These people are nuts.
As I’ve been organizing my thoughts about our library, my plan was to base the next two posts in the series (today’s and next week’s) on each of the two sides in the library fight. These posts were going to be thoughtful and balanced, stating clearly my opinion about both positions. I then intended to follow all that up with a third post, in two weeks, outlining my vision for the library’s future, and what I thought it could become.
I struggled as I began. I sat down, rubbed my chin and thought and thought about which side to write about first, how to be clear and honest, and how not to offend too many people. While getting up to pour my third cup of coffee, something popped into my head.
These people are nuts.
Every other day it seems that I’m asked, “Which side are you on?” I’m running for a non-partisan, at-large seat on the non-partisan Fairhope City Council. This isn’t Harlan County. I am on the side of every single resident of this town that loves and cares about this town. I am against any and all of those who thought that Fairhope was a good place to open up a new front in the Culture Wars. Fairhope should be Switzerland in the Culture Wars.
I took the photo at the top of this post as I was walking back to my car after I took the picture of the sundial. I walked over and introduced myself to the library patron on the right. He was availing himself of the library’s power outlet to charge his laptop and his smartphone. Out of respect for his privacy, I’ll call him “Mr. W”. He was kind and gentle. This website had just gone “live”, and he allowed me to use his laptop to test it. That meeting took place around noon a couple of Sundays ago. Six hours later, as we drove past the library on our way to Walmart, I looked over, and Mr. W. was still in the same position. As I saw him lying there, I thought of Hank Williams‘ Tramp on the Street, which is based on the story of Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke.
Getting back to the inappropriate book battle, a lot of people have questioned my choice of words in my first post about the library. There I wrote, “No citizen should have to go to Montgomery to seek redress for such a local issue.” I agree, that is confusing. I wish that I had written, “No citizen should be able to go to Montgomery to seek redress for such a local issue.”
The free speech activists are demanding that the APLS unfreeze the funds that they are holding back from our library. Some Council candidates have taken the position that we should bend to the edicts of that agency so as to restore access to those funds. I would tell the APLS to keep their money and stop trying to tell us what to do. I don’t want either Washington, D.C. or Montgomery, Alabama telling us what books we can offer to our readers, young or old. Here I would like to quote Elon Musk’s reply to advertisers who threatened to hold back revenue from his X platform if he didn’t censor speech, but this is a family website. Private donations have come in to help fill the breach left by the freeze, and I think that’s great. I have no problem with that, as long as the donations are without strings. I only wish that they had opened their checkbooks sooner. If private dollars are necessary to keep our library afloat, I will be out banging on doors and rattling the cup louder than anyone.
As for the two sides in this battle, I can only say, “You people are nuts.” Fairhope has much bigger things to worry about – ask Mr. W.
To the pious scolds who would tear Fairhope apart over some books – did any of you notice him or think to bring him a bottle of water on a hot July afternoon? If not, pick up your Bible and turn to Luke.
To the free speech activists wearing matching buttons and crowding public meetings – no doubt many of you have a sign declaring “Hate Has No Home Here”. Well neither does Mr. W., apparently.
I sincerely apologize for the length and negativity of this post, but it is important that these things be said. Once we get all of that out of the way, and we let cooler heads prevail, we can start pitching ideas to our library director, Mr. Gourlay, about how take our library to new heights. I’d like to see uniform hours throughout the week, so parents don’t have to call the library or look at a calendar in order to plan their children’s day.
…but first we fix the sundial.
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