If book-banning groups keep it up, politicians will soon be redefining library use | Opinion

Book banning endangers libraries

Moms for Liberty SC has a petition to clean up South Carolina’s public schools from “vulgar, lewd, or obscene materials.”

The purpose of the petition is also to pass statewide legislation to prohibit vulgar and sexually explicit materials from entering schools, but the wording is ague.

The group’s Facebook site also has links to additional resources such as booklooks.org and rated books.org, so parents can use these platforms to find out what objectionable books may be in a child’s library.

New content includes several books by George RlR. Martin and others.

“Push” by Saphire is one example. The novel is about a pregnant teenager who is helped by a compassionate teacher. Even though this novel has some profanity, one would think a story about resilience and compassion would be a good choice for our students.

“The Bluest Eye” and “Looking for Alaska” made the list of scandalous books.

What needs to be challenged next?

Perhaps Moms for Liberty and some of our politicians will find some other use for our libraries as it will be a challenge to find books that don’t contain some references to material considered “vulgar.”

Marie Griffin, Spartanburg

Equine landscape changing

In June of 2023, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law, granting the N.C. State Lottery Commission the authority to legalize sports and horse wagering exclusively for North Carolina residents.

This development introduced a new dynamic to the equine landscape with unique impacts to South Carolina’s equine industry.

The passage of H.347 creates a competitive environment, placing South Carolina at a disadvantage as we work to retain jobs and attract investment in our equine communities.

Our neighbor to the north joins a growing list of Southeastern states, including FL, KY, and VA, that have embraced gaming on horse-related events.

This move has enabled these states to grow their equine industries by offering large purses and attractive incentives for key stakeholders such as jockeys, trainers and horse owners.

Our state’s equine industry remains unable to replicate such incentives, meaning trainers, horses and owners will continue to move to neighboring states with more attractive financial climates.

It is crucial for the S.C. General Assembly to take meaningful steps to support S.C.’s equine community during next year’s legislative session.

The S.C. Equine Advancement Act is a promising foundation that will allow our state to build a proactive strategy to keep our horse communities vibrant and successful.

Kurt Gerald, Conway

Lawyers in the House

I’d like to comment on Attorney General Alan Wilson’s payments of $75 million to private law firms concerning the Savannah River nuclear site case.

Even his former colleague, Gov. Henry McMaster, is questioning the payments.

Alan’s father, Congressman Joe Wilson, has been grooming him to take his seat in the House of Representatives. This is how politics is done in the Palmetto State amongst the establishment. South Carolina doesn’t need more lawyers in the House.

Our Founding Fathers wanted citizens to serve in government, not to become career politicians. It was expected that those elected would go to serve in D.C. for a few years and then return to private life, like our first president under the Constitution, George Washington.

Mark Peter, W.Cola

Candidates need to show courage

A recent McClatchy article compared South Carolina’s presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, focusing primarily on their policy differences.

I think it’s important to mention that both candidates so far are in lockstep in lacking the courage to address one of our country’s greatest national security threats. Russia, China, North Korea and Iran each pose varying degrees of threat to our national security.

And many now agree with Trump’s former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who has said that another serious threat to our country’s security is Donald J. Trump.

There’s still time for Nikki Haley and Tim Scott to prioritize our country’s security over their timid short-term political strategies by addressing the serious threat the former president poses to our country’s security.

I sincerely hope both will find the courage to do so soon.

William Q. Brunson, Sumter

Stop whining and lead

The Republican Party is now claiming that Trump cannot get a fair trial because the judge was appointed by Obama.

If that is true, then no Democrat can get a fair trial in any Supreme Court case because they hold a Republican-appointed majority.

The continued claims by the Republican Party are simply more lies to try and justify their misrepresentations.

I find it pathetic and sickening, particularly at a time when unity is needed to deal with everyday problems faced by many Americans and the world in general.

We need leaders, not whiners.

William Bull, Gilbert

“Creepy” commentary

With a nervous giggle, Nancy Mace said it was “TMI.”

“It” was her invitation for the general public to come into her bedroom and learn what she and her fiancé are up to. The word for that is “creepy.”

The fact that she felt compelled to broadcast this “news” at a prayer breakfast only makes it creepier.

It would be easy to blame this vulgarity on Trump, but he didn’t start this downward spiral; he simply put the presidential seal of approval on it.

And now it seems that candidates and elected officials are seeing who can be more shocking with “locker room talk.”

Perhaps Christian missionaries will come to America and save us all.

Tim Mueller, Columbia