LM1212 The Show Me State

LM1212 The Show Me State

LM, Episode 1212, 4/14/23, The Show Me State

I’m originally from the state of Missouri or what we like to call North Alabama today.  

I used to be proud to be from Missouri, but not anymore. Missouri used to be a swing state, but in 2020 the former president won by 17 points. Remember their senator, Josh Hawley, giving the January  6th rioters the fist pump moments before they stormed the capitol and had him running for his life like the coward he is?   They say they believe in freedom, but only if you believe in what they do.  If your beliefs are different, they don’t want you to have any freedom.  They want to ban science, abortion, the history of slavery in America, and especially books they find offensive.

The State Library Association is suing the state over banned books, so the state has cut all funding  for libraries, even though the state constitution says the state is to fund them.  My sister-in-law, Ruth, says that shouldn’t be much of a problem since there aren’t that many in Missouri who know how to read.

Missouri used to be known as the Show Me State.  Missourians didn’t just take the word of someone, they wanted to see the evidence and decide for themselves, which seems contradictory to banning a book that someone else deems inappropriate. So I have a suggestion for Missouri libraries. 

When our niece, Amelia, was in high school, her school had a Banned Book Week.  In the library was a table of books that people wanted to ban so students could check them out and decide for themselves. This would go a long way to educating the good people of the state and it is a beautiful way to poke a finger in the eye of those who want to stifle people thinking for themselves.

To quote another former Missourian, Mark Twain, “Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn’t, to decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.”

Have a great weekend and always remember laughter matters.