The Orlando Sentinel published a two-page print spread Thursday listing 673 books that have been removed from classrooms in Orange County in 2023 due to fears they violate the state’s new laws banning “sexual conduct” from public schools.
Teachers with any of the 673 books on their classroom shelves have been instructed by the school district to remove them, the newspaper said, also noting that the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) staff will review the list of rejected books once again, so it’s possible the books will eventually be returned to the classroom. The district began compiling the list over the summer.
The list stems from two Florida laws signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis ®, who is also running for president. They require media specialists to review books in libraries and classrooms, and to exclude books that include sexually lewd material or pornography. The legislation also aims to give parents greater ability to raise objections to their children’s education.
Gee it’s almost like we need some goddamn freeze peach in the place.
It’s shit that shitty people say shitty things, and the urge to stop them from doing so is understandable.
But freedom of speech - as a general principle, not just the legal interpretation of the US constitutional amendment - saves us from a lot worse.
Once you start poking holes in it, you start getting this kind of bullshit: being prevented from saying good things, or from calling out shitty things.
What was absolute has become negotiable, and shitty people don’t negotiate in bad faith; almost by definition, they have fewer scruples than you., and will ruthlessly and cynically exploit any edge they can lever up.
They will abuse their power against you, while giving themselves a free ride. That’s why it always had to be a seamless, all-encompassing ‘no, fuck off’, no matter what the provocation.
But now -
Fools. God damn fools.
Are you chat gpt?
If only. I’d be rich.