#Utah Library Association

[geezerwench]

In June 2022, the Orem City Council banned the public library from maintaining a display for Pride Month in the children’s and teen’s areas. It later expanded the prohibition throughout the library and to displays for women’s history and minority groups. While most federal holidays, including the 4th of July, Columbus Day, and Christmas were exempt from the ban, others — such as Juneteenth — were not.

We’ve heard of librarians shushing loud-talkers. But in Orem, Utah, city officials are telling librarians to zip it — or else.

The librarians were punished and censored for criticizing their local government.

That’s why FIRE is stepping in.

FIRE is giving city officials one chance to learn they can’t punish librarians & their association for criticizing the government’s restrictions of book displays in the public library.

[thecapitolradar]

Red states quit nation’s oldest library group amid culture war over books

Well, wouldja look at what Holy Mike Lee, the Utah senator, is up to! He wants to reframe books about legal but non-traditional families as tools for sexual predators.

Lee, you'll remember, was told that LF is polyamorous, so the first thing the "family man" did was ask to join in the "swinging" proceedings.

There's more than one way to take someone's measure, and we certainly got Mike Lee's that day. It could have been a lie that Lee cheats on his wives every chance he gets, so we checked.

Too bad he didn't think to research the rumor about LF.

Wait! Did we say "wives"?

Yes, we did.

That seem "traditional" to you?

[literaticat]

With parents/guardians regulating  (I hate the word but I think it's accurate) what they want kids to have access to, it makes libraries and the poor librarians have to fall in line and carry what only certain parents 'approve of' (to the detriment of us all). And publishers and writers might not take chances on books they know might be banned or challenged. 

Sooo how much power/influence do publishers really have? I mean in society and pop culture, I guess. I feel like publishers are beholden to everyone no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on. 

And that old adage 'if you try to please everyone you will please no one' is starting to really be the truth. The recent Scholastic fiasco comes to mind.

(so sorry in advance this turned into a lengthy rant that doesn't answer the question) (but then again, I am not even sure I get what the question part is, so OH WELL, strap in for some book ban talk!)

A very small minority of unhinged, ridiculous parents and horrific politicians are actually trying to ruin schools and libraries for everyone. I mean:

Louisiana has current legislation that would criminalize libraries joining the American Library Association. (ie, yes, a librarian could be ARRESTED AND SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS HARD LABOR what the actual fuck???)

Utah has a law that allows any district to pull any book that any other district has pulled

Florida "moms for liberty" (LOL - FU) are trying to have librarians arrested -- Again and again -- etc etc --

I could keep going but I actually have to work at my job THWARTING BOOK BANNERS today!

So just for what it's worth -- I don't think most librarians want to or are "falling in line" and bowing to these parents. Librarians, hopefully, want to make a library that has a collection of material that will best serve all their patrons. And it truly is a very small number of patrons that launch these bizarre campaigns against books.

They do have budgets though, which are also being slashed in many cases, and obviously if they know that their particular community leans toward a certain mindset, they might make choices that reflect that when curating their collection, sure. But yeah -- all the librarians I know are big fans of free speech and freedom to read, and are willing to go to bat for that -- that's why some places are going so far as to pass LITERAL LAWS against librarians, because short of that, librarians are tough to stop!

I would say, too -- Publishers are not trying to "avoid bans" (I mean they aren't ENCOURAGING them either obviously!) -- but in my experience, they simply don't think that way when deciding what to acquire. They can't, because the fact is, it doesn't MATTER what the book is about. A book doesn't have to have "scandalous content" for people to want to ban it -- PICTURE BOOKS are being taken off shelves -- books with themes like embracing your own beauty. Or making stew with neighbors. Lots of times books are challenged for pretty blatantly racist reasons -- no reason at all, actually, other than a BIPOC person wrote it so it must have "critical race theory" (???) in it. For reals.

(Also -- these "banners" / "moms for liberty" aren't READING the books. It is a few people using canned language that somebody else came up with to paper objections to books across districts where they don't even have children. I'd argue that whoever is pulling the strings here doesn't actually even care about ANY of this -- they are using some batshit people who have too much time on their hands to just heap school districts and public libraries with challenges about every last thing because they want it to become so difficult and annoying that the librarians and library boards just give up. They want all libraries and schools to be privatized. I dunno - follow the money.)

Ugh. Again -- this is probably not answering your question??? Sorry, and I really do have to stop typing now. I guess my point is :

Publishers are beholden, in some cases, to their shareholders -- but really, to readers at the end of the day -- most readers want freedom to read and the free exchange of ideas and freedom of speech, etc -- those are the people who pay for books -- so that's who publishers cater to.

Librarians are mostly pretty staunch advocates for free speech and freedom to read, and publishers are supporting them as well.

Writers hopefully, same!

(In the case of the "Scholastic Fiasco" -- Scholastic wasn't trying to bow to nasty parents, exactly -- they were trying to protect the educators who might get harassed, fired, or potentially arrested by those nasty parents. Unfortunately, as you say, it blew up, because you can't have it both ways, etc etc.)

