Save a Library

We here at Attorney.org understand the importance of libraries as an essential community resource. As part of our “Save A Library” campaign we are highlighting libraries from across the country in an effort to increase awareness about the current state of libraries across the country. Ultimately, we hope that you, our readers, will choose to take a pro-active approach towards improving the state of education in our country by contacting a library and contributing to their fund. Attorney.org is a not-for-profit website and will not accept any donations or serve as a broker in the process. We ask that all charitable contributions are made directly to the individual library or district.

Why are we doing this?

The bottom line is that America’s libraries, and the people who staff them, is a group forgotten amidst government bailouts of too-big-to-fail banks and institutions.

Sure, the burden of educational standards and funding rests largely on the respective state’s shoulders, but with state’s operating in the red, the lack of federal oversight on the issue is a glaring mishap. Just when people need them the most, libraries are first on the list for budget and staff cuts.

According to the American Library Association, “Library use increases dramatically as economy sags; funding declines.”

As the economy plummeted in 2008, people began looking for cost-effective resources during the time of crisis. As people slashed subscriptions to internet access in an effort to keep a roof over their head and food on the table, they flocked to libraries for free internet access, a working printer and computer. However, as funding faltered, libraries have not been able to grow to meet public demands. In academic library centers and public libraries alike, reduced hours/under staffing to minimize overhead and stifled innovation due to inadequate funding is a recurring scene across the country.

In a 2009 State of America’s Libraries report by the American Library Association, they found that:

1. Children are among the heaviest users of public-library resources. Children’ s materials accounted for 35 percent of all circulation transactions, and attendance at library-based children’ s programs was 57.8 million.

2. Individual visits to school library media centers increased significantly at the schools that responded to both the 2007 and 2008 surveys: up 22.7 percent for the 50th percentile, up 12.5 percent for the 75th percentile, and up almost 25 percent for the 95th percentile. There were no major year-to-year differences in the responses with regard to the other variables.

3. More than 68% of Americans had a library card in 2009. This is the most ever since the ALA began compiling data in 1990.

4. In 2009, Americans visited their libraries nearly 1.4 billion times and checked out more than 2 billion items in 2009. This is an increase of more than 10 percent in both checked-out items and visits, compared to data from the previous economic hurdle in 2001.

5. Public funding did not keep up with use in 2009. Forty-one states (82%) reported declining state funding for U.S. public libraries in 2009. Eight of these states anticipate further reductions in the current year.

6. The southeastern section of the country has been the hardest hit, with declines as large as 30 percent in South Carolina and 23.4 in Florida when comparing 2008 and 2009. This comes despite an average inflation rate of 2-3% in the past few years.

7. Libraries continue to report that job-related activities are a priority use of their computers and Internet services.

Today, the Internet has largely taken over the duty of archiving information and records, which were the duties of the earliest libraries, but today’s libraries are far more than that. Today’s libraries are a center for thinking minds to work, professionals to seek job training and placement, and a leading resource for youth programs. Libraries have persisted as an invaluable common area for generations, let’s not sit by idly while they disappear.

Gays to Obama

Obama reaffirmed his campaign pledge to end the ban on open homosexuality in the military in a speech at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign.

“We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country,” said Obama. “We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage.”

However, a common sentiment among advocates is that they are tired of hearing President Obama’s promises – they just want to hear a time line. Some tangible evidence that change is, in fact, coming.

GOProud, the only national organization for gay conservatives and their allies, showed off a new web ad entitled “Come Out Barack.” The ad calls on Obama to “come out of his closet” about his record on gay issues.

The commercial points out that despite capturing almost 3/4 of the gay vote, raking in millions of gay dollars, and lofty campaign promises, Obama’s record on gay issues has been beyond poor. It points out the failure to repeal the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and his administration’s homphobic court filing in support of the Defense of Marriage Act.

“Instead of delivering on campaign promises, Obama has chosen to play politics and trade away the promises made to gay families in secret backroom deals,” Executive Director of GOProud LaSalvia.

“It is time President Obama came clean and was held accountable for his failures. GOProud is committed to making sure the gay community, and the rest of America, knows the truth about President Obama’s record and his priorities,” concluded LaSalvia.

As President Obama juggles America’s problems, he needs to maintain widespread support. Some in the gay community think their concerns are taking a back seat.

New York City

Paul Bruno and Erick Raules, two professionals who happen to be romantically involved, say they started kissing and hugging right after they got in the car at 13th and 1st Avenue.

After just two blocks, the two men say driver, Medhat Mohamed, said something about “no hugging” and tossed them out.

Ruales and Bruno reported the driver to both the NYC Taxi and Human Rights Commission.

Mohamed told the New York Post that he was afraid the two in the back were about to have full out sex. They denied the allegations. They insist that they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

It’s hard not to believe their story. Not only do NYC taxi drivers see their fair share of back seat romance, but had the two passengers been women, the driver would probably have been just as fixated, but not as hostile, towards their canoodling.

Peoria law enforcement officials investigating the case have stated that they expect to change the original charge of aggravated assault against the father, Hassan Almaleki, 48, to more severe counts after meeting with prosecutors. Authorities explained that Hassan had become infuriated by his daughter’s style of dress and her resistance towards his traditional Iraqi rules and way of life.

Following the failed “honor killing” Hassan drove to Mexico City, and after abandoning his vehicle, caught a plain to Britain where he was denied entry and sent back to the United States where he was apprehended at an Atlanta airport.

Although honor killing has deep roots in many societies. It is the murder of a family member who has brought upon dishonor upon the family by one or more fellow family members.

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that annually up to 5,000 people fall victim to honor killings.

Los Angeles, California — Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, a 32-year LAPD veteran, has been chosen to replace Chief William Bratton, the L.A. mayor’s office said Tuesday.

Bratton’s resignation was announced in August and became effective Saturday. He will be taking a job training police in developing nations. He was the top police official in New York and his native Boston before taking the job at the corruption-riddled LAPD.

Charlie Beck, who is chief of detectives, is seen as a “progressive reformer” – a description that stems from the approach the “father of modern policing” – August Vollmer – took towards policing.

Beck, 56, joined the LAPD in 1977, beginning as a patrol officer in the Rampart area and was part of the department’s anti-gang CRASH unit. He was assigned by Bratton to clean up the troubled Rampart Division.

Law enforcement is a family tradition for the Becks. His father, George Beck, was a LAPD deputy police chief, and his daughter is a Hollywood area patrol officer. His wife, Cindy, retired as a deputy with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and his son, Martin Beck, is set to graduate next month from the Los Angeles Police Academy.

The search continues for three Dickinson State University softball players after a friend received a hysterical phone call from one of them in which they mentioned water. Two calls were made to the friend but both ended abruptly.

Authorities do not suspect any foul play. Instead, one of the girl’s father, Lenny Gemar, believes that it was an accident that happened when the girls went to stargaze at a nearby lake – a frequent past-time of theirs.

Dickinson is a “pretty small town” that lacks an active nightlife, he said, and the women were known to go out to the lake to stargaze and chat.

The three students, Kyrstin Gemar, 22, Afton Williamson, 20, and Ashley Neufeld, 21, were last seen at 10:45 p.m. on Sunday evening.

In addition to the planes that scoured the rural area where the women are thought to be, divers from the Dickinson Fire Department were searching a nearby lake.