What We Are the Mural Represents

We are the mural! We are the display!

I've never really had anything go viral before. But if I have only one thing go viral (instead of, say, throwing a bucket of fish over my head), I'm glad it's this.

What does it mean?

It's taking a stand declaring you love your public library and support it serving a diverse public. Libraries are public, and they are for EVERYONE. They are not a tool of any particular political or religious group. No one gets to exclude others because they don't meet your definition of who is entitled to be served and who isn't.

Everyone should feel welcome in the library.  

Right now, the Okefenokee Regional Libray Board has placed a draconian display policy into effect at all libraries in the region. It is essentially cutting off any displays of any kind. All displays are subject to removal based on the objection of any one person. The most extreme voices in the community get to dictate what is displayed.

Consequently, you now see blank bulletin boards in our local libraries. Book clubs can no longer display their books of the month or promote their club in any visual display.

A display in the children's area, meant to show words of kindness, with cutouts of children's hands that have a word of kindness in them, must now be taken down.

New book displays now have to be shown only with the title spine displayed - they cannot display the covers of the books lest someone gets offended.

And now, the mural in the entryway to the Waycross/Ware County Library is under siege, and how the current regional library board is composed, it is likely to be taken down.

All these terrible things are happening and will continue to happen, but those who do this need to know this -

We are the mural! We are the display!

You can take our symbols. You can bully and try to exclude all you want. But we will not go away.  

Because the mural is more than just a mural. It is an important symbol, but it is only a symbol. Because we, the diverse patrons of the library, are the mural, and no matter what is done, we will stand firm and support the diversity of the library.

We welcome all. Even those whose theology leads them to want to indoctrinate their children in only their beliefs. All are welcome, but ...if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. If you can't stand the diversity, get out of the library.

We will, with God's* help and strength, ENDURE.

We will, with the support of all who care about love and tolerance, PERSEVERE.

We will, with the promise that the arc of the moral universe bends slowly but surely towards social justice, OVERCOME.

We are the mural! We are the display!

And you cannot vanquish us!

*whatever your conception of spiritual support

 

WE ARE THE MURAL. WE ARE THE DISPLAY.

 

WE ARE THE MURAL. WE ARE THE DISPLAY.

Public libraries are under assault all around the nation.

That is true where I live. The Okefenokee Regional Library System has had to contend with a rowdy group of extremists who want the library to only reflect "Seven Mountains"* values. They want no acknowledgment of the LGBTQ+ community. They want to restrict and sanitize history, particularly when dealing with people of color.  

This rowdy group, mainly from a small handful of churches, has been flooding library board meetings, spewing their hatred under the guise of "protecting the children," of fear of indoctrination, whether it the LGBTQ+ community, or a fair, open reading of history., or anything that doesn't espouse a Christian Right point of view.

This group has significantly intimidated local politicians (county and city boards) who nominate new library board members, and some boards have now swung to a radical, anti-library agenda.

Now they have control of the regional board, they have adopted a policy banning all displays not directly related to a national holiday.

Yes. That's right. No more displays for Black History Month, Asian/Pacific History Month, Valentine's,  Women's History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Native American Heritage Month. Nothing about the military or vets unless it's tied to a specific holiday. Nothing about awareness and knowledge of child sexual abuse, medical information, and community support. They may be pulling down displays for any book clubs, which include an LGBTQ+ book club and a heathen book club.

Why? Because their hatred of the LGBTQ+ community is so intense that they are willing to take everything else out just to ensure they are excluded.

When the rainbow banners were taken down, the mural pictured above was the compromise to replace it. At that time, even most of the conservative board members were willing to support it. But then the pressure campaign started, and some turned into Peter, denying they ever supported it.

I understand that the board leans towards taking the mural down, but there are some logistic issues, like the fact that it's bolted to the wall. So the effective, final decision on it will be at a subsequent meeting.

In the meantime, I wanted as many people as possible to show their support for an open library and the Libraries are for Everyone mural. I posted the picture above on social media, and the response has been overwhelming within my tiny media world. It's been reposted to several sites, including a national group with over 1.4 million subscribers. Just from the ones I have directly posted, it has around 1,400 likes and 364 shares. This is miles more than anything else I've posted. I've tried for over ten years to get that kind of support on this blog and cannot measure up to that.  