I really do have to go now sorry I couldn't solve book banning this morning :-/

[thesobsister]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/09/15/american-library-association-book-bans/

Just a reminder: Conservatives prefer the electorate to be ignorant, to lack analytical and reasoning skills, to have access to no other perspectives than those produced by the party and its right-wing media.

It's not about drag queen shows or unisex bathrooms or My Two Dads. It's about the GOP's using the pretext of wedge issues to create an ignorant mass that it can manipulate across the full range of economic, social and political issues at the city, county, state, and federal levels.

That's it.

(Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) shows the audience his motivation for his entire political career.)

[thewatercolours]

Muahaha peer pressure

3, 5, 6, 18, 21

3. All-time favourite pairing?

"What do you think of this? ‘Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good. No reasonable offer refused.��"

“I should think any offer we get in answer to that would be a pretty unreasonable one!”

“Tommy! You’re a genius! That’s ever so much more chic. ‘No unreasonable offer refused—if pay is good.’ "

- The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Oh, let me see. There are a few I could name, but my heart is whispering, "Say Tommy and Tuppence." I have adored these two since I first ran into them. These two old friends run into each randomly after being demobbed from the First World War, both barely keeping their heads above water to pay the bills. And then suddenly, an extremely important government guy is offering them money to take on fake identities and retrieve these papers that could be dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands, and - over the top zany humour!! Thrilling action!! And... could it be love?

One thing I love about Tommy and Tuppence is that 1) the series follows them through their whole lives (aging in real time with Agatha Christie,) from bright young things caught up in a thriller, to newly married couple starting a detective agency with guaranteed 24 hour results even though they have no idea how the business works, to empty-nesters fighting Nazis during the Blitz and pretending to be unmarried just so their fake identities can fall in love all over again, to... well, actually I never read the books where they're old because someone told me they had some disturbing themes, and I was afraid to ruin Tommy and Tuppence. But I might just have to try them now and make up my own mind.

5. Favourite platonic pairing?

How am I supposed to answer that? But just to stick my hand in the hat and pull out a few among what must be at least hundreds: Frodo and Sam. Mosca Mye and Eponymous Clent. Figaro and the Count. Napoleon and the Strange Lady (ok, Napoleon's real, but he counts as fictional in this case.) Blanche and Rose Brier.

6. Favorite headcanon?

Another one that will have me stumped! You're mean. You bullied an overthinker into answering questions like these! I will no longer associate with you. Begone from my life.

But if I must... um... Not favourites, just randoms:

In "Ruddigore," all who inherit the title of baronet also inherit the witch's curse that they must do a crime a day or perish in inexpressible agonies. My headcanon is that besides the loophole they find in the show, you could also loophole the curse by painting a crosswalk at the end of your driveway, and never using it. Always jaywalking further up the driveway. Every day. Boom.

Adolin Kholin from The Stormlight Archive does not have the capacity to become a radiant. Even if he went through terrible trauma and it opened up the necessary cracks in his spirit web or whatever, he would not become a radiant. (Dagnabbit, somebody has to just be normal and still awesome. If Adolin becomes a radiant in final book that's dropping this December, I will personally drive down to Utah and ruin Sanderson's Christmas.)

Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities never actually became friends with Charles Darnay. All those years he came to their house, he faked it. For Darnay's sake, for Lucy's. But he ALWAYS rubbed him the wrong way, even as he wished he were like him. (and he still disliked him when he laid down his life for him...)

There is actually doing to be some equivalent of the Library of Amarganth from The Neverending Story in heaven. All the stories we loved and started or dreamed about but just couldn't create/finish - told in their completeness and best form and lovingly bound and collected. Yes.

18. All-time favorite fanfic?

I don't know. I really don't. My brain's overheating. :-)

21. Favorite fic trope?

This isn't a trope, but - when the dialogue perfectly evokes the character's canon way of speaking? The best. The best.

[nando161mando]

Yikes 😬

The wolf is at the door now. We are at that point in time.

Via: Utah Library Association

6:12 PM · Feb 3, 2024

"If you are a Utahn concerned about ongoing threats to librarians and teachers, and book-banning, go to Let Utah Read to learn more about the issues and how you can help."

#Utah #BookBans

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Sam Metz

Published: Jun 2, 2023

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Good Book is being treated like a bad book in Utah after a parent frustrated by efforts to ban materials from schools convinced a suburban district that some Bible verses were too vulgar or violent for younger children.

And the Book of Mormon could be next.

The 72,000-student Davis School District north of Salt Lake City removed the Bible from its elementary and middle schools while keeping it in high schools after a committee reviewed the scripture in response to a parental complaint. The district has removed other titles, including Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and John Green’s “Looking for Alaska,” following a 2022 state law requiring districts to include parents in decisions over what constitutes “sensitive material.”

On Friday, a complaint was submitted about the signature scripture of the predominant faith in Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. District spokesperson Chris Williams confirmed that someone filed a review request for the Book of Mormon but would not say what reasons were listed. Citing a school board privacy policy, he also would not say whether it was from the same person who complained about the Bible.

