Texas court's ban on “butts and farts” books not going well

[Ceran_Swicegood]

@Wordsworth_Little

where the progressive urban populations tend to vote blue while hundreds of rural counties want us to go back to the 50s

The 1850s, that is.

[Kii]

@j9c

Those who have the money to do so have either moved out, or gotten some kind of living accommodations like a “vacation home” that they sometimes group-purchase, as a bolt hole, if their living situations in Texas all goes [even more] off the rails.

We’ve got an emergency exit plan that involves some relatives out of state and a savings account some would consider excessive and inefficient. We probably would have left already if my law license and experience could transfer elsewhere (which I have been working on fixing).

I like Texas. I’d like to stay here. But we may not be able to do that.

[Kii]

I think this part requires an explanation

@jlw

they took their complaints to county judge Ron Cunningham. The judge, unbelievably, ordered the library to remove the books, including the (and I’m quoting directly here) “books about butts and farts.”

While the county judge typically has some judicial powers and responsibilities, they are primarily the chief executive officer of the county. Yes, it is weird. This is Texas.

County Judge & County Commissioners

Edit to add: a county judge is not required to have a law license or have any formal education in the law.

[SamSam]

@jlw

remove all books that “depict any type of sexual activity or questionable nudity.”

I’m surprised they didn’t remove the Bible. Adam and Eve’s nudity may not be “questionable,” but the story of the old man getting himself rip-roaring drunk and then being spayed out naked in front of his kids sounds rather questionable to me…

Actually, they could have removed the book after the earlier “Butts and farts” ruling as well:

Isaiah 20:4: “so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame.”

I couldn’t find any explicit references to flatulence, unless this

Acts 2:2: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

is a reference to God having a sudden bout of gas…

[Mindysan33]

@SamSam

I’m surprised they didn’t remove the Bible.

It’s because they don’t want people to actually read and engage with the bible, as either a historical text or a source of theological wisdom. They want to use it as a means of subjugating people that they do not like, by cherry-picking verses that “prove” their bigoted, hostile, fearful world view… The actual content and complexity of the book itself doesn’t matter, because they aren’t using it in any kind of good faith manner…

[docosc]

@Kii

I like Texas. I’d like to stay here. But we may not be able to do that.

Sounds exactly like my reasoning 30+ yrs ago with WV. Some places are just not survivable, no matter how wonderful they can be.

[MadLibrarian]

How in the name of Sam Hill is this

a clear and present danger to anyone (unless tossed like a Frisbee.)

[smulder]

@Wordsworth_Little

especially for families

[smulder]

@Kii

While the county judge typically has some judicial powers and responsibilities, they are primarily the chief executive officer of the county

… the “Boss Hogg” model of government IIRC

[Naltrexone]

It’s a hard call to know when the right choice is “stay and fight to make things better” and when the right choice is “stop gifting an awful state your tax money and your presence in its labor pool, and take your family somewhere better and safer.” Every family has to do its own math on that one.

I’ve been on the verge of tipping to “take your family somewhere better and safer” for a while now, but I loathe the thought of letting the bigots and the idiots win. There’s plenty that’s good about Texas, but there sure are some people in power trying their level best to make it a miserable hellhole for anyone who doesn’t look, think, and vote exactly like them.

[anothernewbbaccount]

@SamSam

@jlw

remove all books that “depict any type of sexual activity or questionable nudity.”

I’m surprised they didn’t remove the Bible. Adam and Eve’s nudity may not be “questionable,” but the story of the old man getting himself rip-roaring drunk and then being spayed out naked in front of his kids sounds rather questionable to me…

Actually, they could have removed the book after the earlier “Butts and farts” ruling as well:

Isaiah 20:4: “so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame.”

I couldn’t find any explicit references to flatulence, unless this

Acts 2:2: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

is a reference to God having a sudden bout of gas…

Well, they just need to find another friendly judge who agrees that all references to guns and religion, for example, should be removed from libraries. /s

[Narrator: you don’t get to be a judge in Texas with attitudes like that!]