From Robert Reich <[email protected]>
Subject The book bans sweeping our nation
Date June 13, 2023 1:55 PM
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Dear MoveOn member,

We need to talk about the historic wave of Republican book bans sweeping
our nation.

I am distraught about the harm these bans are causing our children and
also what they mean for the future of our democracy.

Do you know what books Republicans are banning? Toni Morrison's "The
Bluest Eye."^1 "Maus," the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about a
family's escape from a Nazi concentration camp.^2 "Gender Queer," a memoir
about self-discovery and gender identity.^3

We are NOT going to become a nation of book bans, John. And
here's the thing:

Banning books is incredibly unpopular.^4 So much so that Florida Governor
Ron DeSantis, who's responsible for more books being banned than anyone
else—with bookshelves in some Florida schools being emptied of books—is
trying to claim that his own book bans are a "hoax."^5,6

And that's why I smiled when I learned about MoveOn's Banned
Bookmobile—which will follow DeSantis around as he campaigns for
president, giving away banned books and drawing attention to the extremism
that's taken hold of the Republican Party.

Imagine this: Every time the media cover one of DeSantis's campaign stops,
they include video footage or photos of the Banned Bookmobile giving out
books. The media will eat it up, and young people will be able to read
banned books. That's the potential here!



[ [link removed] ]And that's why I'm writing to you today to ask you to make a
$3 gift now to support MoveOn's Banned Bookmobile. Will you
help out?



The Republican Party is rapidly turning into a White Christian Nationalist
party, divorced from democracy and from reality.

And DeSantis comes as close to a fascist as any politician in modern
American history. To my mind, he may be even more dangerous than Donald
Trump, because DeSantis knows exactly what he's doing and where he wants
to take the country—into tyranny, bigotry, and ultra-nationalist culture
warfare—while Trump is motivated by nothing more than himself.

It isn't about Democrats versus Republicans anymore. Or Left versus Right.
It's about democracy versus authoritarianism, protecting freedoms versus
taking them away.

And banning books gets right to the heart of it. And that's why MoveOn's
Banned Bookmobile can be a powerful tool to help many more people
understand what DeSantis and other MAGA Republicans are doing and the risk
they pose to our children, our freedom, and our democracy.



[ [link removed] ]Will you join me in supporting MoveOn's Banned Bookmobile? Please,
donate $3—or whatever you can afford.



John, I've lived long enough to see regimes rise and fall, and
here is what I know:

The side that bans books, limits freedom of expression, and scapegoats
marginalized groups to gain political power is never, ever remembered as
the good guys.

In the absence of any real plans to govern and address the challenges
facing our country, the GOP has fully embraced authoritarianism, and it is
up to us to come together and ensure that this regime crumbles just like
the others that came before. 



[ [link removed] ]I'm in. Will you join me? Chip in $3 now.



Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

Sources:

1. "Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022," American Library Association,
April 21, 2023
[link removed]

2. "The Fight Over 'Maus' Is Part of a Bigger Cultural Battle in
Tennessee," The New York Times, March 4, 2022
[link removed]

3. "Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022," American Library Association,
April 21, 2023
[link removed]

4. "Large majorities of voters oppose book bans and have confidence in
libraries," American Library Association, March 24, 2022
[link removed]

5. "The book bans leaving Florida school bookshelves empty," WBUR, March
3, 2023
[link removed]

6. "Florida Book Bans Are No Hoax: Here Are The Facts," PEN America, March
10, 2023
[link removed]


Want to support MoveOn's work? Book bans have skyrocketed thanks to
right-wing state laws which have forced teachers to remove books from
their classrooms. In response, MoveOn is launching a "Banned Bookmobile,"
filling it with books that the far right has banned, and driving it around
to hand out those books, for free, in highly trafficked areas that will
attract media attention. To keep the Banned Bookmobile up and running into
2024, MoveOn needs your help.

Will you chip in to power MoveOn's critical work?



[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.





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