasteless, but extremely funny. It's probably the funniest book since "Not the Bible".


But I can grasp why they don't want it on the shelves, kids pawing over it and all.

Just put it on a high shelf, and require adults to get it for you. My public library carried Playboy, but kids couldn't get it.
 
Frankly, I could care less that it has nude people. There's FAR more obscene material out there.

The Patriot Act, for one.
 
Hey, the Starr report is one of the dirtyest things I've ever read.

I was especially pleased that Congress put it online the DAY they got it, violating the patently unconstitutional Electronic Communication Decency Act. That was choice.


But I understand that stores and libraries don't want nekkidness.

If I was Wal-Mart, I'd shrink-wrap it, sticker it and sell it.
 
This is pretty silly.

And the nude people aren't doing anything objectionable. It's just wrinkly old people. I don't know who would really want to look at that anyway.
 
BTW, anyone remember "Not the Bible"?

MAN that was some great satire. By Tony Hendra & Sean Kelly, back in '83:


IN the beginning God created Dates.

2 And the date was Monday, July 4, 4004 B.C.

3 And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And when there was light, God saw the Date, that it was Monday, and he got down to work; for verily, he had a Big Job to do.

4 And God made pottery shards and Silurian mollusks and pre-Cambrian limestone strata; and flints and Jurassic Mastodon tusks and Picanthropus erectus skulls and Cretaceous placentals made he; and those cave paintings at Lasceaux. And that was that, for the first Work Day.

5 And God saw that he had made many wonderous things, but that he had not wherein to put it all. And God said, Let the heavens be divided from the earth; but not too deep.

6 And God buried all the Things which he had made, and that was that.

...



12 And God said, Let the earth bring forth abundantly every moving creature I can think of, with or without backbones, with or without wings or feet, or fins or claws, vestigial limbs and all, right now; and let each one be of seperate species. For lo, I can make whatsoever I like, whensoever I like.

13 And the earth brought forth abundantly all creatures, great and small, with and without backbones, with and without wings and feet and fins and claws, vestigial limbs and all, from bugs to brontosauruses.

14 But God blessed them all, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and Evolve Not.
Click to expand...


http://notthebible.8m.com/b1.htm



GOOD STUFF!
 
Yawn, another story about Walmart banning something. Doesn't this happen about every other week.
It's hard to be outraged, or even mildly disgusted anymore.
 
Does the location of this library have any relevence for their decision to ban the book?

I love snooping around non-fiction sections of libraries. I remember once finding a book about Japanese Sexual Torture, complete with pictures at a Sacramento sub-library (I think in Rancho Codova). I must admit, it was pretty racy. (I was so shocked I read it twice.)

At the San Francisco Public Library, main branch, they had to install a camera monitoring the Gay section. Apparently some individuals were defacing any books related to gay studies/lifestyle. A librarian there told me they found feces and other nasty things (like religeous tracts), stuffed in some of the gay books.

Censorship never seems to go away. Somehow certain people feel that we are "more free" when we censor thoughts that disagree with our viewpoint.

Charlie (feel free to censor me) Monoxide
 
Charlie Monoxide said:
At the San Francisco Public Library, main branch, they had to install a camera monitoring the Gay section. Apparently some individuals were defacing any books related to gay studies/lifestyle. A librarian there told me they found feces and other nasty things (like religeous tracts), stuffed in some of the gay books.

Censorship never seems to go away. Somehow certain people feel that we are "more free" when we censor thoughts that disagree with our viewpoint.
Click to expand...

My librarian friends tell me that it's quite common for "controversial" books to be checked out all the time. Apparently local religious groups find a title they don't like, so they simply check it out, over and over, so that the evil can be contained. Librarians can't do much about it, apart from restricting the number of renewals in a row...but the first party checks it out for three weeks, renews it another three weeks, then returns it with a friend who checks it out immediately it hits the shelf and continues the process. Which seems like an awful waste of effort and time to me.

eta: Although it is amusing to think that Reverend Billy Bob Bumpkins has checked out The Complete Tom of Finland a hundred times.
 
TragicMonkey said:
My librarian friends tell me that it's quite common for "controversial" books to be checked out all the time. Apparently local religious groups find a title they don't like, so they simply check it out, over and over, so that the evil can be contained. Librarians can't do much about it, apart from restricting the number of renewals in a row...but the first party checks it out for three weeks, renews it another three weeks, then returns it with a friend who checks it out immediately it hits the shelf and continues the process. Which seems like an awful waste of effort and time to me.
Click to expand...

I would dearly like to think that this would lead to the book being identified as popular and mean additional copies were purchased. ;)
 
Jaggy Bunnet said:
I would dearly like to think that this would lead to the book being identified as popular and mean additional copies were purchased. ;)
Click to expand...

They used to destroy the books, being willing to pay the library fines for doing that...but then they realized that the library would just order another copy, boosting sales.

I imagine that another factor in deciding to stop wrecking "bad" books was the look the librarian gives you when you try to explain how, exactly, you managed to wreck a copy of The Kama Sutra.
 
Don't let Wal-Mart ban books! Don't let Wal-Mart ban books!

Make Wal-Mart ban guns! Make Wal-Mart ban guns!

See Wal-Mart run! Run, evil corporation, run!

Hoo-ray for the red, white, and blue!
 
Luke T. said:
Don't let Wal-Mart ban books! Don't let Wal-Mart ban books!

Make Wal-Mart ban guns! Make Wal-Mart ban guns!

See Wal-Mart run! Run, evil corporation, run!

Hoo-ray for the red, white, and blue!
Click to expand...


Luke, as a general rule I've found it's better to sober up first, then post.
 
TragicMonkey said:
My librarian friends tell me that it's quite common for "controversial" books to be checked out all the time. Apparently local religious groups find a title they don't like, so they simply check it out, over and over, so that the evil can be contained. Librarians can't do much about it, apart from restricting the number of renewals in a row...but the first party checks it out for three weeks, renews it another three weeks, then returns it with a friend who checks it out immediately it hits the shelf and continues the process. Which seems like an awful waste of effort and time to me.

eta: Although it is amusing to think that Reverend Billy Bob Bumpkins has checked out The Complete Tom of Finland a hundred times.
Click to expand...

If I were a librarian I would tell whoever returned the book that some church thought the book was very offensive and wanted the names of all people who checked out the book published in the newspaper.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jon Stewart commented on the issue last night. He said he was surprised that the librarian said the photos were the most offensive thing he has seen in 40 years because Stewart was claiming that the photos weren't even the most offensive thing in the book.
 
Cleon said:
Luke, as a general rule I've found it's better to sober up first, then post.
Click to expand...

I actually sobered up (gave up drinkin' for good) in the Gulfport, Mississippi area. Ha! On topic!

There were three great bars on separate corners of the same intersection in Gulfport where I used to be very successful at picking up women. Then they tore them down and put up "riverboat" casinos. Pissed. Me. Off.

Now the place is all staid and everything. Banning books. Quit looking at dirty pictures and get your ass back into the casino, preacher!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom