Alligators in the Sewers

E.T. is a great movie, one of the most popular movies of the 80s.

One of the scenes that stands out to me is when the boys are excitedly talking about strange phenomena at the dinner table, and one of them brings up "Alligators in the sewers." Little Drew Barrymore, also at the table, hears this and says with sly skepticism, "Alligators in the sewers," like it's just stupy boys being stupy boys, like it's the crazy paranoid nonsense that it actually is.

And that's how I react when I hear someone say -

Transgenders in the bathrooms

What crazy, paranoid nonsense  What a stupid rabbit hole to go down.

The right is always trying to gin up nonsense to fire up their base. They're always picking boogeymen to chase to distract from the fact that their actual agenda (tax cuts for the rich, cutting social security, eliminating health care assistance, allowing deregulated corporations to run roughshod, and sacrificing public safety, just to name a few) is extremely unpopular.

Whether it's fluoride in the drinking water, anthem-kneeling sports figures, welfare moms, immigrant caravans, Teletubbies, or Taylor Swift, it's always something  Like a con man or magician shouting, "Don't look over there; Look over here!"

Our transgendered citizens are one of the easiest of our marginalized communities to pick on. It doesn't matter that they've always existed in every society, at every time. It's difficult for some to understand, but it is scientifically accurate that a person's brain (and soul*!) can be wired differently than their genitalia. 

It's easy to frighten those already on the right with images of men dressed as women invading public bathrooms for the sole purpose of ogling women of all ages.

Yeah.  Right. Someone who identifies as a woman, dresses as such, and THINKS as such is not doing it as an excuse to get into women's restrooms. Alk about your long con!

Is it impossible that a HETEROSEXUAL man would dress as a woman and get into the women's restroom? Maybe...but here's the critical thing to note - THEY"RE NOT TRANSEXUAL.

The primary driver of sexual and physical abuse is not the LGBTQ+ community. Transsexuals committing these abuses are rarer than people getting hit by lightning.

No, the primary driver of these abuses are authority figures in the children's lives who abuse their relationship - pastors, priests, youth pastors, teachers, coaches, and especially other family members, but the right doesn't seem to be worried about the real threat.

Of course, this fear has focused on public library bathrooms. All other bathrooms—in public places, in retail establishments, in restaurants—seem to get a pass.

So, please, can anyone explain to me -

Why are they focused exclusively on public library bathrooms? Even when libraries have single-stall, locking restrooms, it doesn't seem to matter. What is special about the library that they are being held out for special persecution?

Please.

Make it make sense to me.

I don't understand.

*yeah, I don't think a soul is a scientific term, but I nevertheless think it exists.

Migrating Up the River of Why

 

A meeting was held at the Pierce County Library yesterday (Monday, May 13th). The Pierce County Library Board was deciding whether or not to move the library from the Okefenokee Regional Library (based in Waycross) to the Three Rivers Regional Library(based in Jesup).

This makes no sense on any level. Pierce and Ware Counties are weaved together, with many people working, shopping, and churching in both counties. Many have family in both counties. Many visit both libraries. So, it makes no sense from a geographical and relational point of view.

It also makes no sense from the point of view of those who want to discriminate against marginalized communities. The Okefenokee Regional Library has been seized by extremists who have already exiled any displays of support for the LGBTQ+ community and other groups. The only identity politics allowed is white and Christian.

So, why go up the river? First, they had no choice. The local politicians on different area boards refused to fund the library unless they moved to Three Rivers. Why? Even with the domination of a board now sympathetic to the extremists? I don't know. I can't answer that. They have been very unclear publicly as to why they're doing this. If anyone ever figures it out, please let me know.

They may think that by making this move, they will satisfy those pushing the library to be more and more restrictive and more straight-jacketed into only presenting the Christian Nationalist point of view. Even at the meeting, people were commenting on going further, including transgenders and immigrants (?) in the bathrooms. One person implied the taking down of the mural at the Waycross/Ware County Library was a victory for the restoration of equality!

VICTORY FOR EQUALITY??????? George Orwell is a-flippin' in his grave!

I did not get into the meeting room. I lost my seat because I was ready to read for Story Hour. It was packed, so I had to stand outside. With my somewhat reduced hearing capacity, I missed much of what people were saying, particularly the board.

I behaved. I did not speak because I did not have prepared remarks and was afraid I would lose it. There are some who know my rhetorical skills and want me to speak more extemporaneously.

