Excerpts from a report at NBC News:
A Louisiana school librarian is suing two men for defamation after they accused her of advocating to keep "pornographic" materials in the parish library's kids' section. It's a rare example of an educator taking legal action against conservatives who use extreme rhetoric in their battle against LGBTQ-themed books.Amanda Jones, a librarian at a middle school in Denham Springs, Louisiana, filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday, arguing that Facebook pages run by Michael Lunsford and Ryan Thames falsely labeled her a pedophile who wants to teach 11-year-olds about anal sex.Jones, the president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, was alarmed and outraged by the verbal attacks, which came after she spoke against censorship at a Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meeting. She said she’s suing the two men because she’s exhausted with the insults hurled at educators and librarians over LGBTQ materials...Three days after the meeting, Citizens for a New Louisiana posted Jones’ picture on Facebook and asked, “Why is she fighting so hard to keep sexually erotic and pornographic materials in the kid’s section?” Lunsford also submitted records requests to Jones’ school, demanding access to her personnel file and her emails and said he planned to visit her workplace...People commented on some of the [Facebook] posts with calls that she be physically assaulted, and they circulated where she worked...But she felt compelled to fight back, she said, because she’s well-known in the library world and if she didn’t speak out, other targeted librarians would not either.“If this takes four or five years, I’m going to fight these people on this,” she said. “Even if I lose, I could say I stood up to them.”
Good for her. She is the truest American patriot, defending all of our freedom against ignorance and lies. The conservative trolls must be held accountable for their hateful words and threats and actions. This is the only way to repair the broken GOP that sics rabid extremists on decent people, using identity politics to help expand oligarchy.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a way to contribute to her legal costs?
ReplyDeletexoxoxoBruce
My bad. I forgot to insert the link to the source (fixed), where you could have read that "More than 600 people donated a combined $20,000 for Jones on GoFundMe so she could respond with legal action."
DeleteYou can contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-fees-for-librarian-amanda-jones
Thanks Stan, you're the man.
ReplyDeletexoxoxoBruce
Woohoo, that Go fund me is up to $98,302, outstanding.
ReplyDeletexoxoxoBruce
How about we condemn extremist rhetoric/actions like this from both sides of the political spectrum? It's unacceptable no matter who is doing it.
ReplyDeletePlease provide some examples of the Left that prove your point.
DeleteLibrarians across the United States are being threatened and harassed. This is a specific instance of that backed up by real evidence.
DeleteDismissing this situation with a vague and unsupported “both sides are equally bad” that has nothing to do with this case or libraries in general doesn’t help.
Jul 8, 2022: ShutDownDC...is willing to give "$50 to anyone who gives a confirmed sighting and $200 if the Justice or Justices [John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett] are in the same area 30 minutes after their location is given."
DeletePerhaps a conversation with Steve Scalise would provide some clarification of the results of extremist rhetoric from the left. Nicholas Roske might have an opinion on that as well. So too the citizens of Portland, Seattle, and many other cities a couple of summers ago.
DeleteMost people view rhetoric as extremist only when it comes from the other side, whichever side that might be.
Saying you believe all “extremist rhetoric” should be condemned rings pretty hollow when you won’t address a specific case of a librarian being targeted for harassment.
DeleteAll extremist rhetoric should be condemned, especially and above all else in the case of a librarian named Amanda Jones from Louisiana. No one should be harassed and/or threatened by extremists, certainly not Amanda Jones of Denham Springs, Louisiana. Do not speak of or condemn extremist rhetoric from any side of the political spectrum unless you have first addressed the specific case of Amanda Jones. I was wrong to say that all extremist rhetoric should be condemned. This is me hanging my hollow head in shame.
ReplyDeletetouché. :-)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI'm shutting this thread down. One longstanding rule at TYWKIWDBI is that comments need to substantively address the issues at hand; ad hominem attacks on other readers is verboten.
ReplyDelete