Reinstate LaVonnia Moore

 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 5:10 PM

I arrived early for a meeting with the Pierce County Friends of the Library. I recently volunteered to be their Treasurer.  

The meeting didn't start until 5:30, so I took a look around the library, one of my favorite things to do (this has been true for my entire life). Looking at the new books, I discovered this mammoth surprise - Myth and the Greatest Generation by Kenneth D Rose.  

Months ago, I had heard of the book on a history TikTok. I checked with both Pierce and Ware County libraries. I checked online sites. I checked with Michael Jacobs, a friend and used book specialist. Sadly, it was not to be found.

But there it was, on the bookshelf of my local library! LaVonnia Moore, the talented local librarian and branch manager, unbeknownst to me, had requested it through Three Rivers Regional Library and was able to secure a copy.

This is not just something she did for me. She always prioritizes books that patrons have requested.  

That's not all she does for the library. She is creative, experienced, and dedicated, bringing a wide range of events and activities for all age levels and patrons.

At our meeting, we discussed many of the exciting events planned for the summer reading program, including the Color Ball scheduled for the 28th. Active, caring, and engaged, I have never met a finer librarian. She also talked about the new Director at Three Rivers. She said there were a lot of new rules to adjust to, but he was fair and caring, and looked forward to working with him.

There was no sign of what was to come.

Wednesday was a closed day for the library. But that was the day she was called and summarily dismissed. Why? There was a PATRON CREATED display, primarily based on book cover colors, that included an award-winning book with a theme involving a transgender child. It was not pornographic. It was positive and caring.  

But the Christian Nationalist extremists who have been yapping at our library for over a year took it as an excuse to pressure the Pierce County Commission into firing LaVonnia. Three Rivers caved when it realized the county funding was at stake.

This is nighmarishly wrong. Hopefully, pressure will be exerted to reverse it and rightfully reinstate LaVonnia.

But it is up to you, Pierce County residents and library users. Suppose the commissioners, being politicians, fear the loud, strident, and bigoted extremists. In that case, they may need to learn that they need to fear instead the hundreds who use and love our library and are opposed to banning and censorship. Then, LaVonnia will be reinstated.  

Of course, it may not have sunk in to the commissioners how illegal and un-American what they did was.

However, over time, if they don't act, they may eventually figure it out.

There is a GoFundMe titled Help LaVonnia Moore Seek Justice and Equality. I highly encourage donations. It will help in her legal efforts.

I apologize that this is only a brief outline of what happened, but for more details, if you are local, please check your Facebook feeds and The Blackshear Times. Alicia Moore, LaVonnnia's sister, is invaluable to check out.

Make no mistake, library patrons, concerned citizens, and the Three Rivers Staff. If you don't stand your ground, the extremists will keep pushing and taking. They will not stop until the library is nothing more than a Christian Nationalist Reading Room.

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.

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.

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!

The Joy of Reading

 

I can't imagine life without reading.

And as much as I love reading the written word, that joy can extend itself to braille and audio for those who are blind or have limited eyesight. Even for those with perfect vision, their learning skills and preferred medium may be audio.

I started early. My mother taught me to read before I entered Kindergarten. I was reading information the teacher was writing that she didn't even intend for us - that caused some embarrassment.

By third grade, I was reading out loud to students during the reading time. The teacher learned that the class preferred me to her and that I could hold their attention better. So I read a book about Pocahontas and John Smith, and yes, it was the sanitized fictional version.

I skipped most children's books. The closest I came was the Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting and the Bobbsey Twins (a girl I liked was reading them, and it gave us a point in common).

By 4, I was reading and collecting comic books. By 8, I was reading science fiction magazines, including serialized novels like Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

By late elementary I was reading all kinds of things, including books that were being weeded out at the Junior High Library  One of those books was Mein Kempf by Adolph Hitler  And that's how I became a Nazi...NOT  I thought Hitler was insane and a dangerous jackass. You see, sometimes you have to trust the moral and ethical basis you give a young adult is strong enough to guide them through a free society.

By early high school, I had discovered dystopian novels like 1984 and Brave New World, and those influenced me. Like Hitler, I realized how off-course we could get when authoritarian forces took hold.

As I grew up, a cornucopia of books opened up to me, from Lord of the Rings to The Game of Thrones, from Stephen King to Sara Pinbrough, from John Steinbeck to Colson Whitehead,  from Joseph Heller to Margaret Atwood, from Philip K Dick to Harry Turtledove.

I usually have 25 to 60 books on cue to read. I have a random number program to determine what I read next. And even if it takes a while, they all get read.

