If you read Kansas State Board of Education chairman Steve Abrams’ commentary this week in The Eagle, you likely did a double take when you got toward the end. That’s where Abrams claimed that “superintendents and local school boards in some districts continue to promulgate pornography as ‘literature,’ even though many parents have petitioned the local boards to remove the porn.” Huh? What districts? What books?
Abrams told The Eagle editorial board Tuesday that he was referring to the Blue Valley school district in Johnson County, where some parents protested some of the books in high school English classes. Abrams could only remember one of the disputed books, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison (though the challenged books also include “Black Boy” by Richard Wright and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey). This is porn? This is “some districts”?
Not surprisingly, superintendents across the state didn’t appreciate the broad-brush accusation that they peddle porn. And not only does the Blue Valley school district have a thorough process for evaluating complaints about books, superintendent Tom Trigg said, his district also doesn’t force any student to read a book over parental objections.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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16 Comments
Man am I sick of hearing sermons coming from an elected body. If the BoE wants to start a church, I wish they would–AFTER resigning from their posts, not before.
Now it is porn? Next they will campaign against Sunday liquor sales? Maybe they can join Operation Southwind and try to ban all adult establishments?
Sad day when electeds use their position to further their religious leanings.
I assume their definition of porn is anything that isn’t biblical.
The books must had some stuff about kissing in them. Some people are so sexually repressed that anything about 2 humans touching each other makes them uncomfortable. I checked out a V. C. Andrews book called “My Sweet Audrina” in my highschool library when I was in school. It had some pretty racey stuff in it. It didn’t make me want to run out and have sex though. I think people need to lighten up. That’s just my opinion.
Ok, now I’m convinced. Abrams is a mental midget.
These people are so far removed from reality (and honesty and integrety). To stand there and declare that districts are peddling porn just goes way over the top. It’s just one more attempt to deflect attention from what the BOE is up to. But I guess there was quite a bit of lying and dodging the issue. We’ll get rid of several of these twits next election, but the religious right will just elect more religious whacks in the following election. We might as well just give the whackos their way, change all the schools to Madrassas, and declare education dead in Kansas. Considering job prospects in Kansas, maybe that’s not so bad. How educated do you have to be to say, “Would you like fries with that?”, or, “Welcome to WalMart”, or, “Hi, I’m Connie Morris and I want your vote for Kansas Board of Education”.
These people are so far removed from reality (and honesty and integrety). To stand there and declare that districts are peddling porn just goes way over the top. It’s just one more attempt to deflect attention from what the BOE is up to. But I guess there was quite a bit of lying and dodging the issue. We’ll get rid of several of these twits next election, but the religious right will just elect more religious whacks in the following election. We might as well just give the whackos their way, change all the schools to Madrassas, and declare education dead in Kansas. Considering job prospects in Kansas, maybe that’s not so bad. How educated do you have to be to say, “Would you like fries with that?”, or, “Welcome to WalMart”, or, “Hi, I’m Connie Morris and I want your vote for Kansas Board of Education”.
I think Abrams identifies with nurse Ratchet (sp?) from ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’.He doesn’t want anyone watching The World Series, whether it’s imaginary or not.
There should never be any sort of touching between the genders. After all, we all know that babies come from “intelligent storks”
Steve Abrams is a sick, sick man.
Hey Tracy, don’t knock nurse Rachet, she had her good points! (that was my nickname at work!)
Nothing gets kids reading good literature like banning good literature.
Thanks, unlettered hayseeds!
I think that Connie started her immoral youthful ways after reading Catcher In The Rye. lol Abrams probably read Tobacco Road out behind the barn. He is still looking to find that little harelipped girl to save her. lol
I said it once, I’ll say it again. If Abrams want to ban pornography and racy materials, he should start by burning his own copy of the Bible. Who knows how many instances of polygamy, sex slavery and genocide, incest, bestiality, adultery, rape and out-of-wedlock impregnations are mentioned throughout the whole volume. Not to mention the erotic Song of Songs!
If books in highschools had half the material that the bible has they would have been pulled a long time ago.
Sacred pornography?Maybe we could just have the BOE revise the whole thing!
All Mr. Abrams has to do is ask Ms Morris about porn. after all she is the expert on Sex and drugs.