50 Comments
founding

Must be doing something right. You can’t argue with numbers. Nice work, Chuck!

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I've never been more proud of you in relation to the Michigan correctional system, Chuck.

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author

Only wish my parents were alive to see this...

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Your mom is looking down, proud.

Your dad is looking down, but probably at Winona Ryder again.

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Down her shirt

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Banning books should fall under cruel and unusual punishment.

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All Michiganers in this community must champion letting Chuck go back to prison.

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author

Please. But I get to choose the prison. The one where my accountant went had white table clothes. And yoga.

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We got prisoner produced Shakespeare in the bluegrass. Supposed to really help recidivism. If I could do yoga and act and write Id never leave. They got organic pastured sesame free tuna?

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Wasn’t ‘Make Something Up’ the most censored book of 2015?

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author

2016.

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It’s a shame they don’t give out certificates for this type of thing.

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author

(sniff)

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We could start a literary censorship award organization. The Vonnegut Museum sends free copies of books banned in schools to kids if they request them.

We would have to have an "Obliviously Bringing the most Attention" or "Unintended Consequences" award for the activists who ban these books in schools. The Moms for Liberty or whatever theyre called have the most unintentionally hilarious, ironic name. It would help if they knew what the word means.

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I love the reasoning: (Haunted): "Includes contents which describes sexual acts involving children." Not to be outdone, (Make Something Up): "Includes content which describes sexual acts involving children AND ANIMALS." I guess this is the slippery slope I always hear about.

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author

If memory serves Toni Morrison's masterpiece "Beloved" includes young men have happy-time with heifers, very near the beginning of the book. Slippery slope, indeed.

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Oh, and don't forget Rooster!

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If the screws were smart, they'd ban every D&D module *except* for "Tomb of Horrors." And if they were even moar smarterer, gameplay would become mandatory, so as to reinforce the bewildered hopelessness of institutional living.

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author

Yeah, and then I see those kids on Stranger Things playing D&D and I wonder "who's protecting our children?"

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Those kids weren't playing D&D. One fireball roll kills the Demigorgon? Chutes 'N Ladders had more strats and stakes.

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Most of the reasonings behind the books being banned are bizarre. ‘Pygmy’ is made out to be some kind of manifesto advocating violence and ‘D&D’ “threatens the institution”. It’s an interactive fantasy game, HOW does it threaten the institution? You got wizards as security guards over there?

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author

Yeah, we do. You got a problem with that? Oh, and our police... get to carry guns.

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I happen to be a little acquainted with the mystic arts myself. I’d like to see these measly bullets fired by the guns carried by your police just try and penetrate the protective shield of my salt circle.

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But I can disable their guns with a spell but only if roll a 96 on two ten-sided dice

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Bro, why the fuck are D&D books banned? Do they think readers will roleplay a prison break?

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founding

Maybe the satanic panic? Banning fun?

There are a ton of role playing games out there though. Guess they will have to play Pathfinder.

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Also, if I pen any good erotica, that'll be banned too. They are banning all the good stuff! What is left, Green Eggs and Ham?

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author

That's an excellent idea. Prison erotica.

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Wait...this is odd...Salman Rushdie didn't make the list?

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author

But Malcolm X did.

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I didn't see Malcolm X on the list. You mean his autobiography? Either way, it's probably banned for "racial supremacy."

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author

He's there.

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Can you tell me which page? I can't find it.

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It's badass to be banned for writing a book. Truth be told. But, all in all, the ban isn't right. Even the Merriam-Webster Spanish dictionary is in there too. '' may be used by prisoners to learn to communicate in a language that staff at the facility does not understand.'' They said. You can't make this stuff up.

I question whether they took the time to actually read those books? Dig their truths? Maybe, maybe they wouldn't ban them.

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author

Now THAT is funny.

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Warren Buffett's business book too. American prisons don't kid around.

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founding

In the 90's there was a magazine called "Prison Life." Their tagline was "Written by prisoners: for prisoners."

It published legal advice; rants against the Rockefeller laws; in-cell cooking tips; recipes on how to use condiments a million different ways; fiction and artwork by prisoners, etc.

Outside contributors like myself were called "free-worlders."

They used to commission me for illustrations. Not long after starting-up they landed a distribution deal. Started getting a lot of attention.

Within 18 months the magazine was banned from every prison in the US.

Put the entire enterprise out of business.

Sad.

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That’s infuriating

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founding

So much for "reforming the individual."

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Reform is terrible for business. Creative outlets have been shown time and time again to reduce recidivism. Only a bunch of people who are completely oblivious and lying to themselves about their shadow selves would deduce that preventing prisoners from exploring their shadows in a controlled way would have negative effects for the institution. Quite the opposite.

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founding

Title: "Anal Swap"

Comment: "Bondage"

😳

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Found my favourite on the list:

Classic Trains

Magazine banned for containing maps of Ontario Canada.

So pleased they consider Ontario maps a security threat.

Everyone knows you can stop and ask Canadians for directions anywhere anytime.

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founding

They banned D&D : O "Threat to the order and security of the institution" Might be true. The whole D&D community is in full revolt right now with the whole OGL (open game license) revocation going on. Its been nuts for the last few weeks for us third party D&D designers and we have definitely all banned together. #OpenDND https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/01/game-makers-stage-mass-exodus-from-dungeons-dragons-open-license/

I think what they really want to ban is fun. Guess they will have to play Mork Borg instead.

Saw the computers tech books banned and thought about the story hacker Mitnick told about prisoners using some ancient computer to download games, books, and all kinds of stuff. lol

No Egyptian hieroglyphics? Worried about them making a secrete code? Hypnosis!?!?! lol

Also no air plane flying for you! Love how it has for planning an escape as the reason. Wouldn't someone who can already fly the plane have to bring the plane there?

They really need to give up on book banning. Some of these are pretty laughable.

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They dont understand the value in any creative outlet.

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