The Toll Of Ala's Irs Muzzle

摘要

Once again, the american library associa-tion (ALA) has been muzzled by the cautious warnings of its leaders regarding Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Under that law, ALA receives tax exemptions as a "charitable organization."rnPolitical debate has been silenced to the usual ALA Council chorus of self-congratulation, and political comment was moved to an electronic list of ALA's shadow affiliate, the memberless Allied Professional Association.rnOne zealous member of Council was moved to write the following attack on a colleague who spoke out against the IRS muzzle:rnI trust that [he] will be as passionate about rallying the workers if we are reduced to selling pencils on Chicago's Michigan Avenue to support the survival of our former 501(c)(3) organization. Aberrant and anti-social actions can be courageous, and they can be silly and self-serving. I'll leave it to each councilor to decide in this case....