The moms who cried wolf
A recent in-depth Times Free Press report showed that from 2019 to now, only eight books have been challenged for their content by a parent in 19 Southeast Tennessee public school districts. None of those books has been banned.
Organizations such as Moms for Liberty would have you believe that our libraries are filled with inappropriate books that they are working around the clock to remove. But the facts show that nothing of the sort is happening.
What the TFP reporting showed is that despite the intense media coverage and social media outrage of book banning in our state and country recently, sane parenting has prevailed.
Parents should always be engaged in their children’s education, but fear mongering about books that spark imagination and thought is counter-productive.
Educators take their time in creating curricula that will give students the best learning experience possible. And we should trust them.
Let librarians and teachers do their job.
Choke artists
On Thursday, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp announced a partnership with the Hamilton County Health Department and a local nonprofit, GregO2, to give out 1,000 anti-choking devices throughout the community.
This device is bound to save lives, and we applaud this effort. However, we couldn’t help but think of a few Tennessee choke artists who might benefit from the device:
› GOP lawmakers: A recent Vanderbilt University report shows that Tennessee ranks 49th in supporting struggling families and children. The report showed that more than 23% of low-income Tennessee women have no health insurance, putting the state 37th in the nation. Also, more than 17% of women are not getting adequate prenatal care, which helps reduce maternal mortality. The state also has some of the worst rates of premature birth and infant mortality. This is a direct result of lawmakers not expanding Medicaid when they had the chance and passing legislation that could provide more support for reproductive care.
› Gov. Bill Lee: The Tennessee governor has recently declined to voice support for restoring voting rights for rehabilitated offenders. This is the same guy who served on the board of directors of Men of Valor, an organization dedicated to, get this — mentoring convicted prisoners and helping the formerly incarcerated get readjusted to society. According to a 2022 report by the Sentencing Project, 471,592 Tennesseans (9.3% of the state’s voting age population) aren’t able to exercise their right to vote. How are we to expect consistent and trustworthy leadership from Lee, who won’t even show up for members of a demographic that he supposedly has championed?
› Ryan Tannehill: You can’t really have a list mentioning choke artists without mentioning an athlete. Enter Titans QB Ryan Tannehill. Five weeks into the NFL season, his QBR is 37.1, putting him 30th out of 32 quarterbacks in the league. His five interceptions ranks among the highest in the league. With the Titans currently tied for last in the AFC South with the Houston Texans, Tannehill can only go up, but he seems to be climbing a grass hill with roller-blades on.
Toxic misinformation
Right-wing outlet Gateway Pundit apparently couldn’t resist the chance to exploit the Israel-Hamas war and slam President Joe Biden.
A story on the website asserts that Biden’s “regime” is currently forcing American citizens in Israel to sign promissory notes to repay travel costs if they decide to be rescued by the U.S. government. The insinuation is that the Biden administration came up with this requirement.
Not so. It’s the law. And it has nothing to do with the Biden “regime.”
According to the Department of the State’s website, “Generally, the U.S. government will provide a transportation option to a location away from the crisis event, usually a neighboring country or a different part of the same country. This nearby safe location is rarely the United States.”
U.S. law requires citizens who accept “departure assistance” to repay the cost of the transportation.
The website is pedaling divisive, harmful misinformation, stoking anger against the president just when our country needs our president and his administration to perform at their highest levels. Biden has made a good effort in helping those trying to flee the area, such as letting Israelis travel visa-free to the U.S.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is a complex issue on its own. We don’t need right-wing propagandists creating more fog. We need people in this country to be united on one thing: the safety of Americans.
If this country needs anything right now, it’s truth and clarity.