That is a mistake, and I proved it after the meeting. Coming out of the library, I saw the man who was freaking out about transgendered in the bathrooms. I asked why they were so concerned about the bathrooms in the library and not every place else, like at county and city buildings or the schools. I'd like to tell you he had a coherent answer, but he did not. The "conversation" went on and deteriorated from there on both our parts. I got louder and more strident, and so did he. I tried to walk away while he was calling me a wacko. I did not take this well.

I was not cursing, but I was loud and passionate, as I tend to be. I'm ashamed of how I behaved. It was a long and hard week. This was topped by being self-contained for years here, what with all the Trump and Christian Nationalist nonsense. I'm always on the verge of losing it, but normally, I can control it.

It's not healthy, I know. But that is why I try to express myself through this blog or carefully prepared speeches. I am not a debater. I am not good at back-and-forth with unreasonable people. I wish I were different, but I'm not.

Please forgive me. I will do my best to keep the pressure cooker lid from coming off.

But these people...what a challenge.

Everything Changed: OHC Writer's Guild Writing Assignment #1

 Everything changed.  In an instant, my love was gone.

The bus stop was just a bench.  We were waiting for the 151 to the Palisades. 

The argument was stupid.  Meaningless.  Insignificant.  The same old thing.  My love wanted me to move away from my mother and come live with her. 

But I couldn’t leave.  My mother was too fragile, too dependent on me.

What did I know about fragility?

She huffed away from me, standing by the curb of the road, yelling at me to man up and break free.

Neither of us heard the truck.  The truck that was heading to the curb too fast.

I saw nothing until I heard the smack of her body against the oncoming truck. 

At first, she seemed stuck to its front, as if glued down somehow.  But that horrible image, forever ingrained in my mind, in reality only lasted milliseconds.

Then she flew through the air, at least twenty feet, landing harshly on the concrete, twisted like a rag doll.

It happened in an instant.  I would give anything for that instant not to have occurred.

Instead, it will haunt me forever.

The End of Reason

 

Well, the mural is gone. By a 6 to 3 vote, this unifying mural, a welcome to all groups and users to the library, displaying its varied patrons and wide range of resources, has been stripped away. The noise brought by a vocal minority convinced enough local politicians that welcoming everyone, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, was not the way they wanted to go.

It has already been removed. There is now only an empty wall to greet visitors. Are you welcome? Take a chance and find out.  

It is a sad day in this area's history. It is a giant step backward towards the bad old days of segregation and exclusion.

Some are happy that this happened. Others, although not thrilled with it, think that now that this concession has been made, those who are coming after the LGBTQ+ will just stop, having achieved their great victory.

If you are in the group that thinks this settles it, you are highly mistaken. They're not going to stop. They are emboldened to gut more and more. They will come after books, personnel, and anything else that doesn't meet their narrow views. They will reach beyond the LGBTQ+ community and try to censor and exclude history and any other book that doesn't meet their narrow views.

They want something other than a truly public library. They want a propaganda center exclusively for their own views.

They will not break our spirit. We are the library. We are the mural. We will never give up the fight to make the library for everyone.  

I'm a big Superman fan, and this quote is one of the big reasons why. A favorite Superman quote: "Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever."

As far as the funding battles go, there is nothing left for local boards to use as an excuse to hold up funding. I have not heard anything definitive from the Pierce Boards, but to object now is just pure meanness and would demonstrate that you just really do not want a library in your county.

Please continue to support your local public library and the right for all to be represented and welcome.

I will continue to update you on the battle and the many services your local public library offers.

Be aware that Facebook is starting to take down some of my blog stories, claiming they are community spam. This is incredibly annoying, as most of the taking down has occurred on my T. M. Strait Page, which was explicitly designed to give access to my writings, especially from my blog The Strait Line.

It might be Facebook, or an individual might be reporting it as spam. I'm trying to get to the bottom of it, and I will report back any results—that is if you get to see this at all.

Libraries are for Everyone!

T. M. Strait

An Email to the Okefenokee Regional Library Board

I was asked to email the members of the Okefenokee Regional Library Board. As usual, I saw this request close to the deadline.  

For better or worse, this is what I sent:

 I am a library patron of both the Waycross/Ware County Library and the Pierce County Library, visiting several times each week.

