by wj
The latest nonsense out of Florida has to do with book banning. (Which, Gary Sargent suggests, may have unexpected consequences for Gov. DeSantis.)
A new bill would require the instant removal of certain books targeted for objections, even before any sort of evaluative process unfolds. [It] mandates that instructional material facing objection in public schools through 12th grade for depicting “sexual” or “pornographic” conduct be “unavailable to students until the objection is resolved.”
This means books and other materials would be removed before something akin to due process occurs. Such objections could be lodged not just by a parent, but any resident in the county, meaning anyone could get a book removed more easily than before.
The bill’s chief sponsor, Republican state Sen. Clay Yarborough, doesn’t deny this. He holds it up as a positive. In a statement emailed to me, Yarborough cited the bill’s targeting of sexual material and said he will always “err on the side of protecting children.”
“I do not have any concerns with the materials being removed until an objection is resolved,” Yarborough added.
Consider this scenario. Some resident (who, unlike most evangelicals apparently, has actually read the Bible) decides that some of those Old Testament verses are really not suitable for children. You know, the ones which disparage the nuclear family (how many wives did Solomon have again? Isn’t that polygamy? It's definitely not a nuclear family!). Or the ones dealing with sex, masturbation, etc. So, he files an objection.
And presto! The Bible is now banned in schools in that county. Not on any stupid liberal church/state grounds either, but exactly on the grounds that the reactionaries have been using to ban other books there.
Even money that state Sen Yarborough suddenly discovers that he does too have due process concerns. Be careful what you wish for....
Open Thread
Recent Comments