NO WAY ...?

Did you imagine that the censorship debate at Smashwords was too far removed from anything that would affect you? Why should anyone care if erotica is removed from our shelves? 

Well, here – from NYC not from the bible belt – is a list of words recently banned by the NYC education department. These terms can no longer be used in examinations:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)
Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs
Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)
Bodily functions
Cancer (and other diseases)
Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)
Celebrities
Children dealing with serious issues
Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)
Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)
Crime
Death and disease

Dinosaurs
Divorce
Evolution
Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes
Gambling involving money
Halloween
Homelessness
Homes with swimming pools
Hunting
Junk food
In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge
Loss of employment
Nuclear weapons
Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)
Parapsychology
Politics
Pornography
Poverty
Rap Music
Religion
Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)
Rock-and-Roll music
Running away
Sex
Slavery
Terrorism
Television and video games (excessive use)
Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)
Vermin (rats and roaches)
Violence
War and bloodshed
Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)
Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.

Morons – here is your time to shine, take your moment in the sun!! Anyone who agrees to restrict the free thought and expression of our children in this way represents evil manifest in ways far more terrifying than Linda Blair ever managed.

If it turns out to be true. Maybe it’s a cracking good Aprils Fool’s joke played just a little bit early.

Lxx.

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