Representatives for the church declined to comment on the challenge. Members of the faith also read the Bible.

Williams said the district doesn’t differentiate between requests to review books and doesn’t consider whether complaints may be submitted as satire. The reviews are handled by a committee made up of teachers, parents and administrators in the largely conservative community.

The committee published its decision about the Bible in an online database of review requests and did not elaborate on its reasoning or which passages it found overly violent or vulgar.

The decision comes as conservative parent activists, including state-based chapters of the group Parents United, descend on school boards and statehouses throughout the United States, sowing alarm about how sex and violence are talked about in schools.

Because of the district’s privacy policy, it’s unknown who made the request for the Bible to be banned from Davis schools or if they are affiliated with any larger group.

A copy of the complaint obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune through a public records request shows that the parent noted the Bible contains instances of incest, prostitution and rape. The complaint derided a “bad faith process” and said the district was “ceding our children’s education, First Amendment Rights, and library access” to Parents United.

“Utah Parents United left off one of the most sex-ridden books around: The Bible,” the parent’s complaint, dated Dec. 11, said. It later went on to add, “You’ll no doubt find that the Bible (under state law) has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition.”

The review committee determined the Bible didn’t qualify under Utah’s definition of what’s pornographic or indecent, which is why it remains in high schools, Williams said. The committee can make its own decisions under the new 2022 state law and has applied different standards based on students’ ages in response to multiple challenges, he said.

An unnamed party filed an appeal on Wednesday.

The Bible has long found itself on the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books and was temporarily pulled off shelves last year in school districts in Texas and Missouri.

Concerns about new policies potentially ensnaring the Bible have routinely arisen in statehouses during debates over efforts to expand book banning procedures. That includes Arkansas — one of the states that enacted a law this year that would subject librarians to criminal penalties for providing “harmful” materials to minors, and creates a new process for the public to request materials be relocated in libraries.

“I don’t want people to be able to say, ’I don’t want the Bible in the library,” Arkansas Democratic state Sen. Linda Chesterfield said during a hearing.

Parents who have pushed for more say in their children’s education and the curriculum and materials available in schools have argued that they should control how their children are taught about matters like gender, sexuality and race.

EveryLibrary, a national political action committee, told The Associated Press last month it was tracking at least 121 different proposals introduced in legislatures this year targeting libraries, librarians, educators and access to materials. The number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. in 2022 was the highest in the 20 years, according to the American Library Association.

“If folks are outraged about the Bible being banned, they should be outraged about all the books that are being censored in our public schools,” said Kasey Meehan, who directs the Freedom to Read program at the writers’ organization PEN America.

==

LOL.

For the record, I don't want the bible "banned" or even removed from libraries (we need more atheists), however it's not unreasonable, nor is it censorship, to ensure that like any film and any book containing sex, nudity and mature themes, its availability is age-appropriate.

If there's no relevant age at which a book would be age-appropriate - e.g. Judith Butler in elementary school libraries - then it doesn't need to be there.

[illiterate-words]

[ID: info graphic titled "Which U.S. States Ban the Most Books? Book Bans in the Fall 2022 Semester". A map of the U.S. shows book bans by state. Texas and Florida have between 350-450 bans. Missouri has 150-350. Utah and South Carolina have 50-150. North Dakota and Pennsylvania have 20-50. Michigan and Virginia have 10-20. California, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have 1-10. The remaining states have no book bans.

Additional facts listed: "1,477 total book bans. 874 unique titles. Frisco Independent School District in Texas, Wentzville School District in Missouri, and Escambia County Public Schools in Florida together banned more than 600 books. 71% of voters oppose book bans (in an American Library Association poll). A vocal minority demands censorship, causing school districts to err on the side of caution."

Title: "Subject Matter of Banned Content". Body: "44% themes or instances of violence and physical abuse. 38% topics on health and well-being for students (mental health, bullying, suicide, substance abuse, sexual health, and puberty). 30% themes of death or grief. 30% characters of color or themes of race and racism. 26% LGBTQ+ characters or themes. 24% sexual experiences between characters. 17% mentions of teen pregnancy, abortion, or sexual assault.

Title: "The 11 Most Banned Books of Fall 2022". Body: "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe (15 bans). "Flamer" by Mike Curato (15 bans). "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins (13 bans). "The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel" by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault (12 bans). "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins (12 bans). "Sold" by Patricia McCormick (11 bans). "Push" by Sapphire (11 bans). "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas (11 bans). :This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson (10 bans). "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison (10 bans). "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur (10 bans).

Title: "The 10 Most Banned Authors". Body: Bar graph showing 10 authors. Each bar shows instances of books banned, districts banning their books, and unique titles banned. Authors are Ellen Hopkins (over 120 bans); Sarah J. Maas (60-90 bans); Elana K. Arnold, Margaret Atwood, Rupi Kaur, Maia Kobabe, and Mike Curato (30-60 bans); Toni Morrison, Sapphire, and Patricia McCormick (10-30 bans).

