Weiner saves Texas butts

Good news for Texans who like butts! And fart jokes!

After a case spurred by complaints on books containing the words “butt” and “fart” as well as touching on the topics of racism and LGBTQ+ identity, an appellate court has ruled that Texas cannot ban books from libraries simply because officials “dislike the idea contained in those books”.

The fifth US circuit court of appeals issued its decision on Thursday in a 76-page majority opinion, which was written by Judge Jacques Wiener Jr and opened with a quote from American poet Walt Whitman: “The dirtiest book in all the world is the expurgated book.”

In its decision, the appellate court declared that “government actors may not remove books from a public library with the intent to deprive patrons of access to ideas with which they disagree”.

Maybe Texas will catch up to Minnesota. We have a new law, passed at the end of the legislative session, that prohibits all that book banning that Republicans love.

There were some major bills that did not pass in the chaotic last days of the Minnesota legislative session. One bill that did pass prohibits public and school libraries from banning a book “based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas or opinions it conveys.” It also protects library employees from discipline against them for complying with the new rules.

It’s not all good news. Among the important bill blocked by the chaos of obstructionist Republicans were the bonds to improve university facilities.

On May 20, 2024, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned sine die without garnering the 60% of votes required to pass a capital investment bill funded by general obligation bonds. Despite both parties citing bonding as a top priority in the beginning of the session, politics between the two parties, fueled in part by the upcoming House elections, prevented them from striking a deal. The Minnesota Legislature ran out of time to pass a smaller, cash-only bonding bill before the constitutionally mandated time of adjournment.

I guess we’ll struggle along, as always. At least we can assign textbooks that feature butts!