Commie Girl
10th January 2005, 18:31
Mississippi libraries ban Jon Stewart's 'America'
GULPORT, MISS. - Library officials in two Mississippi counties have banned late-night comedy host Jon Stewart's America (the Book) from its shelves, citing the satirical textbook's nude depictions of members of the U.S. Supreme Court.
"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," Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System, told the Associated Press.
On the satirical news program 'The Daily Show,' host Jon Stewart interviews real-life newsmakers, like former presidential candidate John Kerry. "We're not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public," he said. "If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we'd have the book."
The ban is effective in eight libraries in the southern Mississippi counties of Jackson and George.
The inflammatory page depicts the heads of nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies. On the facing page, there are cutouts of the judges's robes along with a caption asking readers to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe."
In October, Wal-Mart also banned the book from its stores because of the page of nude judges. However, the popular chain continued to sell the book via its website.
Released in September, the book – by Stewart and the writers of hit fake-news program The Daily Show – has spent 15 weeks on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list. It was also named Book of the Year by industry trade magazine Publishers Weekly.
Source (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/01/10/Arts/missstewartban050110.html)
GULPORT, MISS. - Library officials in two Mississippi counties have banned late-night comedy host Jon Stewart's America (the Book) from its shelves, citing the satirical textbook's nude depictions of members of the U.S. Supreme Court.
"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," Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System, told the Associated Press.
On the satirical news program 'The Daily Show,' host Jon Stewart interviews real-life newsmakers, like former presidential candidate John Kerry. "We're not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public," he said. "If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we'd have the book."
The ban is effective in eight libraries in the southern Mississippi counties of Jackson and George.
The inflammatory page depicts the heads of nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies. On the facing page, there are cutouts of the judges's robes along with a caption asking readers to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe."
In October, Wal-Mart also banned the book from its stores because of the page of nude judges. However, the popular chain continued to sell the book via its website.
Released in September, the book – by Stewart and the writers of hit fake-news program The Daily Show – has spent 15 weeks on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list. It was also named Book of the Year by industry trade magazine Publishers Weekly.
Source (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/01/10/Arts/missstewartban050110.html)