Group Sues Library of Anti-Religious Meeting Room Policy

The Seaside library has been sued for not allowing a religious group to use their meeting rooms.  The Liberty Counsel says the library's meeting room policy violates the First and 14th Amendments.

We have been over this before, but this one is a bit different.  For some reason, this library does not allow religious services or proselytizing.  Look, rules are made for a reason.  I doubt the library just arbitrarily made a rule barring religious groups.  Look at the community and I bet you somewhere in the history there is a crazy militant group somewhere in the hills that attempted to hole themselves up in the meeting room at some point and the library went "No More!"

Or, you know, there could be diverse and expansive amount of religious communities in the area and the library does not want to feel obligated to one over another in a fast paced game of shotgun like little kids in a carpool. Hell, I'm going to our library and start a meeting in our rooms in the name of the Benevolent Order of Rockin with Our Socks Off, who at the moment are looking for a more permanent place to hold our meetings.

Group sues Seaside library for meeting room access

Mommy Group Mad They Can't Hold Private Meetings at Public Library

A local group named "Cool Mommies" have been told that they can no longer use King County Library System's meeting rooms because the library says they hold private meetings and turn away other members of the public.  The library's policy states that meetings held at the library must be public and the group's behavior of turning away children and others from the area violate that policy.

The debate around this issue has come up often.  Space in a public library is more important than real estate in Manhattan.  To set areas aside for groups to gather and meet means there is space not occupied by library materials.  However, public meeting places are important.  They give groups an area to converge, talk, discuss and meet without bias.  If you reserve a meeting room at a public library, know that you are reserving public space and that all should be welcome.  And throw away your damn trash, we are not your janitors.

If the great duo of "Garfunkle and Oates" got it right when they sang "Pregnant Women are Smug," then the adendem should be that mommies can be a very entitled group.  This issue here is not mommies being snubbed but of a group taking space from the community.  Bravo to the library that keeps all its doors open, both outside and in.

'Cool Mommies' Miffed at Not Being Allowed to Use Kirkland Library Room - Patch.com