From July 2021 to the end of March this year more than 1,500 books were banned in 86 school districts in 26 states. A report on book-banning in public schools found that of the banned books, 467 — or 41 percent — contained main or secondary characters of color; 247, or 22 percent, addressed racism; and 379, or 33 percent, of the books contained LGBTQ+ themes.
Beyond
Scorning Transgender Swim-Race Victor, DeSantis Declares 2nd Place Finisher ‘Rightful Winner’
Gov. Ron DeSantis waded further into gender politics Tuesday, issuing a proclamation that said swimmer Emma Weyant from Sarasota is the nation’s best “female” in the 500-meter freestyle after she finished second last week to Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete at the NCAA championship.
The Insurgent History Calendar: March 13
Clarence Darrow, the lawyer who defended murderers Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb, Eugene Debs, and John Scopes in the Monkey trial, died on this day in 1938.
Illinois Could Join Vermont, Maine and DC in Allowing Imprisoned Felons to Vote
Lawmakers in Oregon considered a similar bill in February which would have restored voting rights to roughly 12,000 to 15,000 incarcerated Oregonians, but the effort failed for the second time.
I’m a Christian Mom. I Love My Trans Daughter. The State Sees Me as an Abuser.
Texas Governor Abbott recently issued horrifying, unconstitutional orders directing our state’s office of Child Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse. The only one engaging in child abuse here is Abbott — and his equally cruel attorney general, Ken Paxton.
The Insurgent History Calendar: May 1
Daylight Saving Time, “that puzzling ritual of mass clock-winding ill befitting freeborn Americans,” as Bill Kauffman described it in a 2005 Wall Street Journal review of Spring Forward, Michael Downing’s book on that pointless, aggravating, jet-lagging ritual, was first imposed on this day in 1916fuel-conserving measure during World War I, which the United States had […]
The Insurgent History Calendar: March 12
Mustafa Kamal Aataturk, the man who modernized and secularized Turkey, led the Turkish revolution after World War I and played a significant role in the Armenian genocide, was born on this day in 1881.
Economy Adds 678,000 Jobs, Lowering Unemployment to 3.8% and Nearing Pre-Covid Levels
The economy added 678,000 jobs in February, the largest one-month gain since March 2021, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent and nearing pre-Covid employment level of 3.5 percent, when 5.7 million people were unemployed. In February, 6.3 million were unemployed. The economy still has 2.1 million jobs to recover before matching pre-covid employment, however.
With Average Gas Price in Florida at $3.57 a Gallon, Some Begin to Change Driving Habits
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine caused oil prices to surge above $110 a barrel for the first time in a decade. Oil is now $19 a barrel more than Friday’s settlement. An increase of that magnitude could signal a 40-50 cent jump at the pump.
17 Attorneys Apply for Appointment to Volusia County Court Seat; Interviews on March 1
Seventeen attorneys have applied for appointment to a county judge seat in Volusia that became vacant after the elevation to circuit court of Christopher Kelly of New Smyrna Beach late last year. Kelly replaced Circuit Judge Steven C. Henderson, who died at age 49 in August from Covid.