Banned CDs in Kansas and Indiana

[DrSpooky]

I was shocked to see that the attorney generals of Kansas and Indiana have put out lists of CDs that must be removed from public libraries in their states. Quoting from this report:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/0 ... index.html

"... the Kansas attorney general has withheld more than 1,600 compact discs from distribution to state libraries because officials determined the albums promote violence or illegal activity"

The article lists a few of the artists who made the list: OutKast, Notorious B.I.G., Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Lou Reed and Devo.

It goes on to state that "Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter removed 5,300 discs, or 5 percent of the 107,000 his state was scheduled to receive."

Anyone have any idea what the complete list is? I can't believe that these AGs have nothing better to do than make EXTREMELY long lists of CDs to ban. <sigh>

[A rope leash]

I'm surprised you are shocked by this. Don't you live in Alabama?

I wonder what a big pile of burning CDs smells like. I'll bet it's a pretty flame...

This stuff is just the beginning. Librarians are now required to report anyone seeking subversive information via the library. That's due to the USA PATRIOT Act, which was enacted by folks who were honorably elected.

Freedom of thought and expression is a thing of the past. We have to protect the children, for goshsakes!

Hopefully, these draconian measures will backfire. In any case, they'll never shut me up.

Well, they might pull out my tongue, and take out my frontal lobe, but they'll have to catch me first!

Rage Against the Machine? Gee, why would they ban that?

[noiseradio]

More understandable is the banning of Devo. After all, cracking whips is a public nuisance. You could put an eye out.

[A rope leash]

That rates a !

Freedom of choice...is what you got

Freedom from choice...is what you want!

- Devo, Freedom of Choice

Gee, you'd think they'd like Devo!

[noiseradio]

Glad to get a smile from a rope leash. And glad to get to talk to a rope leash.

[RedShoes]

Having grown up in Indiana this doesn't surprise me too much...

[noiseradio]

Though the whole thing is bullshit, the thing that makes me laugh the most is the inclusion of Stone Temple Pilots. Stone Temple Pilots is only a danger to my ears. How the hell they are more offensive than Celine Dion is beyond me entirely.

[A rope leash]

Scot Weiland has such a great voice. All Ceiling ever does is howl.

[SoLikeCandy]

Well, it's Indiana. As a state, we're not so, you know, big on "freedom of choice".

[A rope leash]

But, I know for sure that they love Elvis in Indiana...!

Do you think his CDs were banned?

[DrSpooky]

Yes I do live in Alabama and nothing like this really surprises me. Normally these are just stories that upset me. This one turns out to be deeper and even more disturbing.

Based upon what I have read since I found that CNN article, no I don't believe any EC CDs were in the list.

According to http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/175745 and http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/9200197.htm?1c, the CDs in question were not already in libraries and being removed. Some (all?) state AGs received piles and piles or CDs as part of the CD price fixing settlement. [Did anyone else get any money?) Sounds like a good idea -- WRONG. These were not the CDs picked by the AG office or the librarians, they were the CDs picked by the recording industry. Great way for them to clean out the warehouses of unsold CDs and give them to the AGs for distribution to that most worthy of institutions -- the public library.

The truth is somewhere in between. The 1st URL above says that Kansas received 600 copies of Whitney Houston's CD single of "The Star Spangled Banner." I suspect that no state needs or deserves that kind of abuse.

I haven't found the list yet but I suspect we are dealing with the worst selling recordings of these artiists. Worse, the AG office was responsible for distributing them and a report I saw mentioned that he did not want to be responsible for it being there. He was not on a witchhunt trying to find offensive music in the libraries. He was in no-win situation. He could ship the CDs to libraries and get blamed for that or filter it and get blamed for that.

The best alternative would have been to reject the settlement and take a cash alternative but I don't think he would have had that option.

It still would be interesting to find the list.

[Poppet]

hmmm. i like stone temple pilots.

'from the vatican gift shop' or whatever it's called (all i do is throw it on the player on eternal repeat) makes me happy.

i'd actually rather die than listen to celine dion on eternal repeat. hell on earth, i'd rather take my chances that the christians are right.

[DrSpooky]

I found at least one list. This article (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/179 ... ate24.html) has some details with a link to the list of CDs provided to the Puget Sound Educational Services District. Read the article.. it provides highlights like 413 copies of "Greatest Hits 1971" and 387 of Barry White's "Staying Power.".

This Excel spreadsheet linked to in the above article should be a list even the king of lists himself -- ElVez couldn't (or shouldn't) be able to rattle off.

[noiseradio]

Scot Weiland has such a great voice.

It's an ok voice, but I liked him better when he used to be called Eddie Vedder.

"I am I am I am I said I wanna get next to you...
Jeremy spoke in class today"

[A rope leash]

You so consistently crack me up!

[A rope leash]

As I traveled through Kansas City yesterday morning, I was pleased to recieve a local modern rock station that was having a "Phil Kline Weekend". They were playing songs from CDs that were banned from libraries in KS.

They would begin a featured song with "...here's another song he doesn't want you to hear". Two of the songs were Live's Lightning Crashes, and Devo's Satisfation. They also seemed to be jabbing Kline with a lot of songs that were not banned. One song they played sounded a lot like Green Day, and one line in the song is "...America, one country under media control". I loved it. Can anyone identify?

I sure like those western states. I heard Elvis on Wyoming Public Radio. They played The Bridge I Burned of all things! I also heard Waiting for the End of the World out there somewhere.



This poor guy probably has the most photgraphed home in Montana. It's right behind a rest area on I-15. Note Ford pickup circa 1970.

But, anyway, we got more to worry about than just CD bans in libraries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/polit ... anted=2&hp

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5675992/site/newsweek/

http://www.counterpunch.org/

[A rope leash]

O yeah, and I saw a lady with a "GET HAPPI" license plate. In Wyoming!

Sorry, no pic...she was bookin'!