Will Public Libraries Feature Charlie Kirk Books for Banned Books Week?
For FAIR’s Substack, Dr. Anne Mulhern writes about the ideological capture of Banned Books Week.
What will compel libraries—such as NOBLE in Massachusetts or Allegheny County in Pennsylvania—to treat all patrons fairly, regardless of ideology? I propose total transparency, enforced by legislation. Each year, libraries should be required to publish detailed reports showing the number of items purchased, weeded, lost, and checked out. If purchasing decisions reveal ideological favoritism rather than responsiveness to patron demand, that would be evident in the data.
The issue is urgent. Many libraries are actively “weeding” books that conflict with prevailing ideologies. Once removed, these books are unlikely to return. The time to demand accountability—and to legislate transparency—is now.
Wilfred Reilly: DEI Is Built on a Lie
FAIR Advisor Wilfred Reilly breaks down the core myths that fuel the DEI movement—starting with the claim that all outcome disparities stem from racism. In this episode of the Goldwater Institute’s podcast Dismantling DEI, Reilly explains why DEI isn’t about inclusion, but control.
Natural Rights, Culture, and the Common Good
For the American Enterprise Institute, FAIR Advisor Robert P. George writes about the principles that sustain the practices of constitutional government.
At the foundation of America’s greatness are the virtues of its people. Those virtues are what sustain the principles and practices of constitutional government. But it is not, or not primarily, those principles and practices that impart the virtues on which they depend. It is first and foremost the little platoons—above all, the family.
Do you want to make America great? Good. That’s what we should all want. But in recent decades, the American family has suffered massive disintegration, which has devastated the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of our society. That disintegration has weakened us morally and spiritually. All the material wealth and military power in the world cannot make up for it. So let us make no mistake: American greatness will not be restored without the restoration of strong and healthy families—marriage-based families. American greatness ultimately depends on the greatness of American families, for they alone can transmit the virtues on which all else depends.
California wants to make platforms pay for offensive user posts. The First Amendment and Section 230 say otherwise.
For FIRE’s Newsdesk, Ari Cohn writes about a bill that would allow users and government enforcers to sue large social media platforms.
This is where Section 230 also has something to say. One of the most consequential laws governing the internet, Section 230 states, “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider,” and prohibits states from imposing any liability inconsistent with it. In other words, the creator of the unlawful content is responsible for it, not the service they used to do so. Section 230 has been critical to the internet’s speech-enabling character. Without it, hosting the speech of others at any meaningful scale would be far too risky.
‘Hate Crime’ School Superintendent Is Indicted for Fraud
For The Free Press, Frannie Block writes about Devon Horton, who unleashed the unfounded vilification of two white students in Evanston, being indicted for fraud.
Horton began as superintendent of District 65 in July 2020. In October 2020, The Wall Street Journal featured him in an article with the headline “Can School Be ‘Antiracist’? A New Superintendent in Evanston, Ill., Has a Plan.” The article said that Horton wanted to give “students from marginalized groups first priority” to return to in-person learning after the pandemic and was encouraging teachers to no longer base grades on whether students completed their homework. “If you’re not antiracist,” Horton said, “we can’t have you in front of our students.”
In January 2021, Horton said that school board members and administrators had received death threats because of the district’s antiracism policies. He was provided with a personal security team for seven months, at a reported cost of $50,000 a month. Police later said that they had received no reports of death threats against Horton or other threats against school employees.
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