Fabrications and Fantasies
- The Bushnell Report
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
"In her “My Turn” opinion piece in the Cd'A Press on April 8, Michelle Lippert leveled numerous spurious accusations against the Community Library Network trustees and director. As a CLN trustee, I believe it is important to set matters straight.
The most egregious example of Mrs. Lippert’s false narrative is the takeover conspiracy. What is the basis of her incredible (and patently false) allegation that the CLN is pursuing a “unilateral attempt to seize control of the INL and impose its extreme ideological agenda on an entire network of libraries that serve both Idaho and Washington?” Seize control? This is pure fantasy. I challenge her to produce even a single statement by any trustee or the director to support this reckless accusation.
Fortunately, every CLN meeting is readily available on YouTube. It is a simple matter to fact check Mrs. Lippert’s ridiculous assertions of supposed CLN hegemony over the “INL,” the proposed future name for the current organization that for decades has been known as the Cooperative Information Network, or CIN. To be clear: We CLN trustees are on record as seeking to remain part of the CIN. We have no desire whatsoever to control it.
What Michelle Lippert calls an “extreme ideological agenda” is the CLN trustees’ intent for its seven libraries to be fully compliant with Idaho 18-1517B, which she opposes as “censorship.” The law was overwhelmingly passed by our Idaho Legislature last year in response to parents’ grave concerns. All 12 legislators from the four legislative districts that cover the CLN tax base voted unanimously for the bill (HB 710). Moreover, these eight representatives and four senators were all returned to office in the November 2024 elections, clearly a mandate that the citizens of Kootenai and Shoshone counties approve of their work. Thus, we have the answer to Michelle Lippert’s question about “who gets to decide what is appropriate for children to read”: the elected representatives of the people. Our Idaho government works, and the result is the Children’s School and Library Protection Act.
In her “My Turn,” Michelle Lippert carefully avoided criticism of the law itself. It is popular with the overwhelming majority of Idahoans, so she cleverly accuses the trustees of being too “aggressive” in implementing the law. Instead, she packages a disingenuous description of the statute for her readers, asserting that the law only requires responses to complaints. In fact, Code 18-1517B (2) makes clear that “a school or public library, or an agent thereof, shall not promote, give, or make available to a minor” obscene or sexually explicit material described further on in the statute. In order not to make such materials “available” to minors, we have created mature content collection areas inaccessible to our youth. We are complying with Idaho law, yet our efforts are vilified by Mrs. Lippert as “book banning” and “censorship.”
Michelle Lippert embodies the “change agent” educational philosophy, undermining hearth and home values and usurping parental authority by ridiculing beliefs instilled by parents. She tries to appear as the champion of parental rights, yet the irony is that the CLN policies — to comply with the new law she despises — actually give parents more control than ever over what their children are exposed to.
Mrs. Lippert thinks that her storytelling will get her elected to the CLN board; but, beware! Anyone who fabricates narratives, undermines parental rights and deplores just laws should never be a trustee. Fortunately, there is a candidate who will protect both children and parental rights: Victoria Bauman. Your vote for Victoria will ensure that we continue to make our libraries great again. No fabrications, no fantasies!
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Tony Ambrosetti serves on the Community Library Network board of trustees. He and his wife and four children moved to Kootenai County upon his retirement from the Navy in 1993."
