ACLU Continues to Back Down From Library Suits

[Filtering Facts]

Just 2 weeks after backing down in Orange County, FL after a year-long
threat to sue the library for filtering, the ACLU has backed down again,
this time Jacksonville, as this editorial in the Florida Times Union says:

LIBRARY: No censorship

"We're pleased to see the American Civil Liberties Union backing away from
a lawsuit against the public library in Jacksonville over Internet access. The
organization apparently recognizes a loser when it sees one.  The library
uses software to block access to what the software maker defines as
pornographic sites on the Internet, so that children can't view the
offensive material.

It also prevents adults from reaching the pornographic sites on terminals
provided by the taxpayers.

Strangely enough, we haven't heard one word of complaint from the pedophile
community since the filtering plan took effect."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/010498/Sunedit3.html

In  August Ann  Beeson told the NY Times that "it's "very likely" that the
ACLU will file a lawsuit against one of these four library systems in the fall."
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/law/082197law.html.  It is now January
of 1998.

Beeson later told Library Journal that the ACLU would make a decision on
whether to file in Kern County, CA, "in early December".  Rumor has it that
Beeson and the ACLU plan to back down yet again in Kern County soon. 

*****************************************************************************
David Burt, Filtering Facts, HTTP://WWW.FILTERINGFACTS.ORG
David_Burt at filteringfacts.org