ACLU Wisconsin files records requests for banned books across school districts

ACLU Wisconsin files records requests for banned books across school districts

Menomonee Falls School District banned 33 titles. The same day the ACLU made its open records requests, Elkhorn Area School District received a request from a parent challenging 444 books, prompting the temporary removal and review of those titles.

Related:

ACLU of Wisconsin Files Open Record Requests with Six School Districts That Recently Banned Books

The letter to the school districts accompanying the requests notes that removing books from school libraries threatens the First Amendment rights of students and their families. The Supreme Court held over 40 years ago that “local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books.”

The largely forgotten book ban case that went up to the Supreme Court

Pressley Bill Would Classify Discriminatory Book Bans as Civil Rights Violations

The bill would also require public and school libraries to have a diverse book collection.

Pressley Bill Would Classify Discriminatory Book Bans as Civil Rights Violations

Parents should be able to have a say in their children’s education (although, they shouldn’t be astroturfed). The thing is, these articles are selective in revealing the money behind some of these groups. I’ve included links to a few, of the financials/partnerships, below the cut. I wasn’t able to find information on a couple of them, though. Another thing, PEN has ties to the CIA and the Congress for Cultural Freedom.

Related:

Read More »

Israel-Palestine war: Former State Department official Seldowitz arrested after ‘racist’ tirade

Israel-Palestine war: Former State Department official Seldowitz arrested after ‘racist’ tirade

“I regret the whole thing happened and I’m sorry,” he said, before adding: “If I had to do it all over again, I would not have raised the religious aspect.”

Related:

Before viral Islamophobic rant, ex-Obama official harassed women, Russian diplomat’s dog

NED/CIA Calls for Even More Sanctions on Myanmar + More

Myanmar’s pro-democracy forces can win. They need our help to do so.

Nov. 8 marked the third anniversary of elections in Myanmar, whose results were overturned by a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The coup set in motion some of the largest, most diverse protests in the country’s history, which subsequently led to a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Today, the junta is prosecuting [waging] a war of terror [see video], marked by airstrikes against civilians, the blocking of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable, and the arrests of thousands of political prisoners.

Read More »

Israel’s War on American Student Activists

For years the Israel on Campus Coalition—a little-known organization with links to Israeli intelligence—has used student informants to spy on pro-Palestinian campus groups.

Israel’s War on American Student Activists (archived)

Looks like those microgrants are for more than just attending pro-Israel protests.

Previously: