Out of Reach Books

Top Shelf Truth

Imagine a library in which all the truthful and most important books are placed on high shelves out of your reach. You want to read those books, but you cannot reach them, and the library staff will not help you. In fact, they have been ordered by “officials” not to help you. They are also scared to help you because they could lose their jobs if they do so.

The books you can reach are filled with right-wing religious and nationalistic propaganda. You know, everyone knows, the truth is in the books on the top shelves. But you cannot reach them. Since they are books without readers, they do not exist in a crucial sense.

Sound like a scene from George Orwell’s 1984? Well, actually this top shelf policy may well be coming to a library near you soon.

A committee of the Oklahoma County Metropolitan Library has voted to place truthful, important children’s books on shelves so high the kids cannot reach them. The committee voted to create special parenting sections filled with children’s book about child abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, and, of course, the real reason for the policy, homosexuality.

The committee wants the books placed on “high shelves,” according to news reports.

This all started when State Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) began her personal crusade against Oklahoma gay people. She demanded last summer the local libraries keep gay-themed children’s books out of children’s reach or she would try to pull some state funding for the libraries. So far, library officials have given in to this anti-intellectual, religious zealot’s extortion.
These gay-themed books, such as “Heather Has Two Mommies” and the “King & King” are non-sexual and perfectly appropriate for children. They allow children to understand the world around them. The library already a system in which parents can prevent their children from checking out books they do not want them to checkout.

The full library commission will vote on the issue Feb. 16. I still think there is a chance this proposal could fail because it is so open-ended and could bring about big legal problems later. But then Okies are use to paying the legal costs for defending some government official’s personal religious agenda.

This whole issue echoes the ongoing right-wing attack on intellectualism in this state. When will the Sally Kerns in this country start dictating what adults are allowed to read in the library and elsewhere? How high will the shelves be then? Do not say you were not warned.

Helping Rich People Get Richer

There is no such thing as a “tort reform” movement in Oklahoma or elsewhere. What we have is a movement to reward rich people at the expense of ordinary, middle-class Okies, who, if this movement is succesful, will no longer get fully compensated for injuries due to negligence.

The Daily Oklahoman’s darling lil’ boy, House Speaker Todd Hiett (R-Kellyville) is going around speaking to rich people about those awful trial lawyers who are trying to take their money. Just recently, according to news reports, he spoke at an event filled with doctors and business types to argue there should be severe restrictions on what someone can receive from a company or doctor due to negligence.

So expect drastic legislation this upcoming legislative session dealing with limiting how much regular people can get when they sue for negligence. Rich people win again; middle-class people lose.

The bottom line is that if you get hurt on the job or a doctor makes a huge mistake in treating you, then you can only be compensated so much because, well, it is bad for the bank account of the doctors and business people. In addition, business people and doctors will not have to change their harmful actions. They can keep maiming and killing people all they want because, well, they need that extra house in Malibu or that extra month-long vacation in Europe each year.

Trial lawyers, one of the most maligned groups in America today, serve the interests of ordinary people each and every day. They hold the bigwigs accountable. They speak for you and me.

There is no such thing as “tort reform.” That phrase is a lie passed around by the Republican Party to make sure rich people get even more money. If you buy into it, you are only hurting yourself and family.

Wake Up Okie Progressives!

Where oh where are the progressives in Oklahoma? Why can’t we network? Why can’t we pull it together? Why can’t we show up? As someone asked me recently, “What does it mean to be a progressive in Oklahoma.”
I know there are progressive folks doing wonderful work here, but if the low turnout at the Peace Walk last Sunday in Oklahoma City is any indication, the progressive movement needs rejuvenating. I estimated around 100 people showed up, and most of those people were older.

Does everyone feel defeated by the conservative juggernaut, especially here in Oklahoma, where there is a systematic marginalizing of anyone who does not profess Christian fundamentalist dogma and hatred against gay people?

I know the feeling all too well.

Things do not look bright on the national level either. Democrats Al Gore and U.S. Rep. John Murtha are speaking out, but obviously that is not enough. Beyond Sen. Edward Kennedy, other Democratic leaders are staking out “centrist” positions. It appears the Republicans will make abortion illegal soon, and women will be denied other reproductive rights as well. We are fighting a lost war created by Republican policies. The Republican do not care about the environment, and it has to be obvious at this point to everyone they want to eliminate the separation of church and state.

Remember, what is called centrist now was once right-wing extremism. We are at a point now in which people describe themselves as “centrist” while advocating theocracy, an unjust war, and unlimited spying on American citizens.

Listen. This time next year, Oklahoma could have a freaky right-wing religious fanatic as its governor, schools and universities will face drastic cuts because of new tax laws favoring a small group of rich people, and creationism will be taught in our science classes, not evolution, not proven scientific methods and principles.

The only thing that can stop these things from happening is us.