As you may or may not have heard, last week, the Montana State Library Commission elected to sever its relationship with the American Library Association:
Montana State Library Commissioner Tamara Hall spoke out Tuesday after the Montana State Library Commission became the first state library commission to cut all ties with the American Library Association (ALA) this week because of its self-described "Marxist lesbian" president.
Hall stated that ALA president-elect Emily Drabinski’s "avowed Marxist philosophy" is in "direct competition" to the commission's "oath of office" to uphold both the U.S. Constitution and Montana’s.
The commissioner added that her board's vote was a "statement" about abiding by "what's right for Montana" and an action to ensure that the state's libraries and education systems are held accountable by their "community."
I'm not sure if that's the bee that former President Barack Obama has in his bonnet right now or if it's something else, but this morning, Obama posted a letter to "the dedicated and hardworking librarians of America":
Today, some of the books that shaped my life—and the lives of so many others—are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives. And librarians are on the front lines, fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and… pic.twitter.com/txhCTfH3Gh
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 17, 2023
Here's the full text of his tweet, in case you don't feel like clicking (and I totally understand if that's the case):
Today, some of the books that shaped my life—and the lives of so many others—are being challenged by people who disagree with certain ideas or perspectives. And librarians are on the front lines, fighting every day to make the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions, and ideas available to everyone.
You can read the full letter here.
But wait! There's more:
Michelle and I want to thank these librarians for their unwavering commitment to the freedom to read.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 17, 2023
I hope you’ll read my letter to them, and join me in reminding anyone who will listen—and even some people you think might not—that the free, robust exchange of ideas has always…
And the full text of that tweet:
Michelle and I want to thank these librarians for their unwavering commitment to the freedom to read.I hope you’ll read my letter to them, and join me in reminding anyone who will listen—and even some people you think might not—that the free, robust exchange of ideas has always been at the heart of American democracy. Together, we can make that true for generations to come.
OK, last one, I promise:
To learn how you can support librarians and defend the right to read, join the Unite Against Book Bans campaign led by the American Library Association at https://t.co/XKi7Wivivc.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 17, 2023
Lots to unpack there.
First, I will give Obama credit for at least noting in his letter that there have been some "unfortunate instances in which books by conservative authors or books containing "triggering" words or scenes have been targets for removal." Because a lot of the people complaining about "bans" on sexually explicit LGBTQ+ materials in school libraries conveniently overlook that fact.
But that's about all I can say about his letter and tweets that's positive. Because despite knowing better, Obama is still contending that concerned parents — not just conservative parents, by the way — who don't want their kids exposed to sexually explicit books at school are in favor of banning books, and that state and local governments taking action to keep those sexually explicit books out of schools are banning books. Obama cites Mark Twain as an author who helped to shape who he became, and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has certainly been at the center of some book battles due to its accurate depiction of racism and racist language during that time, but the "triggering" words or scenes in that book are not even remotely in the same ballpark as the "triggering" words or scenes in books like "Gender Queer." The triggering in the latter case is definitely warranted, as exposing young kids to sexually explicit material is objectively inappropriate and harmful and, in some cases, dangerous. It's intellectually dishonest, to say the least, for Barack Obama to trivialize people's reality-based objections to sexually explicit books in school libraries.
Also, this business about librarians' "unwavering commitment to the freedom to read" makes it sound as though there's a large contingent of knuckle-draggers out there who want to keep children from reading. I, for one, would like to see Obama's evidence that the "freedom to read" is in jeopardy. Because last time I checked, the "freedom to read" was very much alive and well. My kids can read. And my husband and I even encourage them to read. That doesn't mean that we're OK with them reading "American Psycho." Wanting our kids to stick to reading stuff that's not sexually explicit or violent is part of responsible parenting. We're not depriving them of anything. And people who don't want kids' school libraries stocked with sexual content aren't depriving kids of anything, either.
I'm also quite frankly irritated at Obama encouraging people to support the "Unite Against Book Bans" campaign, not just because there are no book bans to unite against, at least not in this country, but also because he's treating the American Library Association as though it has any credibility or business dictating policy with regard to what's best for children. The American Library Association is a well known far-left advocacy group that has pushed not just for kids to be exposed to sexually explicit reading materials but also for kids to be exposed to leftist garbage in general. No one should be uniting with the American Library Association on anything, ever.
I'll leave you with this tweet from Ryan Petty, which I think succinctly and eloquently sums up the problem with Barack Obama and far too many other liberals' strategy when it comes not only to the debate around sexually explicit books, but around so many other issues:
When you deliberately misrepresent an issue to make a point, you don’t have one.
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) July 17, 2023
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