Parents tell Ashland Library Board: “Read our lips: Quit indoctrinating our children!” (SLIDESHOW)

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ASHLAND — Last month, the President of the Library Board of Trustees said she did not believe the placement of pornographic books in the public library’s children section was a big issue since only four people brought the issue to the board’s attention. Problem was, two of the four persons were pastors.

This past week, two hundred people attended the Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees meeting including fifteen area pastors; an overwhelming majority opposing the board’s position. Because of the massive blowback, one hundred and twenty had to stand outside the room in the overflow. The response even drew elected local and state officials.

“Today parents, pastors, and elected officials are showing the library board the issue of child-grooming is not just an issue with a few individuals, this is a community taking a determined stand to protect our vulnerable children,” said Melanie Miller, Executive Director of Ashland Pregnancy Care Center. “Today our children are being indoctrinated by the federal government, and now the local-somebody needs to protect them. Because of their age-inappropriate content, these books need to be moved out of the library’s children section.”

Originally, two parents discovered several controversial books located in the children’s section and brought it to the attention of the Ashland Ministerial Association (AMA). One of the books, entitled “Making a Baby: An inclusive guide to how every family begins” by Rachel Greener, drew their ire.

While ages 5-8 is the book’s listed reading range, AMA President Pastor Dave McNeely spoke to the board how this was misleading. “This book is grooming children for transgenderism and pedophilia.”

“I do not think the Board is listening. It appears our taxpayer-funded library has a campaign to end the innocence of our children. If the Library Board of Trustees chooses not to remove the pornographic books from the shelves, we are requesting they move them to the adult section of the library. Neutrality on this issue is not a viable option. We are not going away.”

Pastor John Bouquet

“The adult section of the library is the place for books with adult level content,” Pastor John Bouquet told the board last month. “’Making Babies’ is the title, but the pictures in the book are obscene. Displaying naked men exposing naked body parts with a child while showering together is just plain wrong.

“I make an appeal to this ruling body: uphold the values of our community.  Allow children to experience innocence and protection in a culture where they are the prize to be caught.”

The Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees is comprised of a seven-member board whose members serve seven-year terms. Their appointment is approved by Ashland City School Board. At the local level, the library receives funding from a one mill tax on properties inside the county.

Last year, three social conservatives were elected to office on the Ashland School Board to comprise the majority. Meanwhile, last fall Library Trustee Mike Zickefoose lost his bid to join the school board. While parents point out the vulnerability of children in relation to pornography, library budgets may also be in danger.

The strategic plan of the Ashland Public Library states, “Libraries are facing tougher, more numerous challenges than ever before. Our funding model is changing as we are moving from a state-funded system to a greater dependence on local funding, and therefore we are more concerned about our voters.”

“Your official titles are ‘trustees,'” McNeely reminded the Board. “A trustee is any type of person that holds the legal title of a person that holds the assets of a beneficiary. As tax-paying citizens of Ashland, we are the beneficiaries. The trustee is granted this legal title thru a trust which is an agreement between two consenting parties. As the board, you have publicly stated ‘the board has no responsibility to protect your kids.’ This is not true- you do have responsibility and we are holding you accountable.”

After the meeting, the library board dodged the issue and took no action for the second consecutive meeting. Many agree government shirking responsibility to its constituents is one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Ashland resident, Pastor Matthew Postosky, commented, “We have to be bold, kind, but firm. I saw the pornographic pictures in the books in the children’s section; they have LGBTQ commentary. I cannot believe something like this would be peddled to children in Ashland, Ohio. This goes against our community values.”

View the slideshow below from Thursday’s July 14th Ashland Public Library Board of Trustees meeting.

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The Bottom Line:

The Bible says in Matthew 18, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin!”