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It Could Never Happen Here, Right?

Updated: Oct 5, 2023

In a special blog for Banned Books Week, guest author Mike Graber discusses the importance of public libraries and shows some worrying historical comparisons.



Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee……


  • The Republican Christian political movement has quickly become the harbinger of teaching our children to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. These are the modern-day Nazis complete with book burnings and persecution of librarians.

  • August 2022 Missouri republicans pass a law that turns librarians into criminals. Librarians and other school officials can face up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for violating the policy (Senate Bill 775)

  • March 2023 Public Hearing for the dissolution of the Meridian Library

  • March 2023 The Republican controlled Missouri state budget committee reaction to the ACLU lawsuit and tries to kill the libraries as they move to deny all of the over $4 million library budget

  • April 2023 A ranking Democrat on the Missouri state house’s budget committee, called the move to strip the funds “horrific, and borderline fascist. It sounds like a dystopian novel where a government issues a book ban, librarians are upset about it and try to exercise their rights and the government then de-funded public libraries….” A few days later the Missouri library state fund is restored. (Hooray the library stays open! Ok, we can get back to our life now. Right? NO?! WTF!?)

  • August 2023 Missouri Cuts ties with the American Library Association. For all of 2023 over 1900 books have been attempted to be banned.

Perhaps you are thinking; “Not Kansas not my problem” or maybe “I don’t use the libraries” or “At least they're Christians”?

  • November 2022 St Mary’s Kansas library is under attack by the Catholics wannabes known as SSPX over refusal to remove ‘divisive’ books

  • December 2022, Hooray the library stays open! (Ok, we can get back to our life now. Right? NO?! WTF?)

  • July 2023, From SSPX minion and St Mary’s city commissioner, “My goal is to terminate the lease with the library,” Kleinsmith said. “If they want to have their library, so be it. Go do it. Find another building to do it in, I can’t stop that. My intention is not to stop that, but I will not ever vote for any taxpayer money, facilities, anything to be used anywhere that houses this kind of garbage."

  • September 2023 Sterling Kansas Librarians are fired for posting a symbol that represents Autism support because it had the colors of the rainbow in it.

“Crack of dawn, all is gone except the will to be” Metallica 1984


At this point I hope you are asking yourself, how is the health of the Meriden-Ozawkie and Holton Beck-Bookman libraries?


Both Meriden and Holton have been able to purchase the land they intended to build on.


Currently Holton owns their location while Meriden does not.


One way to support the library is to use it or help someone use it.


Consider the following:

  • These Libraries are among 117 libraries in the Northeast Kansas Library System nekls.org.

  • You can get set up with a Kansas State Library card and the state website kslib.info provides many resources including Mango Languages, Genealogy resources, and many different research tools and skill builders.

  • You can use your library card to access eBooks, audio books, comics, and even albums and television. Also access streaming audiobooks, music, video & ebooks

  • Help with technology and computer classes when requested.

  • Libraries provide a valuable lifeline for the community, not only for a place to go to learn, but also to interact with others in the community, in addition, for some a library can serve as a lifeline for those in need of a safe, non-threating place to go.

To donate go to:


Meriden-Ozawkie https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/-GUV4jrmzm0sZdW0xPMNpg Meriden Library works with different organizations to match/donate to our building fund.

BNSF matches employee donations, as does Evergy.

Match your Dillon's plus card to the Meriden library and through their community rewards program profit awarded quarterly.




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