Archive for » January, 2008 «

Aquarian the Librarian

In 1997, when Aquarian the Librarian was first released, the subject of Internet filtering in libraries was being hotly debated.As the creators of this comic strip, Monte Wilson and I believed then, as we still believe now, that Internet filtering, however imperfect, is necessary for the survival of libraries that offer a safe environment for children.

We both love libraries. We have spent huge hunks of our time in them. Over the years, we have both established associations and friendships with library personnel that are among our most rewarding of our lives.

Below are the five cartoons in the Aquarian the Librarian series.

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Fear Not

[My duties at OCAF involved finding and eliminating obscenity and child pornography on the Internet]

Those Who Are With Us Incident

One particular morning, before I left for the OCAF office, I was feeling particularly depressed. The material I had to view (every day), would make most people run screaming into the street. (And one person literally did.) And there was just so much of it. It was overwhelming.

As I was praying and meditating, a scripture came to mind.

2 Kings 6:16-17 (NIV) – “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

That was a great encouragement to me and so I left for the office with an optimistic attitude. About an hour after I got there, [Name Deleted], the OCAF secretary, and a devout Baptist, came in. The first thing out of her mouth: “As I was praying this morning, the Lord gave me a scripture. The one where Elisha’s servant sees the chariots of fire. And Elisha says, ‘Fear not, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” I told her what had happened to me that morning and we both danced a little gig.

After lunch, [Name Deleted], an OCAF volunteer, and another good Baptist lady, came in. She flopped down in a chair and said, “You’re not going to believe what happened last night. In the middle of the night, the phone rang. It was my sister in Illinois. ‘Sister,’ she said, ‘I’m sorry to wake you but I just had a dream and I need to tell you about it. In my dream, the Lord gave me a scripture and told me to give it to you.’” Almost in unison, we all said “Fear not, the prophet said…………”

The encouragement from that day carried me for years.

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