In Australia, the Environmental Operations Act of 1997 forbids the dispersal of promotional material in such places as a library. The offence is felt more when the pages of the books have been targeted and play host to the obscene material.
What kind of material? Of late there have been a spate of pamphlets promoting of all things, racism. It's feared that the patrons of targeted municipal libraries are easy to brainwash into thinking that such material is instructional and more than likely to act out on the guides.
In Sydney the Books Not Bombs rally went ahead despite the lack of permits for protesting. The feat of calling such a disorganised gathering of hot and light headed individuals a protest rally is astounding.
Loud, unruly and all posing for the eyes of the camera, the scenes are not unlike that of the modern day libraries. All perhaps for the willful posing for the cameras, these local institutions that were once known as places of serenity and knowledge are being overtaken day by day by communities that choose to bring their parks indoors. The worst part about this all is that the librarians look the other way when acts of disturbing the peace occur.
Long gone is the image of the terse and authoritarian public servant. Now is the time of the timid masses. Stark contrast to the fuelled fires of flag burning around the world.
Written on Thursday, 3 April 2003