Banning Books, and Librarians

MAINSTREAM AMERICAN CONSERVATISM, desperate to obtain or cling to political power, is on the attack. Characteristically, this cancer goes after the weakest possible vitims, or those it mistakenly thinks weak; minorities,imigrants,the disabled, LGBTQ folks, an even inaninate objects, like books. Oftn, indeed most often, good books. Sometimesit seems that the better the book, the more likely it is to be attacked and banned by mobs of pseudo intellectual pseudo moral Christian conservatives. Problem is, sometimes he or she who might seem outwardly, superficially weak and vulnerable is in reality a potent force, tightly coiled but ready at any moment to uncoil and defend itself vigorously against an attacker. Such is the case with books. Book, small inaninate objects though they at first glance may appear to be, are in fact among the most potent, powerful forces known to humanity. Books have a way of fighting back. Very often the words and ideals contained within books are a force to be reckoned with. There are millions of exmples of this, from the Bible to "The Grapes of Wrath". Millions of great books in thousands of libraries. The difference is that the Bible is banned nowhere, and Steinbeck's classic novel is. That in itself speaks volumes, pun intended, about the people doing the book banning; to wit, the conservative Christian community. By "banning", it is meant that a particular book has been ordered by some authority, like a library or school board, removed from public school libraries. Local authorites can "ban" many different books in many ways and many places for many reasons,and often the book banners themselves cry and moan that the term "ban" is misleading. It isn't. The people doing the banning are always the same, as indicated above. So are the "reasons". Any book which espouses or even mentions anything having to do with progresive, liberal values is in danger of being banned. Books about LGTBQ people are banned, inclduing sweet, happy,innocent little books for kids which advocate love and tolerance for gay people, intaed of hatred and exclusion. Banned. Book talking about and describing racism in America historically and in contemporary American society will almost certainly be banned. Christian conservatives do not like gay people, both sin and sinner, despite their hollow sanctimonous claims about hating the sin and loving the sinner. They don't like any discussion of or proof of racism in America in history or social studies classes. This is particularly true of the many racists among them. Books asserting that hunan caused climate change is a proven reality? Banned! Books espousing the virtues of religions other than Christianity? Banned! Evolution as scientific fact? Banned! Banned! In one community the local conservative dominated library board banned a book for being "woke", meaning, aware of systemic racial injustice in America. (As if the book banners have even the foggiest notion of what "woke" actually menas). A local librarian protested, raised a fuss about it; and got fired. She fought back. She sued, and won several hundred thousand dollars from the fascist library board. Too bad that the money was taxpayer money, which could have been better spent buying books. Too bad that this book banning movement derives from a decades old conservative project to take over state and local government in America, as well as the judicial system. Even worse that both strategies seem to be working. Seem to be. Sanity ad intelligence will organize and fight back, already are, and, even if later rather thans sooner, will prevail. Democracy will be restored, book banning will be banned, and the current dark age imposed on us by the extremist Christian conservative movement will, with God's help, wither and die.