Brane Space: Land of the Free? Not When Over 4,200 Books Were Banned From School & Public Libraries Last Year

Two local members of Moms for Liberty present list of 264 books to ban

"A “duty to warn” group of former Trump advisers with eyewitness accounts of his rhetoric, conduct, intellectual limitations and emotional state during his presidency should band together, travel the country, submit op-eds, make media appearances and cut ads that argue against his election. Even if they decline to endorse Biden, their dire warnings about Trump collectively should make clear that his mental and emotional defects make him a danger to the country. Their observations, not well known to most voters, would be powerful and frightening because they go to the heart of his capacity to govern in a democracy." Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post today

The current mania by the Right of going after books (as opposed to military -style assault rifles) seems so absurd and malignant it boggles the rational mind. This is given the sheer astounding irony, i.e. that the internet features a million times more objectionable "pornographic" content and all just a click or two away on a kid's smart phone. So why aren't these morally wrought minions - such as inhabit the 'Moms for Liberty'- going after those threats?

Well, because the GPS-driven content is too discursive and impossible to control. What? The moms are going to barge into schools and seize every smart phone? I don't think so. But barging into school libraries and removing books or challenging them (at Board meetings) is a 'here and now' photo op scene which they can circulate to show concrete actions. Especially on their friendly right wing social media.

Look no further than two upstanding moms from the local Colorado Springs chapter featured in an October, 2022 piece in the Colorado Springs Indy. These miscreants (see top photo) actually presented 8 pages from a book binder with a list of 264 books they demanded be banned from D-11 schools. This to the D-11 school board and with other parents present including Courtney Hertner, who barely rescued a copy of 'Handmaid's Tale'.

Courtney knew she wanted her own kids to be able to read a futuristic novel of what the future may portend if American voters aren't smart enough. Especially if Trump is re-elected and Reeps grab both the House and the Senate. One of the first items on their agenda will be a national abortion ban including all meds - like mifepristone related to it - as well as all birth control pills (including seizures of the new Opill) and other accessories. Don't believe it can happen here? In an autocracy, which too many 'Muricans are pining for because they suddenly got collective amnesia about the first Trump administration, anything is possible.

According to a NY Times report last week, 2023 marked the highest levels of book censorship ever recorded by the American Library Association. No fewer than 4, 240 individual titles were targeted, up from 2,571 titles in 2022. This according to a report released last Thursday by the Association. As for the local titles, I understand that all my atheist books were removed from the local D-11 school libraries. A capsule image of the covers of the four culprits is shown:

But hell, let's get real here. In the scheme of things my atheist books - which are primarily grounded in scientific physicalism and Darwinian evolution - were never going to get the reads that Margaret Attwood's 'Handmaid's Tale' has. So the vastly greater loss was the taking down of Attwood's novel, not any of my books. Mine were likely on the list simply because the word 'atheism' appeared and we know the reactions that can have on the typical American lizard brain. But the point of this post is that even nullifying access to my own books marks a limit to freedom, which all should have if this is really the "land of the free".

What should really alarm all sentient Americans - at least those who claim to value their freedom - is that book challenges at even public libraries rose by 92% last year compared to 2022. Much of this spike in removals has been expedited by new legislation mainly in the red states. The same ones now on a mission to stop women from having abortions or traveling out of state (like in Texas) to have them. Last year, for example, more than a dozen states passed laws that targeted libraries. Not all was via direct ban or removal from shelves. In some cases it entailed imposing restrictions on the types of materials allowed to be stocked. I.e. no texts on slavery (as in Florida), or on critical race theory or on atheism.

Frivolous? No, fascist, and a preview of what's coming if too many stupid people (including who vote 3rd party) allow Trump's return. Because in the case of the draconian laws in some of these red states librarians are directly threatened with criminal penalties. According to one ABC report:

A librarian or museum who violates these restrictions could be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000, and sentenced to up to five years in a correctional facility if found guilty

And I'd surmise the penalties would be dramatically increased in another Trump term, along with forcing all homeless people into barbed wire enclosed tent camps as he vowed at one rally. So yeah, it's time for people to wake the hell up and not get distracted by secondary issues no matter how critical they may appear. Granted there are many, but they will be like comparing hemorrhagic dengue fever to diarrhea if Trump gets in again.

Meanwhile, American librarians are still having to contend with even more mass removals. Like in 2023, when complaints arrive now - say at a school board or public library - they demand the mass removal of hundreds of books ayt once, not just one at a time. Thus, the Moms for Liberty in my school district could demand the collective removal of 264 books which they deemed "too dangerous" for the District 11 students.

This malignancy is spreading like a cancer as the culture wars continue to be stoked to fever pitch by Donald Trump - who should have been hung by now - and his minions. Where does it end? Let us hope not in a Trump autocracy because 120,000 brain-jacked, brain-addled "swing" voters in six states believe they are worse off now than they were in the last year of Trump's reign. That would be not merely a national tragedy but a freaking national calamity.

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