CDA LIBRARY: A quagmire for kids

Per Idaho statute, the Coeur d’Alene Library and Community Library Network (CLN) are separate entities with separate boards, funding, administration and materials collections. Coeur d’Alene’s Library Board is appointed by the Coeur d’Alene City Council whereas CLN’s board is elected by Kootenai citizens outside Coeur d’Alene. CLN and Coeur d’Alene purchase materials independently; however, due to a reciprocal arrangement, cardholders of either system can access materials from the other libraries. 

Coeur d’Alene library card holders of any age can access any book including adult books and hypersexualized gay and straight soft porn in kids’ books. There’s a plethora of the latter with no end in sight to new additions. Rape and illustrated pedophilia are in books for minors within Coeur d’Alene’s collection. Doubtful? See just a sliver of examples at CleanBooks4Kids.com. As you peruse this sampling, be assured that Coeur d’Alene library’s board and management have been made aware of these objectionable materials. Their responses? Ignore or disregard.

Related to this issue, SCOTUS has declared the following: it is lawful to protect minors from obscenity (United States v. American Library Association); that written materials can be designated “obscene” (Kaplan); and that removing books because they are pervasively vulgar is not unconstitutional (Pico).

Yet, the degradation of materials for minors in our local libraries continues and is a microcosm of the same cultural deterioration of our country. Sexualizing kids has NO upside; rather, it degrades, confuses, leads kids astray and has NO place in kids’ materials in public libraries. 

So, Kootenai residents, let Coeur d’Alene’s City Council and Library Board know these taxpayer-funded materials for minors are unacceptable and unwanted. cdalibrary.org/about/board-of-trustees/

MARIANNA COCHRAN

Rathdrum