Georgia Senate passes bill banning American Library Association from state libraries
The bill’s sponsors blamed the group’s new “Marxist lesbian” president for the legislation.
Apparently making material available to those who choose to seek it out is "shoving it down (the) throats" of people who wouldn't step foot in a fucking library if they were bitten by a snake and the antidote was inside.
This is what boggles me about this whole library fiasco. The ones clamoring for book bans likely haven't set foot near a library after flunking out of high school, much less can read or comprehend words bigger than those found in Dr Seuss books. Yet they're basing political might on what they've heard these books are about, and how it lines up with what their local pastors and "news" sources shove up their ass. Zero first hand knowledge of the actual literature, just fear mongering that some random author is turning their kids gay and indoctrinating people against good Christian values.
This whole defunding of education really is cyclical and beginning to bear it's ugly fruit.
This is what boggles me about this whole library fiasco. The ones clamoring for book bans likely haven’t set foot near a library after flunking out of high school, much less can read or comprehend words bigger than those found in Dr Seuss books.
I think I see why they do this even though they're stupid for doing so. It goes something like this:
"I don't read books. Liberals read books. When kids read books they turn into liberals. So the solution to hurting liberals and 'protecting' our children is to get rid of books"
There are dozens of ways this is shortsighted behavior of conservatives, but being shortsighted is very on-brand with conservatives anyway.
Yet they're basing political might on what they've heard these books are about, and how it lines up with what their local pastors and "news" sources shove up their ass.
It's characteristic of today's right wing that they will follow their authority figures and would-be fascist dictators like sheep, while accusing everyone who disagrees or questions them of being mindless sheep.
the antivenom found in libraries is a woke socialist trap that will give you autism and aids and turn you into that guy waving giant pride flags with both hands while wearing nothing but a jock strap and a rainbow mohawk.
(alright, now I want a rainbow mohawk. I promise to wear more than just a jockstrap though, nobody wants to see that.)
These people only have one book (that most of them haven't even read start to finish) and it's enough for them - anything else is probably blasphemy, satanism and (worst of all) woke...
It's just so sad and scary that even tough we now have access to sum total of human knowledge at our fingertips, and yet people like these, who would drag us all back to middle ages, still exist, and if anything become stronger and stronger...
Without the ALA to fight for libraries, they will get shut down. That is the real reason behind this. Loss of advocacy.
I live in GA. From what I can tell, the people that use the libraries here absolutely love them (myself included). Even in this relatively small city, the libraries in this network are fairly well funded and have the more modern awesome stuff going on that proper city libraries have.
That being said, I don't recall a time in the last decade when I was one of more than 4 or so member of the public in there at any time. It sucks. A lot. I guess that my point here is that you're unfortunately likely correct, but those of us that use or need our surprisingly good libraries will fight tooth and nail to keep them as well as maintain the standards they currently have.
The overall concensus in my area is that libraries are great, but nobody uses them, and the asshats in power will (and have before) see that and try to take the systems down for meaningless budget cuts.
The whole thing infuriates me.
If you haven't considered it yourself, see if you can work with the library on a publicity campaign. The library here offers "We [heart] our library" signs for people's lawns. They get people into a city-wide book read every year and give out free copies of the book to whoever wants them. This year, it's The Martian. See what services your library might offer like 3D printing or even just free xeroxing and faxing and see what you can do with informing local social media groups.
My wife is a public library administrator here in Indiana and I would be happy to talk to her about more ideas if you want them.
Hey. Bill Gates. Fund all the libraries in the US at triple budget in perpetuity. It's probably not even a rounding error for you.
That's literally what Andrew Carnegie did over 100 years ago and is why so many small towns have libraries.
The bill had 22 primary sponsors, including Republican state Sen. Larry Walker, who told NPR he was upset to learn his local library worked with the ALA to increase literary representation for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
“I feel this is kind of being forced on our children and kind of shoved down our throat," Walker told NPR. "I'm a pretty tolerant individual, but this has gone too far."
Yeah I doubt that, ya big dumb bitch
I'm sure he has a gay cousin he hasn't spoken to in 30 years who he's perfectly tolerant of.
"I'm a pretty tolerant individual, but people voluntarily going to a library and voluntarily getting a book and voluntarily reading it has gone too far."
This nation is overdue for a cleansing.
The problem we face is that they’re saying the exact same thing and no one wants to acknowledge the other and meet in the middle to negotiate.
Banning books and defunding educational institutions basically = 0
Keeping things as they are currently, people can read, organizations can advocate basically = 1
Centrists like you would slash the budget for all of them, ban half of all books, and close 50% of public libraries. But 50% of 1 is not halfway between 1 and zero...
What the literal f**k, are they trying to out-Florida Florida?
Inbred racists gonna do what they do.
This will be challenged in court and almost certainly be struck down on 1st amendment grounds. Targeting a specific organization like that is a pretty flagrant violation, but I wouldn't expect the supporters of this bill to be familiar with the US Constitution.
the hatred and pettiness amongst the far-right knows no bounds.
this woman that they hate so much is over 8 months into her one year term as the association's president. elections for the position are held a year in advance. her successor, to take over in july, has been known spring of last year
the bill appears to be even more damaging.......
dissolve the state board for the certification of librarians and remove certification and continuing education requirements;
so any nutjob of their choosing can now be a public or school librarian in that state.
