Issue 112, Summer 2010
Tusslin’ Over Textbooks in Tennessee and Texas
The First Amendment in the Courts
Living in Interesting Times
The Long and the Short of It
To Read, or Not to Read, That is the Question
In this issue of Censorship News, an Indiana community ponders the value of Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon: To read, or Not to Read, that is the Question!
We discuss the recent controversies over textbooks in Tennessee and Texas, two states where the chainsaw-roar of censorship has been heard for generations. As the article argues, today’s textbook censors are wielding subtler weapons in their efforts to get rid of ideas which don’t conform to their political and religious beliefs.
Here’s an excerpt from "Tusslin’ Over Textbooks in Tennessee and Texas":
"Teaching ideological conformity with any agenda – right or left – will not produce the informed, independent-minded citizens U.S. democracy urgently needs.”
In The First Amendment in the Courts we review several cases concerning controversial issues, including the ban on sales of violent videos games to minors; a Reverend’s right to hold anti-gay demonstrations during military funerals; spending limits in electioneering communications; and the legality of depictions of "animal cruelty".
In "Living in Interesting Times," executive Director Joan Bertin argues for the importance of opening up, not limiting, children’s access to a variety of material necessary for their intellectual growth. She explains that, in the face of rapidly developing technologies that are transforming society, "effort to protect kids by insulating them is ultimately doomed."
Read our roundup of some of the top censorship stories in The Long and the Short of It. You can also download a pdf of this newsletter.
*photo by Opensourceway.