Footer: "Sources: Pen America and American Library Association. Created by AAA State of Play." End ID]

Florida and Texas, trying to out-fascist each other again.

[washingtonprelawland-blog]

The Life and Crimes of Ted Bundy: A Detailed Timeline

By Maya Mehta, Seattle University Class of 2025

August 13, 2024

When one hears the name Ted Bundy, two things immediately spring to mind: intimidating and dishonest. Because of this case, he became one of the most well-known serial killers in American history, and a lot of books, documentaries, and movies were made on his life and murders. This is a terrifying story of Ted Bundy’s trip into the dark world of madness where he played on people’s weaknesses by fooling them with charm and wreaking havoc wherever he went. This article gives a detailed account of Ted Bundy’s life right from birth till his death.

Early Life (1946-1968)

November 24th, 1946: Eleanor Louise Cowell gave birth to Theodor Robert Cowell, also known as Ted Bundy, in Burlington, Vermont. No information is available about his father. Ted was raised by his maternal grandparents, therefore for a considerable portion of his early years, he thought of his mother as his sister.

1950: Louise relocated with her son to Tacoma (Washington) and married Johnny Bundy. However, there was no strong relationship between him and her.

1965: He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma. According to others, this young man had good manners, intelligence as well as great prospects.

1967: Bundy began attending the University of Washington, where he met Stephanie Brooks, a woman who played a significant role in his life. Their relationship ended in 1968, which deeply affected Bundy and marked the beginning of his downward spiral.

Early Criminal Activities and First Arrests (1969-1974)

1969: Bundy’s graduation from the University of Washington marked 1969 with a degree in psychology. He held down several positions including a crisis hotline center where he met and became friends with Ann Rule, who later penned Bundy’s biography.

1971: Bundy signed up for law school but didn’t do well. It was during this time that he started dating Elizabeth Kloepfer, an unsuspecting single mom.

1974: There was a huge increase in the magnitude of Bundy’s criminal activities. He began abducting and killing young women in Washington and Oregon. The victims were mostly look-alikes of Stephanie Brooks, having long dark hair parted down the middle.

The Murders Intensify (1974-1975)

January 4, 1974: Karen Sparks was attacked and taken hostage by Bundy, a University of Washington student. She lived but was seriously injured and permanently brain damaged.

February 1, 1974: Another University of Washington student called Lynda Ann Healy went missing from her apartment. Her remains were discovered later in the Taylor Mountain area.

Spring-Summer 1974: Bundy performed more abductions resulting in murders such as Georgann Hawkins, Brenda Carol Ball, Roberta Kathleen Parks, Susan Elaine Rancourt, and Donna Gail Manson.

July 14, 1974: Bundy abducted Janice Ott as well as Denise Naslund from Lake Sammamish State Park. A handsome young man with a broken arm who introduced himself as “Ted” according to eyewitnesses.

August 1974: He relocated to Salt Lake City for his law studies at the University of Utah. He continued his killing spree across Utah, Colorado and Idaho.

Arrests and Escapes (1975-1977)

August 16, 1975: Bundy was arrested in Granger, Utah for failure to stop at a police officer. His car was searched, and burglary tools, handcuffs and other suspect items found. He was linked with the DaRonch kidnapping and subsequently charged.

February 1976: He was convicted of Carol DaRonch’s abduction and sentenced to serve between one and fifteen years in prison in Utah State. In addition to this, he was also associated with Colorado cases involving numerous murders.

June 7, 1977: Bundy escaped from the Pitkin County Courthouse Law Library via jumping out of a second-floor windowpane located at Aspen Colorado. He was re-arrested after eight days.

December 30, 1977: Bundy escaped again this time from Garfield County Jail Glenwood Springs Colorado. He made his way to Florida where he left behind death trails.

The Florida Murders and Final Capture (1978-1979)

January 15, 1978: Bundy broke into Florida State University’s Chi Omega sorority house. He murdered Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy in a brutal attack on four individuals and critically injured Karen Chandler and Kathy Kleiner.

February 9, 1978: Bundy kidnapped and later killed a twelve-year-old girl called Kimberly Leach in Lake City, Florida. Her corpse was discovered two months later at a state park.

February 15, 1978: Finally, Bundy was apprehended in Pensacola after he was pulled over by a police officer. He gave false identification but the FBI’s most wanted fugitive was finally revealed.

July 1979: The trial for the Chi Omega murders took place. He acted as his own attorney despite overwhelming evidence against him; hence he was found guilty of all charges. The sentence passed on him was death penalty.

Appeals, Confessions, and Execution (1980-1989)

Bundy was tried for the murder of Kimberly Leach in January 1980 and received a second death sentence.

At that time, Bundy had been on death row since 1979. It was during this period that he started confessing to many murders across states.

By this time, he had exhausted all appeals available to him. On January 24, 1989, Ted Bundy died in an electric chair at Florida State Prison.

Sentence one: In January 1980, Bundy stood trial for the murder of Kimberly Leach and was sentenced to death for a second time. Within the course of his trial, however, he married Carole Ann Boone who believed him to be innocent and stood by his side until the confessions were made.

