Republicans take tantrum politics to a new level as sane people attempt to overturn book bans. Coming soon to Texas and Missouri, library bans.
In Llano County Texas a group of local residents who fed up with the ridiculous posturing of the Republicans initiated a lawsuit under the First and Fourteenth Amendment. This is based on the removal of the books violating their civil rights. A federal judge Robert Pitman ordered Llano County to return books with LGBTQ and race-related content to library shelves.
Having forgotten that the purpose of politicians was to serve their communities, Llano County officials will meet Thursday (13th April 2023) to consider shutting down all its libraries, and terminating the employment of everyone who works in those libraries. In what looks to be a well attended meeting, it seems likely that the residents of this quiet county will express a dim view of the Republican culture war being played out in their community. See how they get on…
In Missouri it looks like they have gone fully apocalyptic. After receiving notice of a similar lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU,), filed on behalf of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association, Cody Smith (Rep, Missouri House budget committee leader) pushed through legislation that defunds all public libraries across the state last Tuesday.
The budget bill has yet to move to a Senate vote then to the governor’s desk, as it still needs its third House reading, which has not yet been scheduled.
“The libraries regular Americans recall are gone. They’ve become liberal grooming centers”
To give an idea of the mindset that seems to have taken hold, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., tweeted: ‘Over time, American communities will build beautiful, church owned public-access libraries. I’m going to help these churches get funding. We will change the whole public library paradigm. The libraries regular Americans recall are gone. They’ve become liberal grooming centers.’”.
What seems to have gone is Republicans grasp of reality. When people like D Trump are looking to authoritarian leaders and dictators, some who murder their own people, as “top of the line,” including China’s President Xi, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, you can guess which direction the Republicans are going.