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.

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

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.

Grandpa Funder!

 

One of the most popular events at our local libraries is the storytimes and crafts for children. Waycross/Ware County Public Library has Story Time for older children on Tuesdays at 4 PM and Toddler Time for the pre-K set on Wednesdays at 10 AM.

Pierce County also has a Story/Craft time on Mondays at 4 PM. This one is special to me because I have occasionally read a story. I hope to be there today to read The Silly Book by Stu Hemple. As a semi-retired community theatre hamwich, there is nothing I like better.

Recently, the parents who attend Story Time and/or Toddler Time with their children were horrified to find out that the library has not yet been properly funded and may have to close down at the end of June.

So, be prepared. These parents vote. They've got buttons, and they're prepared to make their voices heard. Local politicians and Christian Nationalist churches don't know what they have awoken.

They've got buttons that say Moms for Funding Libraries. And there are buttons for other family members. As you can see at the start of this post, I am proud to have a Grandpas for Funding Libraries button.  

And, yes, I am now officially a Grandpa more than ever! I have one Grandchild, a granddaughter, Retta, who is 25 months old today. She is way up in the Catskills Mountains of New York. We make video calls to her at least once a week. This Grandpa has been able to read her some stories, but mostly we just hobnob and watch her play.

Yesterday, however, was extra special. She called me Grandpa for the first time!

So, now it's super official! I am GRANDPA! Woohoo!

Special note: Grandpa Funder, along with many others, is ready to take on the so-called Daddy Defunder, the Ware County Commission Chairman.

The superheroes are ready to take on the supervillains.

Huzzah!

Libby Lets You Listen Too!

 

There's more to Libby than just ebooks and magazines!

Some, like me, prefer physical books, while others prefer to read books on a Kindle or other device.

Another group of people prefers audiobooks.  

Everyone has a different way of learning and absorbing information. Whether it's reading for pleasure or learning something you didn't know in history, how to build something, or positive affirmations, your learning style may be to use your auditory skills.

About the only time I can listen to audio is when I'm driving (preferably a routine route) or walking/mowing. Even then, I prefer podcasts or nonfiction.

Others prefer audiobooks. They are easier for them to concentrate on and read than the written word.

And as we know, LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE, and waalaa, oops there it is!

Get the latest audio fiction! Libby tells you how long it is and describes the book. This particular one offers seven hours of audio enjoyment.

Like nonfiction? There's this three-hour gem!

And, yes, libraries are for Christians too, including this 5 hour devotional. Seriously, it's better to find the stuff you want to read/listen to than trying to tell everyone else what they CAN'T read/listen to,

Although I don't spend much time with audiobooks, I would like to become a voice artist and record them. I have the voice and acting skills; I just don't have the technical skills. If anyone could ever help with that, I would be very grateful.

Anyhoo, this is another excellent service of your local library.

Now is the time to let the defunders know how much you love and appreciate your library!

When It Says Libby, Libby, Libby at Your Library, Library, Library!

 

I love to read physical books. I love the feel and the smell. I love to know how far I've got to go, to flip back with ease, and to experience the joy of a fun and clever bookmark.

But not everybody is exactly like me.

  Some prefer e-readers. They find it easier to hold, and the size of the print can be adjusted to whatever you want.

And your public library knows this.  

Which is why they offer the wonderful service of Libby...free of charge! It gives you access to hundreds of books and magazines, all available to lend.  

Like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens?

You can read the ebook on your favorite online device!

Like magazines like National Geographic?

It's available! Along with many other magazines!

How about books and stuff for Young Adults and children?

Oh, yowza! Libby has got them!

How about Graphic Novels?

Oh, yaz! You better believe Libby's has them.

I could go on and on, for whatever interest or taste you have!

And it's all courtesy of your PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Don't let them defund the local libraries. Support them. Make sure civic leaders and others know you have the library's back.

LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE!

We Love Our Library

 

We love our library.

And the library loves its patrons. All of them.

What more could you ask for from a public library?

Filled with books. Filled with activities for children and adults. Filled with love.

Knitting and crochet groups. Storytime and crafts for children, including visits from firefighters and Smokey the Bear. A plethora of book clubs for all tastes and interests. Community services include learning how to use computers and nutrition information. Fun things like Cooking with Andy and Yoga.

And it's all free. Open to every member of the community.

The library is committed to the free flow of information, to research, to the discovery of knowledge, and to the joy of reading and imagination.

The library is divided into sections catering to different age groups - children, teenagers, and adults. Parents have the full right to determine what their children check out to read and what groups or activities they can participate in.  

I pray that our PUBLIC library stays open to all, regardless of religion or creed, race or ethnic group, sexual orientation or gender identification.

We should be proud of the Okefenokee Regional Library Director's work to make us one of the very best library systems in Georgia. She has fought hard to keep the library open, filled with love, and servicing the entire community.

The recent resignation of ORLS Director Martha Power-Jones will leave a gaping hole in the spirit of the library. I don't know all the details of what happened, but I know her well enough to know she will be sorely missed.

There are forces in the community that want to make the library exclude and marginalize some patrons. They wish to eliminate displays, books, and book clubs, and curtail bathroom access for some. They cloak their hatred and bigotry in words like "neutrality" and "protecting the children," Orwellian phrases that mean the opposite of what they're saying.

It's not going to be easy. But, I believe, like Anne Frank, that people are ultimately good at heart. That in the long run, love is stronger than hate.

But that might take some time. The strain of repression and ignorance runs strong in this country; sadly, that's especially true in this area.

If you support the library, believe in openness and oppose book bans, and love all of mankind, including marginalized groups, now is the time to speak up. This library (all the branches in the system, including Waycross and Pierce) that loves its patrons needs you to show your love in return.

Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines and hope everything turns out right.  Now is the time to speak up and show your support.