One of the very best parts of this area is The Miracle League. A specially designed baseball field, with games played by young players with different challenges. The community has come together to support them with dollars, attendance, cheers, and love. Not everyplace in the Okefenokee area makes itself welcome to these marginalized communities, but this league does. It is truly a miracle.

There are not many signs supportive of marginalized communities in this area. There is no requirement to be overtly welcoming in our private businesses and churches. This is especially true of the lgbtq+ community. They are made to feel "less than" in many places.  

This should not be true in public spaces. Both our public schools and public schools should be overtly welcome to everyone.

And that is what the Libraries Are for Everyone mural does for the Waycross/Ware County Public Library. It is a vital symbol of inclusion. Taking it down would be sending a horrible message to our marginalized and, in some cases, persecuted communities.

But we need to be honest with ourselves. A virulent vocal group wants it taken down for one reason and one reason only.

The rainbow heart symbol.

That's it. Everything else is background noise.

Taking it down for that reason (no matter how thinly disguised) is discriminatory and against the law. If not criminal, there will be civil rights consequences, and rightly so.

No, it is not enough to imply that the library is for everyone without any symbols of support. The draconian display policy has already eliminated displays for book clubs and most special occasions, giving the library an empty, cold feel. The fear of showing any support for the LGBTQ+ community means stripping everything else away.

The LGBTQ+ youth, excluded and isolated, have a higher rate of depression and suicide, especially in the transgender community. The rainbow heart symbol, which has arisen such a fever of hate and intolerance, is necessary to show that at least one place in the area welcomes them.

The forces that want to take this down will not stop there. Once they realize how easy it is to push the board around, they will come after books, book clubs, activities, and personnel. And how long before they come after books that, in their opinion, make other groups feel uncomfortable, censoring books that do not support their sense of history, or make their children feel uncomfortable? How long will we get to keep our biographies of Ruby Bridges or Rosa Parks? Will they want to take any book that shows the evils of slavery? Will they want the holocaust denied?  

Where does it stop?

Please stop the madness. Please show that this area is worthy of the marginalized communities in it.  

Just like the Miracle League, you can be a shining example of community support.  

Make it real.

Keep the mural up, and keep the library truly for everyone.

Sincerely,

Tom Strait

Suddenly Three Rivers?

Special for residents of Pierce County

 I am a proud resident of Pierce County, having moved here 27 years ago. My partner was born here and has been a lifelong resident. There is much to love about Pierce County. The people are friendly, kind, and always willing to lend a helping hand. My political bent differs from the vast majority, but I have never felt persecuted.

Pierce County Public Schools are fantastic, and they are one of the best systems in the state. Our son attended from pre-K to Graduation and received a first-rate education. It laid the foundation for him to graduate with honors from college, and he is now employed as a computer programmer.

In addition to the best parts of Pierce County, there is an added benefit of being close to Waycross. Many of us have friends, family, and jobs in Waycross. I worked at a Waycross CPA firm for more than two decades. As an inveterate community theatre hamwich, I have performed many Plays with the Waycross Area Community Theatre. We go to a church in Waycross. We often shop and occasionally eat a meal there.

We also use the Waycross/Ware County Library. They have specific programs, including book clubs, Crafternoons, and Eating Well with Chef Andy. But that only supplements our use of the Pierce County Library. We also use their services, and I often read for story time with Caboose Express.

All it takes is one library card to use at both libraries. Their services are closely related, and getting books from one or the other is easy. You can enjoy such services as Libby (ebooks and audiobooks), Kanopy (streaming service), Glass (for the hearing and sight impaired), and Mango ( learning foreign languages). All this and more comes from Pierce County’s affiliation with the Okefenokee Regional Library.

There is a fast-moving effort to move the Pierce County Library to the Three Rivers Library System based in Jesup. There may be legitimate business and patron reasons to consider this move. However, the decision is not being made methodically or with careful analysis.

Why? Because some local politicians and members of different boards operate from lies, rumors, and innuendo. And they are trying to force the local board into the move. 

They are willing to destroy the local library because they falsely believe that the Ware County Commission has given a list of specific demands for the Waycross/Ware County Library to give in to or risk being defunded at the end of June. Simply, there is no actual written list of demands. There can’t be.

Why? Because at the root of what they want is sheer discrimination against the lgbtq+ community, and they don’t want to run the risk of being blatant about their demands. This could engender exposure to lawsuits. So, they are trying to pass forward the risk to the Waycross/Ware County Library Board and, failing that, the Okefenokee Regional Library Board. This may be moot one way or another because of the regional meeting on May 6^th. Again, it’s hard to say what will come from it since the demands are not concrete.  