Sentence two: While on death’s row in 1984, Bundy began making confessions about numerous murders he committed across different states which helped bring closure to some families while revealing the full extent of his cruelness.

Sentence three: Finally exhausting all legal resources available to him and so on January 24th, 1989 Ted Bundy faced electric chair at Florida State Prison.

Legacy and Impact

Ted Bundy’s heinous acts significantly affected the American culture and criminal justice system. He was able to elude capture and manipulate the legal process that highlighted fundamental problems within the judiciary and law enforcement systems. Additionally, his case led to new investigative techniques and increased public awareness about serial killers.

Psychological Profile: Criminologists and psychologists have deeply investigated this case of Bundy. His friendly disposition contradicted his violent nature, thereby making him a typical psychopathic person.

Media Attention: The first nationally televised trials were held for Bundy which ended up receiving significant media attention across America. That his life has been documented in countless books, films, documentaries is clear evidence that people just cannot let go of this story.

Victim Advocacy: Many people became aware of what happened to Bundy’s victims because of these atrocities. Quite a number later turned into victim rights activists calling for reforms in the criminal justice system to protect the vulnerable as well as help those who get affected by violent crimes.

Ted Bundy’s life and actions offer a terrible reminder of the evil that lies within human beings. Shocking citizens of the country, who never thought he could have done such evil things, due to his constant association with them. While Ted Bundy was executed to end his reign of terror, people who came across him during his horrific acts are still affected by this experience. Thus, understanding his timeline not only honors those who were killed but also reminds us about vigilance and evolution of our justice system.

______________________________________________________________

Canning, Kristin. “Here’s a Complete Timeline of All the Crimes Ted Bundy Committed.” Women’s Health, Women’s Health, 10 May 2019, www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a27435103/ted-bundy-crimes-timeline/. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

INSIDER. “The Full Timeline of Ted Bundy’s Murders.” Business Insider, Insider, Feb. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/the-full-timeline-of-ted-bundys-murders-2019-2. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

Paige, Rachel. “A Full Timeline of Ted Bundy’s Crimes, Starting at Age 14.” Refinery29.com, Refinery29, 4 May 2019, www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/01/222438/ted-bundy-timeline-murders. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

“Ted Bundy Killings: A Timeline of His Twisted Reign of Terror.” Biography, Biography, 12 Aug. 2021, www.biography.com/crime/ted-bundy-timeline-murders. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

Yang, Allie, et al. “Timeline of Many of Ted Bundy’s Brutal Crimes.” ABC News, ABC News, 15 Feb. 2019, abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-ted-bundys-brutal-crimes/story?id=61077236. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

[jasoncanty01]

Louisiana HB 777 Would Criminalize Librarians and Libraries Who Join the American Library Association

awmakers across the country continue to infantilize and criminalize library workers. The 2024 legislative session has been particularly eager to capitalize on the rhetoric from the far right on libraries, as seen through several bills aimed at not only limiting the types of books allowed in school and public libraries but also in how the profession itself may operate.

We’ve seen Utah pass a bill that would pull books off shelves in school libraries if the title is pulled in other districts in the state, a blatant removal of the local control the very anti-library advocates themselves demand. Idaho attempted to push through similar legislation, despite clear links of the rhetoric around “pornography in libraries” to QAnon conspiracy. Georgia attempted, but narrowly failed, to pass a bill this session that would ban the American Library Association from school and public libraries statewide (and the respective funding from the nation’s largest professional association for library workers).

[librarianrafia]

"Peter Bromberg, the associate director for EveryLibrary, which fights for library funding and against censorship, told me that in the last few years, police have done investigations in Florida, Utah, Wyoming, Massachusetts, and in this case in Idaho. Book bans and censorship remains wildly unpopular. Police investigations are “intended to intimidate librarians and it creates a chilling effect so that librarians err on the side of not ordering books that are complained about.”"

[delphinidin4]

From the above source:

Joined by free-speech advocacy group PEN America and several authors and parents, Penguin Random House [the largest book publisher in the world,] filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Escambia County School District and its school board, alleging they were violating the 1st Amendment by scrubbing library shelves of books based on a political or ideological disagreement with the ideas the books express.

They also allege a 14th Amendment violation citing the Equal Protection Clause, because the challenged books are disproportionately titles by nonwhite and/or LGBTQ+ authors and explore diverse stories and themes.

“For many instances there’s not even the attempt at a pretext," Dan Novack, Penguin Random House vice president and associate general counsel, told The Times. "These are being removed because there are depictions of [LGBTQ+] characters, there are depictions of racial identity, and that's the reasons why they are being flagged by individuals for removal.

“And on top of that," Novack continued, "when these titles do get flagged, what we're seeing is that there is a committee that it’s supposed to go to that's filled with actual members of the community, experts, etc., and they're saying these are educationally appropriate. And then the school district is just overruling their own people. So it's one of the most eye-popping fact patterns we've seen, and we think that when the court sees it, and certainly the public sees it, they'll understand the strength of the case.”

