Zach Efron was a bug
Moms for Liberty and Kirk Cameron enjoy book banning. Like, a lot.
The little girl finally asked me, What is that?
I had been ignoring her. Successfully I thought. It wasn’t a malicious ignoring understand; I was finishing up a task on the computer and it was nearly closing time.
Before I could decide if I should act like I didn’t hear her or not she asked again: what is that?
I turned in the squeaky old office chair from the computer to face her and managed to pull a tiny smile across my lips. She must have been about seven years old? However old it is when the librarian’s desk hits at our collarbones old. Maybe six?
Sorry, what is what? I asked her.
She pointed at the hulking machine on the desk between us, her brow furrowed so severely you’d think there was a single human foot laying there still slightly warm to the touch, freshly severed.
I pointed to the hulking machine: this?
Her blond hair was pulled back, her bangs cut arrow straight across her forehead, her little face red from playing out in the hot Iowa summer. In her hand was a plastic cup with a few blades of grass inside. A napkin draped over the top as makeshift lid was held in place around the opening by a strained rubber band.
The child had gone mute it seems. She was only able nod: yes.
The typewriter? I asked her.
What’s a typewriter? She asked.
This exchange could have dragged on all afternoon: this typewriter? you mean this one sitting right here? nod, ask, nod. Instead I explained it was an old timey implement once used by chimpanzees to pluck out words which they then strung together into beautiful song lyrics for the big record labels - they wrote some of Elvis’s greatest hits. I stared off meaningfully as to drive the point home. Then, I went on: the chimps moved on to telekinesis, eschewing computers all together leaving the world of language and bulky typewriters to we Neanderthals1.
I figured since I answered her question I could ask my own: what is in that cup?
It’s a ladybug and his name is Zac Efron, she told me.
I made a mental note to Ask Jeeves “who is Zac Efron” when I was off the clock. She hit the bricks and I finished my work.
Where was I going with all of this? Oh, yes. Moms for Liberty. They would do well to not cross the path of librarians. As you can see from the above encounter I had when I worked a very short stint at a library we don’t play.
This group is a well funded and backed right-wing astro turf group who really aren’t for Liberty and many aren’t moms (on the who are we portion of their website these moms also claim to be dads - sounds like a bunch of someones are confused about gender amiright?!).
And these ladies? They love them some Adolf Hitler.
This from the Indianapolis Star about the Moms group in Indiana that quoted - you guessed it - Hitler the newsletter:
Please read IndyStar’s original reporting on this here.
They’ve partnered with washed up child star Kirk Cameron who is making a name for himself as right wing Christian zealot. I mean, that part has been true for well over a decade but now he’s on tour and selling books. And he did in fact get a librarian fired in Tennessee. It’s super Christian to do this FYI - get people fired because in Kirk’s words the librarian was “disgruntled.”
Brave Books - which is a heckuva title. Sean Spicer is one of the stable of authors who is apparently coming out with a book about “fake news” which is rich coming from him. Brave Books - it is writ - was founded because someone had to be brave to stand up to all the heathens in this country. I’m not going to link to it or quote the website. If you really want to find it you will. It’s tosh. It’s to make money and gain proximity to political power. Period.
Why else would he be running around the US to public libraries with the Moms crew?
If you are near Bettendorf, Iowa on August 15 you should swing by the public library. There members of the Eastern Iowa Banned Book Club are hosting a read-in to protest Moms for Liberty and Brave Books taking over the public library.
That’s not hyperbole. Moms for Liberty went out of its way to rent all available rooms at the library so no other group could be in the same space with them. Liberty for me but not for thee.
The read-in is taking place in Faye’s Field (see flyer at the top of the page) It is named in honor of Faye Clow who was the library’s director for 30 years until her retirement in 2008. Faye died in 2011 and this from her obituary is a bit of beautiful:
She was a tireless volunteer who served on a variety of Quad-City organizations. Her memberships included the Bettendorf Rotary Club where she served as the first female president of the club, the Quad-City Arts where she was past-president and public television station, WQPT where she was president of the board. In addition, Faye was a member of the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce’s “Trailblazers” and was a member of the Iowa Humanities Board. Each week, Faye hosted the program “About Books” on WVIK Public radio.
She loved traveling and had a profound appreciation of art and beauty of the world around her. Closer to home, she enjoyed caring for her flower garden, shopping for new clothes and spending time with her many friends. Faye was also proud of the fact that she was a stockholder of the Green Bay Packers football team and loved every minute of their victory in this year’s Super Bowl.
FYI - Kirk Cameron’s Ministry - yes he has one - received over $300K in government grants and an additional almost $400K in PPP loan forgiveness during the pandemic they didn’t believe was a pandemic.
This may or may not be what I really said to the child.
Thanks for the heads up.