I love the Tennessee State Library and Archives. I think it is not only one of the crown jewels of the state, but also one of the best facilities in the nation. The people who work there are so very, very helpful and kind. They know so much, and they care. And public libraries in general are among the most important public services in our society. It’s the place you go when you want to find things out and when you want someone who's trained and trusted to help you. A library is a refuge from stupidity.
As much as I’ve disagreed with Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett politically, I always thought that he must be a fundamentally decent guy because of the great care he takes of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. I also assumed that being the state librarian and archivist (that job belongs to James Ritter) would similarly impart some basic decency on a person, because your job is literally aiding in the fostering of good citizenship.
So it’s been pretty devastating to learn that Hargett and Ritter are our modern-day John Hathorne and Increase Mather — men who use their authority and good public standing to harm the most vulnerable among us.
Librarians ‘horrified’ as hundreds of books are at risk of removal during temporary library closures
The Scene's own Hamilton Matthew Masters wrote about Hargett and Ritter’s witch hunt through our public libraries last week:
An Oct. 31 letter from Hargett requested that each library “undertake an immediate age-appropriateness review (over the next 60 days) of all materials in your juvenile children's section.” The review aims to “identify any materials that may be inconsistent with Tennessee age-appropriateness laws, in violation of any federal law, including President Trump's Executive Order, or otherwise contrary to any other applicable state or federal laws.”
Library directors are then to provide a final report to the Tennessee secretary of state and the Tennessee state librarian and archivist — a division of the secretary of state’s office tasked with answering questions about the review — by Jan. 19.
You know what? Forget being angry at these censorious Puritanical busybodies. That is a big issue, but it is not the big issue. Whichever one of Hargett’s great-grandchildren ends up being the family’s Nathaniel Hawthorne can spend his time writing books about how embarrassing it is to be descended from Hargett, who did evil in the name of good.
The issue is just how very dumb and/or naive Hargett and Ritter are. “Oooh, let’s pull books out of libraries that the president doesn’t want kids to read.”
Really? After everything that’s come out about the president? The “accidentally” walking into the girls’ dressing room? The agreement with a teenage Ivanka not to date girls younger than her? The birthday note to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein? The nose print he left walking into a glass door because he was too busy staring at "young women" in bikinis at Epstein’s house? The sweetheart prison situation convicted child predator Ghislane Maxwell somehow has?
All this stuff comes out about the deeply shady behavior of President Trump’s buddy, and all of the things that deeply, deeply, deeply suggest Trump participated in the exploitation of children, and neither of these men think to ask themselves, “Should I be helping a guy who is a massive creep toward children limit what information children can have access to?”
I'm going to speak directly to Hargett and Ritter now. How in the world can two grown-ass men with brains and jobs and families and responsibilities end up in a position where you decide to help a dude who was best friends with a child sex trafficker, and who is really shady about underage girls himself, further his agenda on children? You know who has proved repeatedly that he doesn’t have good judgment about what’s good for kids? The dude who said he is "allowed to" pardon a child sex trafficker if he wants.
Talking to librarians, advocates, activists and students about state and local book bans and book challenges
So why are you following his orders about what kids should and shouldn’t be exposed to? How are public librarians throughout the state supposed to trust you now that they know you expect them to help Donald Trump, our creeper-in-chief?
I’m sorry, but this is baffling. This is beyond Republican vs. Democrat. We shouldn’t be on the side of the child-exploiters. Any of us. How is this not something we all just agree on?
If any of the people who behave inappropriately with children enlist you to take actions that affect children, that should set off red flags. This is so basic and so obvious that I’m embarrassed for Hargett and Ritter that they don’t see it.
And I’m heartbroken for the Tennessee State Library and Archives being in the stewardship of two men with such poor judgment. At the least, can we put a hold on censoring books available to children in our public libraries until we have a clearer idea of exactly why Trump wants to limit children’s access to books?
Fine if you don’t have the guts to actively stand against ol’ "Grab Them by the Pussy." Can you at least have the moral courage to stop helping him?