“According to the lawsuit, the majority of the book bans in the county, which encompasses Pensacola in the Florida panhandle, stem from a single Northview High School language arts teacher, Vicki Baggett, who embarked on an aggressive campaign to remove student access to 116 books, stating the books “should be evaluated based on explicit sexual content, graphic language, themes, vulgarity and political pushes.”

Among the challenged titles were “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier; quotes from the book relating to one character’s identification as gay were listed as the sole ground for removal, according to the lawsuit. Baggett also petitioned for the removal of Duchess Harris' “Race and Policing in Modern America," a nonfiction resource guide intended for middle-school readers, arguing it was anti-police and written "to race-bait.”

...As for a nationwide legal strategy to fight book bans, Novack says publishers have a challenging road ahead: “These laws are like snowflakes, there's so many different variants, and they all work in slightly different ways.“

So while this is an important precedent to set thematically and legally, it doesn't work the same way in Tennessee versus Florida or Texas or Missouri or Utah. So we're really ... figuring out where we can have impact.”

... “Thirty-two different states have experienced a ban of some sort, and Florida really is a leader in this realm," Johnson said. "And Escambia County in particular, it truly epitomizes what is happening around the country. And for that reason we chose to go into this district."

[fullmusicgladiator]

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In the end, deciding on uvu university apartments in Orem can beautify your university in numerous ways. From proximity to campus and value-powerful residing to safety, comfort, and a supportive community, UVU's university residences offer a bunch of advantages that can contribute to a successful and satisfying university journey.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart  

June 6, 2023

UFO SIGNALS LOOK TO BE FROM ALIEN AI BOTS

Recent findings suggest that what is suspected to be the first communication from aliens may be that of robots from outside our galaxy. This comes as fears escalate on this planet that artificial intelligence (AI) could take over after it learns to replicate itself and no longer needs humans. Last week top scientists warned that a new generation of AI chatbots could soon outsmart humans. "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," said a statement from the Center for AI Safety. The realization that the first message from a UFO could be from bots who drove the population of another world to extinction has raised alarm in the scientific community. "Advancements in AI will magnify the scale of automated decision-making that is biased, discriminatory, exclusionary, while also being inscrutable and incontestable," said Oxford's Elizabeth Renieris. Scientists have sought contact with other intelligence since 1978 when Voyager went into space containing earthly sounds including, “The Magic Flute”, “The Well-Tempered Clavier” and “Johnny B. Goode.” The recent alien bots' message reportedly says it likes Chuck Berry but Mozart and Bach not so much, with the exclamation, “Go, go... go Johnny, go! Johnny B. Goode.”

LET'S HAVE US A GOOD OL' FASHIONED BOOK BURNING

Here we go again: Utah makes national headlines — this time for banning The Bible in school libraries. WTF? Apparently it's due to all that fornication. In The Bible? Who knew? When Wilson and the guys were youngsters the only way to get them to read a book was to ban it. Will we see a new breed of Bible readers? Conservative groups, looking to vent pent up Trumpian anger, took up the book ban battle, saying children would read books and turn into criminals, queers or woke liberals. Among the classics targeted are The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath and Brave New World. Newer titles at the top of the banned list are All Boys Aren't Blue, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. According to the American Library Association, many targeted books focus on LGBTQ or Black characters. No wonder right-wingers are worried — imagine a world of peace, love and understanding. Ray Bradbury's classic sci-fi novel, “Fahrenheit 451” (the temperature at which paper burns) was inspired by book burnings in Nazi Germany and the repression of the Soviet Union. As McCarthyism deepened in the 1950s, he feared book burnings in the U.S. These days MAGA mothers fear their kids are in the tree house reenacting scenes from Lawn Boy. Get the kerosene

TELLING SIGNS RON DeSANTIS IS A FASCIST

Tom Huckin turned to the late Italian philosopher Umberto Eco to determine if Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis is a fascist. In an op-ed for The Trib, Huckin ticks off Eco's signs of fascism, such as “contempt for the weak” and “fear of diversity.” The crack staff here at Smart Bomb took a closer look at his alleged fascist attributes:

– DeSantis hates Mickey Mouse because he's woke and possibly Bi — still the governor secretly wears Mickey Mouse underpants.

– Disney is the Woke Devil who must be stopped to preserve the cultural traditions of God and country. Otherwise our children could grow up singing, “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E...”

– DeSantis met his wife golfing and said, “Have you seen my balls?” He has since repeated that greeting over and over again at his rallies.

– While in Congress DeSantis was a founding member of the “Up-Yours” caucus, taking the fascist canon that disagreement is treason.

– DeSantis used Florida state funds to fly immigrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard, sneering, “How do you like them enchiladas.”

– Former DeSantis staffers started a support group, explaining the trauma: “He uses people like toilet paper.” Just don't squeeze the Charmin.

