Images of Fahrenheit 451 come to mind, so I imagine today’s Republicans will not be the last book burners. Supply-side pseudo-Christians burned the great Library of Alexandria. The Nazis burned books that did not support their devious ways. Here in the US, we have the Republican party, and sadly, Joe McCarthy was not the last,
During the height of the Red Scare, as Joseph McCarthy crusaded against all things Communist, including literature, Dwight D. Eisenhower famously urged citizens: “Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you’re going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as that document does not offend our own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship.”
It’s a new century, but the xenophobic misgivings of a few Republicans in key positions has led to the banishment of Mexican-American Studies in Arizona’s public schools. In 2010 lawmakers John Huppenthal and Tom Horne drafted HB 2281 which decreed that state-run schools were to exclude “any courses or classes that. . .are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”
Despite the fair-minded rhetoric, this legislation was passed in a state where “illegals” from Mexico are frequently held up by Republican politicians as a menace to society, albeit superficially indistinguishable from the many latinos who immigrated legally or were born in America. And since the list of verboten books includes works by Mumia Abu Jamal, Howard Zinn and Winona La Duke, the word “ethnic” takes on unsavory political undertones.
The bill even goes as far as to conflate teachers of ethnic studies with terrorists plotting to “promote the overthrow of the United States government.”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Nation>
There is no excuse for this racist Republican war against ideas. They must be kept out of power, because a government that censors thought is a Reich, not a Republic.
15 Responses to “Republican Book Burners”
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This just goes to prove that conservatives possess less intelligence than progressives.
Amen, Patty!
A little long, but Clarence Darrow spoke on these sentiments at the Scopes Monkey Trial:
A thoroughly appropriate quote ❗
It is very easy to dismiss the idea of “book burning” being a possibility— however I think we must be ever alert to the probability that it will occur once again– Every attempt to ban a book , or books , or the ideas contained in them , is a step toward “burning books”
I cannot possibly say it as well as Clarence Darrow did– and I certainly won’t try– I think his statement at the Scopes trial is very relevant today ; As witness..;the battle of teaching evolution vs intelligent design goes on–
Phyllis, as I see it, there is no real difference between banning and burning. Both have the effect of denying knowledge to promote propaganda.
This country would be far better off if we would burn Republicans (figuratively, not literally) rather than books!
Reminds me of a cute bumper sticker …
Two excellent ideas, the first figurative and the second literal!
Tyranny feeds on ignorance. I think it was James Madison who said a well-educated public is the strongest pillar of freedom.
Whoever said it, it was very well said!
These Arizona Republican/Teabaggers, and any others for that matter, that would ban books and attempt to rewrite history are misguided fools that as Nameless’s bumper sticker says, need to be deported. Is that ICBM that was for Brewer still available? or has it gone BOOM!!!!? The next thing will be a version of SOPA that monitors what is viewed etc on the internet so that material deemed inappropriate, like an episode of Zorro, can be blocked. This is ridiculous and will only serve to dumb down the population. I suppose that is wha the Republican/Teabaggers want — docile little know-nothing followers.
Related to this larger issue, I read today that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were to send over 1,000 constables to Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Maricopa county for training in drug detection etc. I’m sure this would have made his head swell like an over-full balloon ! However, the nature of the county reputation and that of Sheriff Joe re: persecution of minorities etc and the DOJ investigation, was pointed out and the whole contract was cancelled. According to the article the Sheriff and I believe the Governor’s office were not returning calls. Hooray!!!
Lynn, the EPA refused to allow the ICBM to come down ans do BOOM! She would have caused a major pollution problem.
Sending Mounties to train under Joe Arpaio, is like sending novices from a convent to train under Satan. 👿
someone should send brewer farhenheit 451 or if she is too stupid to read the book then the movie. there should be a showing the movie all over az especially in the schools and universities. It is not an “ethnic” movie it is an “ethics” movie. what ever it takes to put these people in their place as public servants.
Amen Consuelo. Brewer and Arizona Republicans are fighting to surpass Walker.