Tax Exemptions Control Schools And Churches

Cable News Network, CNN, held the LGBT Town Hall meeting for Democratic presidential candidates. The entire event was mostly pandering and showing the extremes of the LGBT community. There were a couple of things that set conservatives on fire. One, was a mother with her 9 year old trans male child, and the other was a question about tax exemptions for churches, schools, and universities if they don't support same-sex marriage.

This writing isn't about the 9 year old trans, but I would like to clarify some things. I have heard conservatives complaining about permanently mutilating children. US law doesn't allow a 9 year old to take any hormone altering drugs or have genital altering surgery. Some are given hormone blockers at puberty, but the child must be 16 before they can begin hormone replacement therapy. A person must be a legal adult before they can have genital surgery. None of this can be done without authorization from a psychologist trained in this area.

Nineteen Minutes to a Book Banning

Not often do I give a book or movie review, but the novel Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult became news when Becky Ortin complained to the teacher this book had been assigned to her 15-year-old daughter. The teacher quickly assigned an alternative. All was well until a few days later when William Baer blasted the school board for giving pornography to students – including his 14 year daughter.

Becky Ortin said she had read several of Picoult's books and thought them not age appropriate for her daughter. I can understand her feelings. It's only when that book is asked to be banned from school you must first read that particular book. In the beginning I was standing behind the father of a 14 year old girl, William Baer, but once I researched the facts I found him to be completely wrong. The father was escorted out by an officer after he refused to follow the 2 minute speaking rule at a school board meeting. Most news outlets are not labeling this event as a book banning. They seem to be making it about Common Core standards forcing students to read pornography.

Since the book is the basis for the above mentioned incident, let's discuss that for a moment. I received this book for Christmas and was dubious because I wasn't very familiar with the author. It turned out to be one of the most compelling books I've ever read. The book is about a nerd-ish boy who is bullied, while his beautiful childhood friend became popular. She often had to make the choice of being a friend with the bullied boy, or hanging with the popular crowd. She often made the wrong choice. As time goes on he can take no more, walks into the school, and begins shooting those who had made his life unbearable. The total time of the spree was Nineteen Minutes, a period that change many people's lives forever. I'll stop there because it would be a literary crime for me to give away the ending.