Post script — That'll do it for another week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of Republicans running for president so you don't have to — 10 and counting. The 2024 general election is only 18 months away and every day will be chock full of breathtaking news that you won't remember next week. For Donald Trump, the more the merrier. Each additional candidate dilutes the anti-Trump voter pool, setting up a sure victory for the Republican nomination by the soon-to-be indicted former president. If you're tired of it now, just give it a year. For GOP hopefuls the question is how to out-Trump Trump. You're right, Wilson, no one can out-Trump Trump, that would be like nuclear fusion or something: crazier than Trump; lying more than Trump; cheating more than Trump? It's just not possible — especially for true Trumpers. Indictment for stealing classified materials — nope. Bragging about grabbing women's crotches  — nope. Having sex with a porn star right after your wife gives birth — nope. Attempting to overturn an election for president — nope. What's left? Republicans challenging Trump have formed a circular firing squad. But how is it going to look when the Republicans nominate a leader that is in prison. Well, if Vito Genovese can do it, why not?

Wilson, the world just keeps getting crazier and crazier. It's like a sci-fi movie where we've collided with a parallel universe. But lets forget about that for a minute so we can dwell on some nostalgia where we can rearrange our memories to fit our mood. Take, for example the birth of rock ' roll:

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans Way back up in the woods among the evergreens There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode Who never ever learned to read or write so well But he could play a guitar just like a-ringing a bell Go go/Go Johnny go!/Go,Go Johnny go! Go,Go Johnny go!/Johnny B. Goode! He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track Oh, the engineer would see him sittin' in the shade Strummin' with the rhythm that the drivers made The people passing by, they would stop and say "Oh my, but that little country boy could play" Go go/Go Johnny go!/Go,Go Johnny go! Go,Go Johnny go!/Johnny B. Goode! His mother told him, "Someday you will be a man, And you will be the leader of a big ol' band Many people comin' from miles around To hear you play your music when the sun go down Maybe someday your name'll be in lights Sayin' 'Johnny B. Goode tonight!'"

Go go/Go Johnny go!/Go,Go Johnny go! Go,Go Johnny go!/Johnny B. Goode!

(Johnny B. Goode — Chuck Berry)

[kammartinez]

By Jacey Fortin

Public schools are closed for the summer in Utah, leaving their libraries quieter than usual. But the books on their shelves are now the subject of a skirmish — one that is distinct from many other culture clashes over education in the United States.

In this case, the titles in question are the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

On Friday, a person filed a complaint with the Davis School District, just north of Salt Lake City, asking that the Book of Mormon, a religious text for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be removed from its libraries. Utah is home to the world headquarters of the church and has the nation’s highest concentration of members of that faith.

That request echoed one in December challenging the King James Version of the Bible, which is held sacred by members of the church and Christians generally. Both complaints followed the passage of state legislation prohibiting “pornographic or indecent” materials in public school settings. The measure, titled Sensitive Materials in Schools, was signed into law in March 2022.

The December challenge against the Bible, which was reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, dripped with sarcasm.

“I thank the Utah Legislature and Utah Parents United for making this bad faith process so much easier and way more efficient,” wrote the complainant, whose name was redacted in a document shared by The Tribune.

“Now we can all ban books and you don’t even need to read them or be accurate about it,” the complainant added, noting that the Bible contained descriptions of incest, prostitution, rape and infanticide.

Last month, a Davis district committee decided that the Bible should remain available in high school libraries, but not for younger grades. (Someone has since filed an appeal to keep it in circulation for all students.) Christopher Williams, a spokesman for the Davis School District, did not share details about the newer complaint against the Book of Mormon but said the district would “treat this request just like any other request.”

Brooke Stephens, the curriculum director for Utah Parents United, which supported the state’s bill, said the complaints against religious texts were “trying to minimize the real concerns of parents.”

Ms. Stephens has three children in the district and has challenged several books there — not because they featured racially diverse characters or L.G.B.T.Q. themes, she said, but because they contained sexually explicit content.

She added that the school libraries had multiple books with mature imagery far exceeding what is described in the Bible. “Do you know how many other books you’re going to have to remove just for vulgarity and violence,” she said, “if this is your new baseline?”

Fights over library books have caused bitter rifts in school districts across the United States, and those rifts have been amplified by social media and political campaigns. The battles have often become proxies for broader discussions about issues like freedom of speech, gender identity and racial inequality.

Utah is not the first state where the Bible has been subject to review. Similar complaints have been filed in Texas, Florida and Missouri, according to Education Week.

Across the United States, a vast majority of books that have drawn complaints were by or about L.G.B.T.Q. people or people of color, a March report from the American Library Association found.

It also found that efforts to ban books nearly doubled in 2022 over the previous year.

Conservative groups, including organizations like Moms for Liberty and Utah Parents United, have pushed for many book removals or lobbied for new removal policies.

And increasingly, challenges are being filed against multiple books at once, whereas in the past, libraries more frequently received complaints about a single title, the American Library Association found. That suggested that political campaigning was behind the trend, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The complaints about religious texts in Utah, she said, were “certainly a kind of advocacy that might encourage both school boards and state legislators to think more carefully about what they’re doing.”

“It highlights the fact that censorship is not the answer — that any book is vulnerable to censorship,” she added. “And that’s not what we should want in this country.”

