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Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998 Operation Rescue protests bookstore
By ERIC SIPOS "Don't go in there; they're selling child pornography," the Rev. Flip Benham told patrons. Behnam is national director of Operation Rescue, which is best known for its anti-abortion activities. Anne Harley, a Barnes & Noble manager, said Wednesday morning she was instructed not to comment on Operation Rescue's planned protest. However, the bookseller released a written statement in the afternoon, stating the store will continue to offer any book in print, unless the book has been determined to be pornographic by the courts. "We will not ... give in to any attempt to remove books from our shelves because we believe this would violate our mission as booksellers and our broadest obligation to the diverse communities we serve," the statement reads. An Allen resident, who declined to have her name published, encouraged Operation Rescue's efforts after she learned that nude depictions of children were available in books sold at the store. "The pictures in the books done by Sally Mann and David Hamilton are absolutely appalling," the woman said. "I am shocked that Barnes & Noble would do such a horrible thing to our children and call it art." Benham and others in his group voiced strong words about the books in question. "This is pornography pure and simple," Benham said. "Amber's Law, which was specifically designed to protect our children from child molestation, will have little or no effect when pitted against a mega-corporation like Barnes & Noble that considers children sexual toys to satisfy adult lust. "Barnes & Noble is pouring gasoline on the flames of pedophilic lust. Before God, we will not tolerate this horrendous abuse of His children for the sake of the almighty dollar." The bookseller's written comments noted that a court has determined that Sturges' books are not pornographic. "We carry it all -- any book in print for any customer who chooses," the release states. Operation Rescue is most well known for its protest of abortion clinics. However, the organization also takes credit for bringing the books of Mann, Hamilton and Jock Sturges to the attention of prosecutors through such actions as physically destroying the volumes in Barnes & Noble stores. Its members have gone into bookstores and torn pages out of books they consider to depict child pornography. Alabama and Tennessee grand juries recently indicted Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest bookseller, on child-pornography charges involving the sale of books by noted photographers whose work included pictures of nude children. The indictment in Alabama describes Sturges' and Hamilton's work as "obscene material containing visual reproductions of persons under 17 years of age involved in obscene acts." The Tennessee case has been settled, with the bookstore agreeing to place possibly offensive material five feet off the floor. The case in Alabama is still pending. Other attempts to keep bookstores from including some of the same material have been unsuccessful thus far, Benham said. "We keep hearing 'our hands are tied, our hands are tied.' Well, our response is the hands of the church of Jesus Christ are not tied, and we are not going to just sit back while (the courts) do nothing." A few angry exchanges occurred between Operation Rescue members and Barnes & Noble patrons on Wednesday. "I guess you're on the side of the pedophiles," one member said to a woman who refused to accept any of the group's literature and proceeded to enter the bookstore. "I really resent that," she turned and shot back. "I don't like to be accosted -- I came here to buy a Christmas present!" Another patron took exception to the group's large banner hung at the bookstore's entrance. The banner included two censored photos of nude children along with the phrase "Boycott Barnes & Noble." "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," the woman told an Operation Rescue member. Another bookstore patron told the group, "Stop it; just stop it!" Several police officers were on hand Wednesday to keep things peaceful. Contact staff writer Eric Sipos at 972-424-4585, Ext. 275. http://www.planostar.com/news/1998/1203.html#ANCHOR |
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