I have a lot of books, but only a fraction of what I've ever had. Over the years, I've given away enough books to fill a library the size of Pierce County's.

As my intense desire to own books has diminished, I have tried to slowly read more books from the public library. I'm up to two or three a month, including the Murder They Read Book Club that I am in (at the public library, naturally).

Books are only one of the important public services the library provides, But it's important to me, and it means so much to those who find $30 to purchase a book out of reach. It provides that great joy of reading to so many, and it helps fulfill one of the main missions of our public schools and libraries - to help provide an educated populace capable of critical thinking and contributing to the foundational strength of our democracy.*

Today, your public library needs your love and support. Make sure everyone you meet knows that you support the local library and that they need to urge local government boards to STOP holding up support and fund the library TODAY.

The situation in the Okefenokee Library Region is dire. If local support is not secured, they could be shutting their doors on June 30th. No more library for avid readers like myself or for those who are using the library for so many other important, special things.**

Reading is a joy. Reading is fundamental. Reading keeps us free.

Support freedom. Support the need for open public spaces. Support your local library.

And ensure that it exists tomorrow.

*constitutional republic, representative democracy, yada yada. God, I hate having to keep repeating this.

**to be addressed in future blog articles. The Strait Line is now wholly devoted to supporting the public library until the current funding crisis is over.

Public Spaces Under Siege

 

It is hard to marshall my thoughts in this dark and scary time.

I took so much for granted about the greatness and stability of American Democracy.*

I thought the great civil rights battles of sixty to fifty years ago were a sign that the moral arc of the universe was finally bending the right way.

I was wrong.

The battle is never over. The forces that would pull us back are constantly with us. If we don't fight back, they will overwhelm us and drag us back to a time when DEI doesn't stand for diversity, equity, and inclusion but instead discrimination, exclusion, and intolerance.

What a beautiful, inclusive, and loving statement the above mural is. And how sick and twisted are the challenges to it.

The concept of open public libraries is essential to the preservation of democracy. As our founding fathers advocated, a functioning democracy is dependent on an educated and informed populace. We must develop critical thinkers, not automatons ready to follow whatever authoritarian bully comes around.

Democracy is stronger when knowledge is available. A community is stronger whenever everyone is served, regardless of income or station.  

Marginalized communities and individuals need to know they have a welcoming, safe space to go to. There are so many places where they are made to feel uncomfortable and unwanted. Public spaces, including the library and our schools, should not be one of them.

If your ideas are strong enough, they should be able to survive and thrive in an open marketplace of ideas. As a devout Christian, I do not fear this marketplace. I thrive in it. Because I know how strong and loving my faith is.

But if you really can't stand openness, then stop attacking public spaces and create your own private spaces that only allow your own indoctrination to shine through. Start your own private schools. Put a private library in your church or your beer-putsch-style political halls. Just don't come running to the state for your funding. Because they are obligated to serve EVERYONE, not just YOU.

This is not my last message on this subject. I will come back to it again and again. I would love for my blog to be about the eclipse, funny family experiences, pets, theatre, my Granddaughter, or even railing about Trump.

But that's not the time we live in. We must come to the defense of public spaces.

I'm open to suggestions. Anything. Let me know. Yes, I'm an introvert who has a hard time putting myself out. But this is too important.

Let's figure out what to do. If you love the library, now is the time to defend it.

*constitutional republic, representative democracy...whatever, it's all the same thing.  If you're snarling about my using the word democracy, you're part of the problem, not the solution.

Standing on the Outside

I'd like to officially announce that my bid to be on the local library board was a bust. They chose instead a teacher, so I'm hoping that is a good sign for the local library. Not all teachers are enthusiastic about the library. Most believe that banning books and excluding serving all patrons is wrong, but it's not universal. 

 The Pierce County School Board has withheld its share of public library funding. Hopefully, that is temporary, but I fear that it is not. Meanwhile, the public library has had to reduce hours and staffing to stay within its reduced budget. 

It breaks my heart. Some dedicated workers need to see promotions and pay raises, not reductions.

There is absolutely nothing specific that the library has done. For better or worse, they've never had displays welcoming the LGBTQ+ community, nor is there anything offensive in their book collection. The people who oppose the library use the LGBTQ+, particularly the transgender community, as smoke screens for their real desires - to eliminate public spaces and to take control of them as mouthpieces for Christian Nationalism.

The LGBTQ+ community is not trying to indoctrinate anyone, but they sure as heck are.

