‘Throw Those Books in a Fire’

 NEWS NOTE: The Spotsylvania, Virginia, County School Board votes 6-0 to remove books that contain “sexually explicit” material from library shelves.

“Two board members, Courtland representative Rabih Abuismail and Livingston representative Kirk Twigg, said they would like to see the removed books burned.

“‘I think we should throw those books in a fire,’ Abuismail said, and Twigg said he wants to ‘see the books before we burn them so we can identify within our community that we are eradicating this bad stuff.’” . . . 

“Twigg said he would like to broaden the criteria for identifying objectionable books.

“‘There are some bad, evil-related material that we have to be careful of and look at,’ he said, without elaborating.”

—Adele Uphaus-Connor, reporter, “Spotsylvania School Board orders libraries to remove 'sexually explicit' books,” The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, Nov. 9, 2021. Image: Same thing in Utah, Pat Bagley/SLTribune.

• Editorial Comment: Or just stop teaching kids to read. Or think.

PeezPIX 

Crabbers Betty Ann & Miss Phyllis load traps to start the Dungeness season, Nov. 28, 2021.

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“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.”—Tom Stoppard

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Edward C. Pease, Ph.D.
Professor & Department Head Emeritus
Department of Journalism & Communication
Utah State University
Today's WORD on Journalism