Don't let those who SAY they are exposing Christian right values overwhelm us. Show your support now in whatever you can.

Make sure your library knows you appreciate what they do and that you support a free, open public library. The next Okefenokee Regional Library Board meeting will be November 6th.  Be there if you can.  You know that the extremists will still be out in force.

* Seven Mountains is an extremist organization that wants to replace democracy with a theocratic autocracy. One of their goals is to take control of all public spaces, like public libraries and public schools. The "seven mountains of influence" they want to control are: religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business.

Going Down With the Trumptanic: Saturday Political Soap Box 293

 

President Biden is on a roll.  Whatever his age, his achievements have been extraordinary.  He led us out of the worst of the Pandemic, even though many were willing to make other people sick by not following basic health protocol, in the name of freedumb.  Given the pits the economy was in, it has come around remarkably under Biden.  The lowest unemployment in several decades, improving stock market and GDP, growth in manufacturing jobs, and inflation whipped faster than any other industrialized country.  He has passed the most comprehensive infrastructure bill in American history, including our most significant effort to deal with climate change.  He has organized an international coalition to help Ukraine fight the invasion of Russia, including the strengthening and expanding of NATO.  This is in the face of bitter Republican opposition and a far-right-extremist Supreme Court.

And yet...

A recent New York Times poll shows Biden and Trump in a dead heat.

Twice-impeached, thrice indicted, two-time popular vote loser, narcissistic misogynist bully racist Donald J. Trump.

It's true.  America has done some shameful things in the past (sorry, DeSantis, that's the hard truth), but this attachment to this foul figure, Trump, is breaking my heart and shattering my faith in many of those around me (I live in a county that voted 87% for Trump - BOTH TIMES).

If you're still sticking with this orange buffoon, maybe this will shake you away...let's look at the two major defenses he's tried for his latest indictment, centered around his efforts to overthrow an election he knew he had lost.

1) I have freedom of speech.  I can say whatever I want, even if it is a lie.

Wow.  Think about that one for a minute.  His defense is that lying to you about an election is okay?  Really?  That's what you want?  Someone who has no shame in lying to you?

2) I was following the advice of my lawyers.  It's their fault.

My Grandfather Martin was a bit of a booze hound, probably an alcoholic.  Whenever a doctor told him to live, he had to give up the booze; he simply found another doctor that wouldn't hound him about it.  And when that doctor started in about not drinking, he would find another doctor who wouldn't tell him to stop drinking.  This plan didn't work forever - he eventually died, with liver cirrhosis being a significant cause.

And that's what Trump does.  His lawyer shops until he gets one that tells him what he wants to hear.

And what does that tell you, my Trumpeteer friend, about the judgment of your favorite clown?  He can't distinguish between bad advice and good advice.  He hears whatever he wants to hear.

---------

I've suffered a lot in the last seven years.  People I care about cling to this idiot, who had no business being a dog catcher, much less President of the United States.  You sold out all your values, including the love of country and democracy, all for this despicable human being who doesn't give a damn about you, especially your so-called Christian values.

Now, I know there are many issues where you and I might not agree - universal health care, Green New Deal, a living wage, free post-secondary education (including community colleges and apprenticeships), supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and more.  But you know what we shouldn't argue over?  Democracy, voting rights, free and fair elections, being kind and supportive to all Americans.

I'm sick of Trump.  I'm sick of those who sell their decency out to support him.  I'm sick of your attachment to him.

He's irredeemable slime.  And he deserves all the indictments he has received.  

And that's just the tip of the Trumpberg.

Please stop shuffling the deck chairs.  Get off the Trumptanic, once and for all.  It's going down, and you don't need to be aboard.

August Arrives Early and Saves the Day

Atrium Medical Center.

It's the second-largest hospital in Georgia, with Grady Hospital in Atlanta being the largest.

It's in Macon, Georgia. You know...the small town of 157,000 that Jason Aldean grew up in. In fact, near the hospital, there is a small road or path or crosswalk that is called Jason Aldean Way. Seriously. The number of people employed by the hospital alone is 4,600 - more than the total population of REAL small towns.

With a hospital that large, you're going to have some bureaucracy. Not everyone is going to be speaking from the same page at the same time. We had to run through some contradictions even just to see Benjamin (read the blog story Benjamin Takes A Break). He's here...he's not here...you can't see him - he's in observation...whoops...he is here...and you can see him. Different people, different answers.

