Political signs showed up today around HB paid for by City Council member Chad Williams saying “protect our kids from porn, vote no on A&B”. This is not only misleading but a lie.
This post needs an update already! Have you seen Councilman Chad Williams’ “No Porn” signs next to elementary schools throughout town? Great job, Chad! Now every 5 year old who can sound out words is asking their parents what “porn” is or googling it themselves!
Yikes! Trying to control access to books that teach about puberty is “uptight” and frankly extremely controlling. Puberty is a human right of passage that we all go through, informed or uninformed. The more information available to our kids, the better. Not knowing can be terrifying, lonely, and can lead to life long consequences. Not all parents are able to deliver on the many, many questions kids may have about puberty. In fact, my own dear mom couldn’t talk about it but handed me a book, way back when. As you pointed out, kids will find a way, such as an internet search or asking a more informed friend, and that may yield less than adequate information with a lot of potential bias. There should be no hysteria about kids acquiring basic health information. That would be a huge disservice to the kids that need it. It may even be helpful to parents as a lead in to discussions regarding the passage through puberty. It is inconsiderate and strangely controlling that some people seek to limit information as basic and fundamental as information about puberty. This is not the dark ages where a few in control limit the information available to the many, and I would conjecture that most people have no desire to return to the uninformed past or the dark ages. Puberty is to be wisely embraced, we have no choice. It is not shameful, and the facts about it don’t need to be shuttered away.
If you live in HB, please vote against these measures but also contact your state and local reps and ask them to restore Federal funding for libraries. On April 1, 2025, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) abruptly terminated all active federal library grants, including the Grants to States program.
Over 21% of California’s 2024–25 grant funding remains unpaid, leaving critical programs unfunded and thousands of residents without support. This will have an impact on Library Literacy Programs, summer reading programs, Veterans resources, rural internet availability and much more. Visit SaveIMLS.org for more info.
When I see activities like this, it brings two reactions.
The first is kind of an "OMG, what will they think of next - wait, I didn't know porn was in the library" reaction. Where was I my whole life, avoiding corruption by not going to the library? These folks are right (in more ways than one) - You can get it all at your public book vending location.
My second reaction is almost utter defeat. How did this come to the fore when we have so many issues that need attention. We have ceeded the discussion to the MAGA crowd, where they decide the questions and subjects, and they control the narrative. Another example is the huge boogie-man of transgender men competing in female sports. How much newsprint / airtime / meeting topics have been burned up addressing this issue? How many people are affected by it? A couple of google searches turn up 45 NCAA trans athletes, competing over the last 15 or so years. Undocumented immigrants, government expenditures, top secret messages sent on unsecured networks, confrontation with our allies, deportation -- the list goes on -- are all issues that impact exponentially larger groups than trans atheletes, or porn (maybe) books in our public libraries.
The general population doesn't seem to be able to off-ramp the lessor topics to the minor level parking lot where they belong. What can we do to change the discussion to meaningful topics addressed in a meaningful way? I've attended rallies, worked to elect people who express beyond the red-flag-of-the-day crowd, written to the editor, commented in social media. My efforts have yeilded zero. zip. zilch. bubkiss. nada. Ugh. What can we do to change the topics?
Bravo. Not a lot of thought going on in the HB Council chambers.
Political signs showed up today around HB paid for by City Council member Chad Williams saying “protect our kids from porn, vote no on A&B”. This is not only misleading but a lie.
This post needs an update already! Have you seen Councilman Chad Williams’ “No Porn” signs next to elementary schools throughout town? Great job, Chad! Now every 5 year old who can sound out words is asking their parents what “porn” is or googling it themselves!
Yikes! Trying to control access to books that teach about puberty is “uptight” and frankly extremely controlling. Puberty is a human right of passage that we all go through, informed or uninformed. The more information available to our kids, the better. Not knowing can be terrifying, lonely, and can lead to life long consequences. Not all parents are able to deliver on the many, many questions kids may have about puberty. In fact, my own dear mom couldn’t talk about it but handed me a book, way back when. As you pointed out, kids will find a way, such as an internet search or asking a more informed friend, and that may yield less than adequate information with a lot of potential bias. There should be no hysteria about kids acquiring basic health information. That would be a huge disservice to the kids that need it. It may even be helpful to parents as a lead in to discussions regarding the passage through puberty. It is inconsiderate and strangely controlling that some people seek to limit information as basic and fundamental as information about puberty. This is not the dark ages where a few in control limit the information available to the many, and I would conjecture that most people have no desire to return to the uninformed past or the dark ages. Puberty is to be wisely embraced, we have no choice. It is not shameful, and the facts about it don’t need to be shuttered away.
If you live in HB, please vote against these measures but also contact your state and local reps and ask them to restore Federal funding for libraries. On April 1, 2025, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) abruptly terminated all active federal library grants, including the Grants to States program.
Over 21% of California’s 2024–25 grant funding remains unpaid, leaving critical programs unfunded and thousands of residents without support. This will have an impact on Library Literacy Programs, summer reading programs, Veterans resources, rural internet availability and much more. Visit SaveIMLS.org for more info.
When I see activities like this, it brings two reactions.
The first is kind of an "OMG, what will they think of next - wait, I didn't know porn was in the library" reaction. Where was I my whole life, avoiding corruption by not going to the library? These folks are right (in more ways than one) - You can get it all at your public book vending location.
My second reaction is almost utter defeat. How did this come to the fore when we have so many issues that need attention. We have ceeded the discussion to the MAGA crowd, where they decide the questions and subjects, and they control the narrative. Another example is the huge boogie-man of transgender men competing in female sports. How much newsprint / airtime / meeting topics have been burned up addressing this issue? How many people are affected by it? A couple of google searches turn up 45 NCAA trans athletes, competing over the last 15 or so years. Undocumented immigrants, government expenditures, top secret messages sent on unsecured networks, confrontation with our allies, deportation -- the list goes on -- are all issues that impact exponentially larger groups than trans atheletes, or porn (maybe) books in our public libraries.
The general population doesn't seem to be able to off-ramp the lessor topics to the minor level parking lot where they belong. What can we do to change the discussion to meaningful topics addressed in a meaningful way? I've attended rallies, worked to elect people who express beyond the red-flag-of-the-day crowd, written to the editor, commented in social media. My efforts have yeilded zero. zip. zilch. bubkiss. nada. Ugh. What can we do to change the topics?
I'm all ears (or eyes, I guess). Suggestions?
Book banning, keeping knowledge out of the hands of the proletariat.
That first sentence in my original comment should read, vote yes on measures A & B to save the library. More info at ourlibrarymatters.org.