Fried In Kentucky

Official Fraters Appalachian correspondent Scott H. e-mailed us on Tuesday with a disturbing report on the crushing of dissent in John Ashcroft's Amerika:

My computer is down back home in my tar paper shack in Huntington, WV so, I crossed the river and am sitting in the Ashland, KY public library. I have been here five or six times now because of my ^&*#&$ computer. Anyway... The Mr. Van Driessen looking library guy (who makes great pains to roll his eyes at my variety of College Republican shirts) was spotted giving the Fraters site a good once over the last time I was here. I consider it mission work to always leave the screen on an evil conservative site when I leave the confines. I figure any municipality that launched Billy Ray Cyrus and any number of Judds should be grateful for the gesture.

Anyway... I wasn't sure if there was some chemistry or what but he had a real smile for me today. Come to find out... that was a smirk of victory. The site is no longer available to the viewing public of the tri state area. At least not at this liberal outpost of inclusionary, big tent, First Amendment blah, blah, blah everything else they say.

So, I goes to Van Driessen's boss and ask him if I can view gay porn from these computers. He tells me in a conspicuously loud and very proud of himself voice: "This is America, Sir. And until your President tells us otherwise, we can still do what he like". My reply of... "I just can't do what I like then, huh?" leads to further discussion.

Long story short, I can pick up a copy of a complaint form on Friday.

Just as we were about to dispatch a Fraters Quick Reaction Squad appropriate for the situation (JB and Atomizer in a '77 Malibu Classic with a case of Bombay Sapphire, a shotgun, and several sticks of dynamite), Scott reports that the shining beacon of freedom is once again available in Ashland:

I am back at the library. I was able to get to the site today. A few questions of the staff lead me to believe that it was a one time thing. "A bad decision that was not sanctioned by the library" as one chickie put it. Thinking back on it. I'm not sure that the world missed you here. I mean... this is a library in the middle of Appalachia!

This place is emptier than a Scottish pay toilet. -Larry Burns

Wherever the voices of the downtrodden are thirsting for liberty (or a cold beer) we are needed Scott. And we'll be there. Busy-bodied lefty librarians be damned.