Contributed by Arthur Ahrens of Branchport, NY.
Here’s a couple of photos:
One photo was taken at a book burning in Opera Square in Berlin, Germany, on May 10, 1933. It is described by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as “perhaps the most famous book burning in history”
The second photo was taken on Feb. 2, 2022, in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, which is a suburb of Nashville. It was taken of a book-burning held in the days after a Tennessee school board voted to ban “Maus,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust.
Does anyone see any similarities?
Some other interesting news:
The Radical Right is now turning its attention to Public Libraries. A library in Llano, Tx is under assault by the Censorship Police. These activists found 60 books objectionable, including those about transgender teens, sex education and race, including such notable works as “Between the World and Me,” by author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, an exploration of the country’s history written as a letter to his adolescent son. They want the books pulled off the shelf. I don’t know about the rest, but I have read “Between the World and Me”. Not only do I believe that it shouldn’t be banned, I believe that it should be required reading for Secondary School students everywhere. But I digress…
Llano joins a growing number of communities across America where conservatives have mounted challenges to books and other content related to race, sex, gender and other subjects they deem inappropriate. A movement that started in schools has rapidly expanded to public libraries, accounting for 37 percent of book challenges last year, according to the American Library Association. Conservative activists in several states, including Texas, Montana and Louisiana have joined forces with like-minded officials to dissolve libraries’ governing bodies, rewrite or delete censorship protections, and remove books outside of official challenge procedures.
Over the years I have been told IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE! And now I see it happening. Where, when and how exactly, will it stop?
New NY 23rd 
This is exactly the kind of article that is motivating me to work and contribute to candidates in 2022 and 2024 who are NOT BLIND TO AMERICA’S DRIFT TOWARD AUTHORITARIANISM.
LikeLiked by 1 person
On this Easter Sunday, a celebration for Christians, I will leave it as an exercise for the student to determine who is behind this attack on our First Amendment Rights.
And a hint: It is NOT socialists or communists or democratic socialists or antifa or greens or trans or gays or any of the other Right Wing bogeymen.
All of us need to make people aware of what is happening to our country.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have not read the novel “Maus” which is presented in comic book form.
The following article states that the school board voted 10 to 0 to remove the book from the school library and states several valid reasons why the school board feels the book should not be available to younger students.
I am assuming the school board might be thinking the comic book format might attract younger children.7
Mt. Juliet Pastor Greg Locke burning some books and possibly other items is certainly not state sponsored nor is it sponsored by any political party.
The paster is obviously an idiot but certainly much less dangerous so far compared to the violence, rioting, looting, vandalism and arson that took place in many cities across the country in the past few years.
https://nypost.com/2022/01/27/holocaust-book-maus-banned-by-tennessee-school-district/
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment Gary Perry. I think you missed the point: an isolated instance of censorship would be nothing new; a torrent much more disturbing.
LikeLike
Gary,
Thanks for your comment.
I would like to start my response by saying that I enjoy productive discussions with people who don’t share my particular point of view, in that it helps me to keep my confirmation bias in check. Also, this quote from “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid”
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/ resonates:” People who think differently and are willing to speak up if they disagree with you make you smarter, almost as if they are extensions of your own brain.”
The Atlantic article is worth a read, as it points an accusatory finger at social media and offers evidence as to why social media dumbs us all down and contributes and reinforces tribalism.
I have a twitter account and a facebook account. Both are barely used as I believe (in another quote from the article, “It’s not just the waste of time and scarce attention that matters; it’s the continual chipping-away of trust.”
For me to engage with someone, I need to have the sense that
1. They are willing to engage in good faith, productive discourse.
2. They think for themselves, and don’t rely on talking points
3. They are willing to change their mind.
4. They stick to issues.
5. No whataboutism….which is one of Russia’s favorite propaganda tactics
6. No name calling
I hope you understand. Interacting with anyone unwilling or unable to write/talk without those 6 points is wasting my time.
I’ve followed you for years. Your comments usually contain right wing talking points and a healthy amount of whataboutism. You are no where near meeting my requirement for engagement.
It would be nice to have that change. I’d love to discuss issues. Until it does, engaging with you is a waste of my time.
LikeLike
Arthur Ahrens,
Sorry if i have mislead you.
I have no interest in engaging with on any topics. Just others who read and comment on this blog.
You have already called me illiterate, made statements that i do not read books and accused me of copying and pasting my comments from articles on the internet.
You seldom, if ever, directly answered any of my questions or replied directly to my comments, instead redirecting the conversation and doing the exact thing you accuse me of doing.
I have no interest in wasting my time by “wasting your time” and made the decision a month or so ago to no longer respond to you.
I am too busy working two careers to waste my downtime engaging with you.
For some unknown reason you responded directly to me when my response was to the group.
I can assure you that any recent comments and future comments by me are in no way looking for a response from you.
It is attitudes like yours that seek to drive American citizens further apart and not seek and share the common ground that we must share to hold our elected officials to their Constitutional duties.
Good day.
LikeLike