Rest assured, I will not stop advocating for the public library. I will continue to support them every day I can. I will continue to use the library, participate in activities, including book clubs, their Eating Well program, Friens of the Library, reading at Storytime, donating books, volunteering for events, helping donate prizes. I will speak out whenever I can. I will continue to welcome everyone, even those intent on destroying the library.

Libraries are for Everyone.

I don't want that to just be a slogan.

I want it to be the accepted reality.

Join me in supporting the library. Become a user and enjoy the many benefits of participation. Speak out about your love for the library. Join me in opposing those who would destroy it.

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.

Interior Design

 

No pictures today

They all fade away

Just me and a keyboard

Trying not to be bored

I have pets in the house

Not one is a mouse

A roach thinks it's cute

But I give it the boot

I am surrounded by books

It gets cozy looks

Right now I'm reading three

Some of them are free!

What? How are they free?

Because I got them from the public LI-BRAR-EEE!

I'm in two book clubs

Occasionally the book flubs

But not the people

They're not sheeple

They're independent and fun

And burn less than the sun

The sun I must avoid

It makes my skin annoyed

On doing more rhymes I must pass

Turns out I'm not Ogden Nash

Sporadic Re-Entry: Wednesday Wanderings

 

These are many evenings after Alison and the little dogs go to bed, Cocoa Bear stares at me. She knows if she keeps it up, I might give her snacks.

Ok, there's no maybe to it. I give her snacks. She has her cognitive treats, a joint health treat, and some soft chew dog treats. Look, she's fifteen. I'll feed her whatever she wants.

She had a rough go about a month ago - barely able to walk, very disoriented. But she is much better now with the vet's help and our love and care. Yes, she's old. Yes, she gets confused. Yes, she moves slowly and takes long naps. But she's a good dog, likes to be with me, and eats well.

UPDATE ON BOOK SALES:

I got my check! After OHC's commission, I took home a whopping $39.75! Don't laugh. That's $39.75 more than I made last year!

I need to reorder more copies of my books so I can do it again. If you are interested in my books, please check Amazon. Most are available for no charge if you use Amazon Kindle Unlimited. I know I will never get rich doing it, but it is fun to have readers.

Wish me luck in reorganizing my life to write more.

UPDATE ON BENJAMIN

Benjamin is in the 6th week of his 6-week internship with Warner Robins Air Force base. He has garnered a full-time position after the internship is over. He'll have to transition from dorm housing to an apartment by July 28th. We helped him look some last weekend, but he still needs to secure a place. Sometimes, as parents of a young adult, you have to learn to step back and let them find their own way. It ain't easy.

UPDATE ON THE LIBRARY

Alison and I have grown to love our local libraries very much! We participate in two book clubs, the Mystery Book Club and the True Crime Book Club. It's a great joy to be discussing books with fellow readers. And we often go off-topic! Some people read the hard copy, some use e-readers, some use audio, some watch a related program, and some just bluff. It's all good!

Alison goes up to a knitting/crochet group once a week. I read children's stories at the Pierce County Library. I love reading aloud to people, especially children.  I do female-voiced characters sometimes. I guess I can get away with it because I'm not in drag. Drag StoryTime may not be my thang as a performer, but believe me, I got no problem with it.

Another new great thing about the Library is that they have added access to the Kanopy streaming service. I'll post a blog soon about how absolutely awesome that is!

UPDATE ON GRACE EPISCOPAL

We have a priest in charge now, contracted for the next seven months (or six - I'm not sure). He is Father Donald Holland, who is a friend and a Waycross resident.

My favorite thing to do in church is read the Lector's reading and/or Prayers of the People. Reading aloud - it's what I enjoy most.

My desire to be involved with the church ebbs and flows. Right now, I am more at an ebb. I have less enthusiasm about it right now. Maybe soon, the feeling will come back.

UPDATE ON THE TRUMPOCALYPSE

One of the things that I've learned in the True Crime Book Club is how long even the most obvious killers take to come to trial. The most recent we read took six years for an arrest and another three years to go to trial.

What does that mean? My hope is that Trump would have completed trials and verdicts before the Presidential Campaign got into swing.  

Those hopes are dashed. It has been so slow to get indictments, and then you find out it will be months or even years before the trial, even under the best circumstances. Right now, all we're seeing is why wealth and privilege rule all in our society. Trump's major tactic is to obfuscate, lie, draw attention to others, and most of all - delay, delay, delay! And his plan is working.

If only conservatives would turn on him instead of trying to shuffle the last deck chairs on the Titanic.

But I've hoped for that for almost eight years now. I guess it's not gonna happen. I guess they'll just turn a federal (or state) prison into a White House.

Wanderingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Table of the Banned

 

A brief cruise around my house revealed a table full of books I own that have been banned or could be banned. Some have been banned in school libraries, some in public libraries, and some would be subject to CRT restrictions (basically, that you could no longer teach the truth in history class).

King James Bible - banned in elementary and middle schools in Utah. It has passages that are intensely violent and others that are sexually explicit. Utah changed its laws so if even one parent objected to a book, it could be pulled from library shelves. In protest of that idiotic rule, one parent decided to ask for a ban of the King James Bible. And, taken out of context, as other objected to books are, he's absolutely right. Once you start down the road to madness, anything can happen.

Maus - this PULITZER prize-winning graphic compelling tells the story of the Holocaust using anthropomorphic characters. It raises the ire of holocaust deniers and has the audacity to display naked mice heading for the gas chambers. I've read hundreds of graphic novels. Maus is among the very best.

A Young People's History of the United States - I got this for Benjamin to get a richer view of history than he was at school (where Nixon was one of the best Presidents ever, and the teacher stated that being gay was a sin). It tells history from the point of view of the average person rather than the elites. I don't know if this book is specifically banned. I also don't think you can find it in libraries.

An Inconvenient Truth -  Is it banned? I'm not sure. But I doubt if you can find it in most school libraries. It teaches the truth about climate change, something the political and Christian right don't want young children exposed to.

Waking Up White - a white woman wakes up to the systematic racism she is surrounded by. So, what do you think? You think a book that screams "woke" would survive DeSantis-level scrutiny?

It Can't Happen Here -  a 1930s book by Sinclair Lewis, imagining the US where fascism creeps in and takes over. It can't happen here? I would argue that Florida is finding out that it surely can happen here.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - the book's banning has been chiefly perpetrated by leftists, objecting to the use of the n word. Yes, I am a leftist/progressive, but one smart enough to understand the importance of context and what Mark Twain was trying to communicate.

To Kill A Mockingbird - yep. Some places have banned this book, one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. Don't want white people to feel bad, I guess.

Red, White & Royal Blue - has the unabashed audacity to feature gay characters. 

Jesus and the Disinherited - not banned per see, but probably not very wanted in political and Christain right circles, as it connects the light and love of Jesus to those who are disadvantaged and discriminated against and promotes social justice. Many, many churches in the area I live in are much more interested in the prosperity gospel, condemning reproductive rights and marginalizing and demonizing LGBTQ+ people than they are in social justice and inclusion.

The Jungle - this intense book and expose of the meatpacking industry led to reforms that helped protect workers and consumers, including leading to the FDA and the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act. Why was it objected to? Why, it's SOCIALISM.

The World According to Garp and A Prayer for Owen Meany -  two books by John Irving that have been subject to bans. The World According to Garp presents feminist concerns and a sympathetic transgender character.

 Good as Gold - I actually picked the wrong Joseph Heller book. It should be Catch-22 which I also have. Explicit scenes and defiance of bureaucracy.

The Public Burning - stunningly raw alternate history and satire of the Nixon Era. This book was banned by government libraries when it first came out. It is rare and difficult to find this book. I'm amazed I have a copy, but I am a big Robert Coover fan.

The Grapes of Wrath - again, history of the average working man going through a historical crisis. Why? Once again, socialism is the scapegoat. This is not the only John Steinbeck book that receives bannings - also Of Mice and Men, for similar reasons. 

Caste -  this is one of many books by black authors, both fiction and non-fiction, that is being "cast" out of some libraries. This is non-fiction, compellingly explaining the similarities between India's caste system and what blacks and other persons of color are subject to in the US. Again, DeSantis doesn't want true history taught. He wants to return to the Lost Cause Myth perpetrated originally by the United Daughters of the Confederacy at the turn of the 20th century.

The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx & Crake - two brilliant dystopian novels written by Margaret Atwood. They're fiction, but each day their themes - a regime of Christian fascists controlling women and the other showing the results of continued climate change and environmental destruction.

These are just some I could find in a couple hours of searching. There are others I have (or had), including the two dystopian novels that impacted me as a teenager - 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. My 9th-grade English teacher let me read 1984 as a special assignment, and I started a novel as an extension and sequel. Can you imagine that happening in today's schools?

In summary, if you object to a book, don't read it. If you personally don't want your child to read it, you can stop them from getting the book at the library.  

What you can't do is tell me what I can read and what my children and grandchildren can read.

Censor yourself and your family all you want. You're doing a disservice to yourself and your family, but you have the right to do that.

But stop telling other people what they can or cannot read.