Ken Ivory, the Republican state representative who sponsored last year’s bill, told The Tribune in March that the Bible complaint amounted to “antics that drain school resources.”

But in a statement on Friday, he signaled trust in the district’s review process.

The King James Version of the Bible “is a challenging read for elementary or middle school children on their own,” he said. “Traditionally, in America, the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family.”

According to the policy of the Davis School District, which cites the state legislation from last year, parents — as well as students and staff — can request that school libraries remove “sensitive” books or other materials.

A committee, which includes district employees and parents, then reviews the materials to determine whether they could be considered pornographic, indecent or inappropriate because of violence or vulgarity. This can take weeks or months.

A record of complaints on the district website lists about a hundred books that have been challenged there since the law was passed. Committees have reached decisions on dozens of them, with mixed results: According to the website, some books, such as “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, were ultimately removed from the shelves. Others remained, including “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold.

Dozens more, including the Book of Mormon, are still under review.

[kamreadsandrecs]

By Jacey Fortin

Public schools are closed for the summer in Utah, leaving their libraries quieter than usual. But the books on their shelves are now the subject of a skirmish — one that is distinct from many other culture clashes over education in the United States.

In this case, the titles in question are the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

On Friday, a person filed a complaint with the Davis School District, just north of Salt Lake City, asking that the Book of Mormon, a religious text for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be removed from its libraries. Utah is home to the world headquarters of the church and has the nation’s highest concentration of members of that faith.

That request echoed one in December challenging the King James Version of the Bible, which is held sacred by members of the church and Christians generally. Both complaints followed the passage of state legislation prohibiting “pornographic or indecent” materials in public school settings. The measure, titled Sensitive Materials in Schools, was signed into law in March 2022.

The December challenge against the Bible, which was reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, dripped with sarcasm.

“I thank the Utah Legislature and Utah Parents United for making this bad faith process so much easier and way more efficient,” wrote the complainant, whose name was redacted in a document shared by The Tribune.

“Now we can all ban books and you don’t even need to read them or be accurate about it,” the complainant added, noting that the Bible contained descriptions of incest, prostitution, rape and infanticide.

Last month, a Davis district committee decided that the Bible should remain available in high school libraries, but not for younger grades. (Someone has since filed an appeal to keep it in circulation for all students.) Christopher Williams, a spokesman for the Davis School District, did not share details about the newer complaint against the Book of Mormon but said the district would “treat this request just like any other request.”

Brooke Stephens, the curriculum director for Utah Parents United, which supported the state’s bill, said the complaints against religious texts were “trying to minimize the real concerns of parents.”

Ms. Stephens has three children in the district and has challenged several books there — not because they featured racially diverse characters or L.G.B.T.Q. themes, she said, but because they contained sexually explicit content.

She added that the school libraries had multiple books with mature imagery far exceeding what is described in the Bible. “Do you know how many other books you’re going to have to remove just for vulgarity and violence,” she said, “if this is your new baseline?”

Fights over library books have caused bitter rifts in school districts across the United States, and those rifts have been amplified by social media and political campaigns. The battles have often become proxies for broader discussions about issues like freedom of speech, gender identity and racial inequality.

Utah is not the first state where the Bible has been subject to review. Similar complaints have been filed in Texas, Florida and Missouri, according to Education Week.

Across the United States, a vast majority of books that have drawn complaints were by or about L.G.B.T.Q. people or people of color, a March report from the American Library Association found.

It also found that efforts to ban books nearly doubled in 2022 over the previous year.

Conservative groups, including organizations like Moms for Liberty and Utah Parents United, have pushed for many book removals or lobbied for new removal policies.

And increasingly, challenges are being filed against multiple books at once, whereas in the past, libraries more frequently received complaints about a single title, the American Library Association found. That suggested that political campaigning was behind the trend, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, the director of the association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The complaints about religious texts in Utah, she said, were “certainly a kind of advocacy that might encourage both school boards and state legislators to think more carefully about what they’re doing.”

“It highlights the fact that censorship is not the answer — that any book is vulnerable to censorship,” she added. “And that’s not what we should want in this country.”

Ken Ivory, the Republican state representative who sponsored last year’s bill, told The Tribune in March that the Bible complaint amounted to “antics that drain school resources.”

But in a statement on Friday, he signaled trust in the district’s review process.

The King James Version of the Bible “is a challenging read for elementary or middle school children on their own,” he said. “Traditionally, in America, the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family.”

According to the policy of the Davis School District, which cites the state legislation from last year, parents — as well as students and staff — can request that school libraries remove “sensitive” books or other materials.

A committee, which includes district employees and parents, then reviews the materials to determine whether they could be considered pornographic, indecent or inappropriate because of violence or vulgarity. This can take weeks or months.

A record of complaints on the district website lists about a hundred books that have been challenged there since the law was passed. Committees have reached decisions on dozens of them, with mixed results: According to the website, some books, such as “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, were ultimately removed from the shelves. Others remained, including “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold.

Dozens more, including the Book of Mormon, are still under review.