Despite sheriff’s findings, debate continues about library books
Anderson County resident Jack Mansfield waits to speak to the Anderson County Commission at the April 17, 2023, meeting of the body. (photo:Ben Pounds )
His comments came at the Monday, April 17, commission meeting at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.
He repeated points he made at an earlier Anderson County Library Board meeting about the 1973 Miller vs. California decision. That decision states works are not legally obscene if they have literary, artistic, political or scientific value.
He said he planned to challenge both books as a private citizen through the Library Board’s process, rather than through criminal prosecution.
“This is a societal issue that we are trying to apply the criminal justice system to,” he said.
“They should be removed or restricted,” he said in response to questions from Sixth District Commissioner Anthony Allen regarding his personal views.
“My caution is if we start removing those books, we could start an avalanche of everyone removing anything that they disagree with, and we get into some censorship that would be outside the bounds of what our country is about,” Allen said.
In response to First District Commissioner Tyler Mayes’s question, Barker said it wasn’t clear who the Sheriff’s Office would have arrested if the books were against the law.
Oak Ridge resident Jack Mansfield criticized Barker’s decision, saying the naked pictures in “Let’s Talk about It” violated obscenity law.
“This book is encouraging sexual activity, sexual activation,” he said. He said by contrast the school system promoted abstaining from sexual activity.
“Is this what we want in Anderson County,” Mansfield said. “Do we want unwanted pregnancies? Do we want venereal disease? Do we want children harmed because of the content that our librarians are more than willing to provide to minors?”
Anderson County Library Board trustee and Norris resident Tommy Mariner spoke immediately after him, defending the librarians and criticizing members of the County Commission.
“I’ve also seen members of the commission begin to weaponize the powers of the offices they hold toward our librarians, people who want to give people in Anderson County a window to the world,” he said. He added he did not “agree” with all the library system’s materials, and the reconsideration process for books is “healthy.”
“But what is happening today, threats being made toward people’s liberty, toward people’s jobs, is wrong,” he said.
“We saw in 1958 how simmering hatred within the community blew up the high school across the street,” Mariner said, referring to Clinton High School’s bombing after it allowed Black students. “This is not just something that might happen here, this is something that has happened here.”
He did not name the commissioners he criticized. Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and commissioners Allen, Shain Vowell, Denise Palmer and Tim Isbel signed a letter to Barker dated March 22 asking him to investigate the books for obscenity.
Palmer at the April 17 meeting defended the letter.
“These books were brought to the County Commission, and we had an obligation to act,” she said. “I felt like they may teeter on the law, and so I just wanted to get explanation for that.”
She said she was “taken aback by some of the criticism” of her.