This is not to be overly critical of the hospital. People can be well-meaning and kind and still not have the best information or the means and speed to help.

But I will credit Atrum for this...both the emergency room and his recovery room had one nurse who seemed to be as much a patient advocate, much more than just somebody to take vitals and bring bedpans.

I didn't catch the name of the guy in the ER, but he was kind and funny and helped address the needs of Benjamin and his confused and worried parental units. He kept us informed and helped bring the right people to tell us what was going on.

Then, we were moved to the main part of the hospital, where he would be taken for surgery and brought back to recover.

It was July 29th. And that's when the miracle occurred. She came in and signed her name on a whiteboard in the room. She wrote her name, August, and her contact number.

Never in my life have I seen a nurse as kind and as attentive. She explained everything that was going on. She brought Benjamin whatever he needed, and even Alison and myself.  

Most importantly, as Alison and I would hear different things from different people, she would cut through the red tape and get us the needed answers. 

The hospital was a labyrinth to get around. We asked how to get to a nearby Dominos, and she walked us through the hospital maze to the street where Dominos was at. 

I don't know if Atrium has really structured their staff to include an ally/advocate, but if they have, my hats off to them - it's the best thing I've ever seen a hospital do.

If they haven't - then you need to do so. August arrived early and saved the day.

Our healthcare system is a mess - expensive and inefficient, terribly hard on anyone not swimming in money and/or superior health insurance. Having caring human beings advocating for patients would at least mitigate some of the rough edges.

Let August lead the way.

 

Benjamin Takes A Break

 

It was the last day of his internship. Benjamin had done fantastic, and they would transition him into a full-time job as soon as his college transcripts (including internship) and diploma were complete and he could arrange housing in the area.

But first - to celebrate! On the afternoon of that last day, all the interns came out to play a massive game of...PAINTBALL! Benjamin was excited! He got his paint gun, got in place, and geared up for the start.

It starts! Benjamin takes off!

And trips. Falling in such a way that some items in his cargo pants pockets jam into his leg, causing inscrutable pain. He can't get back up.

At first, they thought it might be an ankle sprain or a heat cramp. Whatever it was, he can't get up. The supervisor decides to call an ambulance and take him to the hospital. As it turns out, that may have been a lrg-saving decision.

The supervisor calls Alison. We are eating a delicious Greek lunch in Jacksonville after getting her Subaru serviced. She tells us what happened and that he has been sent to the hospital. We decided to go to Warner Robins. We are an hour and a half away from home and two and a half more hours after that to get to Warmer Robins.

When we get to the hospital in Warner Robins, we are told he's not there anymore. He's been sent to the Atrium Medical Center in Macon. When we get there, we are told we can't see him because he is in an "observation area" and can't see him until he gets an ER room.

This is incredibly frustrating. We are about to lose it, when we get a call from a good friend of Benjamin's friends, who is IN THE ER ROOM with Benjamin. We get that straightened out and get back to see him.

And that is when we see the picture above.

Benjamin has broken his femur. One of the toughest bones in the human body, and my son has managed to snap it in two.

While in the ER, they drill a hole just below the knee so they can use the contraption above to stretch his leg correctly in preparation for surgery in the morning. The surgery would place a metal rod bringing the femur back together.

At about 3 in the morning, they moved him into a room in the central part of the hospital to help prep him for surgery. All three of us get very little sleep.

The surgery, around 7:30 in the morning, was successful. Not that Momma and Daddy didn't have a stressful time waiting.

This picture was taken a day after surgery. He has managed to get in a chair. You can see the bandage around his knee. And he's wearing skidproof socks.

He recovered enough to take home late Monday, and we now have him recovering at home. On Tuesday, he started physical therapy with our good friend Audrey Jernigan, and he continues to improve. However, the whole process may take six to eight weeks.

Thankfully, his employer has placed him on injury leave, and a job will await him when he recovers. I am very grateful to them for this and their quick action when he was hurt.

One of the things I am glad Benjamin inherited from me was my sense of humor. Despite his pain, he continued to make jokes and help others laugh. In that spirit, here's a post-surgery picture of his foot.

As Bruse Banner would say - "You don't want to get me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."