Interestingly, the same County Board that withholds funding also approved using an almost million-dollar grant to improve the physical facility of the Waycross/Ware County Library. This makes me believe withholding funding for the library is all storm and thunder, signifying nothing. It is just a tremendous bluff to see how far they can push the library to be discriminatory.

The Pierce County Library Board meets on Thursday, May 9^th, to decide whether to switch library systems. I am very sympathetic to what they are dealing with. Political blackmail is never a pleasant thing to see.

Clearly, I don’t want to see the library move to a more distant system that will have incompatibilities with our sister community, Waycross. However, if worse comes to worse and the Pierce Library moves to the Three Rivers System, I will continue to support and love our local library.

But this will not solve all the problems. There are groups in our community who want to exclude the lgbtq+ community from being welcomed or supported. They will be inspired by this move, inspired to come after the library even harder. Nothing will solve this until Pierce County stands firm against the forces that would destroy and diminish our public library. Otherwise, if they sense weakness, they will demand more and more.

Please support your public library and the fundamental ideal that libraries are for everyone. Make sure you communicate this to your local representative. Right now, a loud minority is dictating things while most of us remain silent.

I love our public library. I want to see it grow and thrive and serve everybody. I pray you do, too.

 

What I Love the Most

 I love my family. I love my God. I love my neighbor.

What I love to do the most is read aloud. Whether it's community theatre, being a lector/reader at church, or reading for the banned books series, I love doing it.

But what I love most of all is reading to children. Seeing their joy and response fills my heart with gladness.

I have been able to read via Facetime to my granddaughter in New York. She is my toughest audience in that she likes to move around a lot and show us many things, but I recently had the great joy of her calling me "Grandpa" for the very first time, just as she was turning 25 months old.

I have been able to read at Story Time at two of our local libraries, mainly at Pierce County Public Library. I love coming in on Mondays and reading for their Story Time.

This is just one of the many things our local library does. It has crafting times, book clubs, computer/internet access, gaming groups, Summer Kids' Reading programs, bringing in Bluey, a Pokemon festival, Bingo, and learning programs/assistance—this is just the tip of the iceberg.

With all the incredible good the library does, it is hard to imagine that local politicians are trying to take it all down.

Why? I'm not sure. Nothing they're saying or doing makes any sense.

The investment in a public library far exceeds the cost. The help, particularly to the poor and disadvantaged, is immeasurable.  

So, why?

Rumors, lies, and innuendo.

They believe the worst rumors at face value without doing their due diligence. A small amount of investigation and verification will reveal what nonsense they are.

The worst part is that there are those in a position to challenge these misinformed individuals and don't do it. What if they were corrected right on the spot by somebody they respected?

Believing something to be true does not make it true.  

Much of this stems from the Ware County Board's self-created difficulties regarding the Waycross/Ware County Library. They want to take down a mural that declares the essential truth that Libraries are for Everyone because one of the 10 patrons has a rainbow heart in their picture.

That's it. Everything else is noise and fury. They don't want the library to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community in any way, shape, or form. The library board has already stripped the library of virtually any displays. No book club displays, nothing for Black History Month, nothing for promoting anything. Now, there are blank bulletin boards, little to no displays of books, nothing. Why? In order to not being accused of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, they'll just take down everything.

Make no mistake. The goal is not to take down all displays. They just despise the LGBTQ+ that much. It is hard for me to fathom such a level of hatred.

To be fair, some are not motivated by the rampant homophobia that is being orchestrated by a few far-right Christian churches. They are motivated by fear and cowardice. They see the avalanche headed toward them, and they are ready to concede anything to preserve the library.

I understand the instinct—I really do. It's hard to deal with politicians who operate from a base of fear and misinformation. But the forces at play will not stop. They will not be placated. They will keep coming and coming, taking away books, clubs, events, and anything that doesn't meet their narrow bigotry until there is nothing left but a hollow shell.

There are other issues that I hope to address soon, including a potential move by Pierce to another library system. But I'll let that be for another post.

P.S.

I have not written much lately. My elbow was inflamed like I was carrying a golf ball, making writing difficult. It's not gone, but it's tamed considerably, so I plan to write more frequently now.