Porn for the Public: Courtesy of the ACLU

The Houston Public Library system recently placed copies of porn actress Jenna Jameson's autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, in their closed stacks which made the book only available upon request. Houston Mayor Bill White and the City Council were instrumental in the library's decision.

The Houston library made a wise decision in taking this book, which contains nude photos of Jameson, off the shelves. Many Houston Independent School District students visit the library, and it is a safe bet that 99% of parents would not want their children to peruse the pages of Jameson's book.

Unfortunately, the local chapter of the ACLU wedged themselves into the issue, stating in a letter to the city that the removal of the book violated the First Amendment. Said Randall Kallinen, the president of the Houston ACLU, "This book has a lot of literary merit. This is about the biography of a woman in a certain industry, it is the porn industry, and it is not a pornographic book by any standards." Hmmmm, naked photos of a porn star do not constitute pornography "by any standards"? One is left to wonder what constitutes pornography in the eyes of Kallinen and the ACLU. After another review of the book by the library committee, the book has been returned to the open shelves in the "Fine Arts" section.

Has any other society in our world's history considered pornagraphic images, or the autobiography of a woman who was paid to have sex with dozens of men, to be "fine arts"? Does any other entity, outside of the ACLU, consider this book appropriate for the general public of all ages?

UPDATE: The Houston chapter of the ACLU has a page where you can send your comments: Contact Houston ACLU You will notice 2 problems with this page: 1) The comment field is about 15 characters long. 2) There is no button to send your comments. Is the Houston chapter of the ACLU incompetent, or are they uninterested in public comments on their activities? I suspect it's a little of both.