In a message dated 9/22/03 8:34:32 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
paul.donovan@dol.state.vt.us writes:
> I'm tired of this issues being used to beat uip on the ALA, and I"m not even
> a member. The issue is not that simple; see:
> http://libr.org/Juice/issues/vol4/LJ_4.9.sup.html
>
> Paul Donovan
> Law Librarian
Here is a reply posted on another listserv to a similarly indignant complaint
from Mark Rosenzweig, the librarian for the U.S. Communist Party who, believe
it or not, is a key player in persuading the complacent ALA Council that
"there is no censorship or repression in Cuba."
-----------------------------------------
[LATEBREAKING NEWS: A British journalist has just identified one of the
"terrorist videos" owned by Cuba's independent libraries as part of their alleged
plot to violently "overthrow the government" by providing access to uncensored
materials, from the collected speeches of Fidel Castro to the writings of
GeorgeOrwell. Details to be published soon!]
In a message dated 9/21/03 4:36:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
iskra@earthlink.net writes:
> Kent,
>
> And where are you? Do you oppose and are you willing to openly state
> your absolute opposition to the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act's
> suspending Constitutional protections....
> If you are concerned with 'hypocritical' behavior, look no further
> than the mirror, Kent.
Dear Mr. Rosenzweig:
Thank you for your message, and it is indeed noteworthy to receive a letter
from a representative of a Nazi or Communist Party (is there any real
difference between them?) demanding to know whether human rights activists live up to
his/her exacting standards as a defender of intellectual freedom. Such a
message is reminiscent of another ALA Council member's unwitting comparison of Ramon
Colas (the Afro-Cuban founder of Cuba's independent libraries) to a member of
the Ku Klux Klan.
It's not working, Mr. Rosenzweig, and the increasingly shrill tone of the
Cuban government and its dwindling band of supporters is a barometer of their
weakness and desperation. As exemplified by our recent letter to the New York
Times, nothing can stop the Friends of Cuban Libraries from publicizing the exent
of the ALA's lies, cruelty and hypocrisy in colluding with the only
government in the world which persecutes its citizens for the alleged crime of opening
uncensored libraries. We will continue fighting until the press, the general
public, Members of Congress, the international library community and reputable
human rights organizations are fully aware of the ALA International Relations
Committee's effective takeover by a small extremist faction determined to
destroy the ethical foundations of the world's oldest library organization. We
are are also confident that the honest and principled majority on the ALA
Council, awakened to their duty by an outraged press and public, will soon take the
trouble to examine the evidence for themselves rather than complacently rely
on the bizarre assurances of "experts" in the extremist faction that it is
somehow a crime for Cubans, or anybody else, to oppose censorship or to open a
library.
As you are an old friend and colleague, Mr. Rosenzweig, I would be pleased to
answer your questions about my personal opposition to the USA Patriot Act in
a private message. For my e-mail address and phone number, please refer to
the Friends' website: (www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org).
Sincerely,
Robert Kent
Friends of Cuban Libraries
(WWW.FRIENDSOFCUBANLIBRARIES.ORG)
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