Tag Archives: State Laws

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Libraries, Memories & History, Politics

The history of book bans in the United States | National Geographic

From religious texts and anti-slavery novels to modern works removed from school libraries, here’s how the targets of censorship have changed over the years.

By Erin Blakemore, Published September 6, 2022

Book banning is more common than ever. Stories featuring LGBTQ+ issues are often targets today—including these five books that recently survived an attempt to remove them from the shelves of the library at North Hunterdon Regional High School in Annandale, N.J.
Photograph by Bryan Anselm, Redux

Mark Twain. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Judy Blume. William Shakespeare. These names share something more than a legacy of classic literature and a place on school curriculums: They’re just some of the many authors whose work has been banned from classrooms over the years for content deemed controversial, obscene, or otherwise objectionable by authorities.

Book banning is once again in the headlines. Earlier this year, Utah approved a state law suppressing “sensitive material” in classrooms. Meanwhile, a group of Georgia moms have gotten attention for attending school board meetings and reading passages out loud from books they find objectionable, such as Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, claiming they are “pornographic materials.” (Did Ovid’s erotic poetry lead to his exile from Rome?)

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item… see video at link…

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-book-bans-in-the-united-states

Current Affairs, Nevada, Pleasures, Politics, Science & Health, Travel

Marijuana Laws in Every State: Is Pot Legal Where You Live? – CNET

Three-quarters of US states have legalized cannabis.

By Dan Avery, July 7, 2022 10:09 a.m. PT

person holding green canabis
Photo by Aphiwat chuangchoem on Pexels.com

Washington, DC, residents can now self-certify for medical marijuana without the need for a doctor’s note.

The DC Council approved a measure in early July, paving the way for adults to verify their medical need for cannabis starting July 7 through the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration website.

While city-issued medical marijuana cards, which must be renewed every two years, cost as much as $100, the new registration system is free. In addition to the nation’s capital, 38 states have legalized medical marijuana and 19 have approved selling, purchasing and possessing cannabis for recreational purposes.

Source: Marijuana Laws in Every State: Is Pot Legal Where You Live? – CNET

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Libraries, Pleasures, Politics

Some states are changing the laws that govern community libraries : NPR

Thanks to Library Link of the Day for this one…
http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/  (archive, rss, subscribe options)

Heard on Morning Edition, By Jim Zarroli, June 21, 20225:12 AM ET

Attempts to ban books in school districts around the country have increased in recent years. Now, some states are working on enacting laws to give politicians more power over public libraries.
Rick Bowmer/AP

When the Kentucky Legislature started mulling a bill that would tighten control over public libraries earlier this year, librarians across the state called their lawmakers pushing for its defeat.

In the past, legislators would at least have heard them out, says Jean Ruark, chair of the advocacy committee of the Kentucky Library Association. Not this time.”

It seemed as though our efforts fell on deaf ears. There was a big outcry about the passage of that and they did it anyway,” Ruark says.

At a time when public school libraries have increasingly become targets in the culture wars, some red states are going further, proposing legislation aimed at libraries serving the community as a whole. A few of the bills would open librarians up to legal liability over decisions they make.

While some of these bills have quietly died in committee, others have been signed into law, and librarians worry that the increasingly partisan climate is making them vulnerable to political pressure.

Source: Some states are changing the laws that govern community libraries : NPR