Religious nuts in Texas seek to ban book about book banning!

danarhea · 08-04-08, 12:16 AM

Only in Texas would they attempt to ban a book that is a story about book banning. In Conroe, just north of Houston, a few fundies are attempting to ban Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, despite the fact that almost everybody else (95% or so of the population there) has no problem with it.

Next week, it is inevitable that the fundies will begin to demand trials for witchcraft, so they can then burn godless people along with their godless books. Call it a fundie double header, if you will.

Jeez. These people are batsh!t insane. As far as worshiping God goes, I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I thank God each and every day for not having to live in places like Conroe, Texas.

NOTE: The irony in all of this is not lost on me either. LOL.

YouTube - Religious nuts in Texas seek to ban book about book banning!

TacticalEvilDan · 08-04-08, 12:30 AM

Wow.

Just wow.

I'd ask if this is the depth to which we've sunk, but it's not fair to charge the population at large with the idiocy of a few isolated people.

danarhea · 08-04-08, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TacticalEvilDan

Wow.

Just wow.

I'd ask if this is the depth to which we've sunk, but it's not fair to charge the population at large with the idiocy of a few isolated people.

These few isolated people want to run roughshod over almost everybody else there, and make everybody conform to THEIR views on what constitutes decency. But I will tell you what is indecent - While they want to burn books, you won't see any of them feeding the homeless. Is this what Jesus would do? I tell ya', these ARE the crazies in the basement. NOTE: There is also a pretty sizable KKK chapter in Conroe too, and I am sure that some of these fundies belong to that organization too.

roguenuke · 08-04-08, 12:49 AM

First of all I loved this book. A ban on this book would deserve a place in the dictionary under irony. Part of the basic theme of the book is that their society has lost not only it's freedoms from outlawing books and free thought, but also some of its intelligence and moral foundations as well.

Second, the reasons the father gave for wanting the ban are totally ignorant. Did he even read the book all the way through or did he just skim through to find anything that might be offensive?

Some of the complaints were

Offensive language/acts (most of his written complaints) - we do not have a right to not be offended, most of the characters are adults and they legally can't do anything that might make them think

Talks about our firemen - it's called irony, I really don't think this guy knows what irony is, maybe he should have to take a high school English class besides, technically they're not "our" firemen since it is set in the future and firemen are only used to burn books not put out fires in their time

They burn the Bible - this is the one that really makes me think he didn't read the book, come on now, the whole book is about them burning books, why would they not burn religious books as well especially since they didn't seem to have any religion

Personally I think the girl should have had to read the book. But hopefully they won't ban the book because of some nutcase who doesn't even understand the level of irony of his own petition.

TacticalEvilDan · 08-04-08, 12:53 AM

What's really funny is all sorts of objectionable graphic stuff is depicted in the Bible.

By this guy's logic, why not ban that?

danarhea · 08-04-08, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roguenuke

First of all I loved this book. A ban on this book would deserve a place in the dictionary under irony. Part of the basic theme of the book is that their society has lost not only it's freedoms from outlawing books and free thought, but also some of its intelligence and moral foundations as well.

Second, the reasons the father gave for wanting the ban are totally ignorant. Did he even read the book all the way through or did he just skim through to find anything that might be offensive?

Some of the complaints were

Offensive language/acts (most of his written complaints) - we do not have a right to not be offended, most of the characters are adults and they legally can't do anything that might make them think

Talks about our firemen - it's called irony, I really don't think this guy knows what irony is, maybe he should have to take a high school English class besides, technically they're not "our" firemen since it is set in the future and firemen are only used to burn books not put out fires in their time

They burn the Bible - this is the one that really makes me think he didn't read the book, come on now, the whole book is about them burning books, why would they not burn religious books as well especially since they didn't seem to have any religion

Personally I think the girl should have had to read the book. But hopefully they won't ban the book because of some nutcase who doesn't even understand the level of irony of his own petition.

The funny part is that the father, when interviewed by Channel 13 in Houston, said that he opposed the book because it depicted burning the Bible. Can't believe he did not understand that, in the story, burning the Bible was an affront to moral values, done by people who claimed to have moral values, that they pushed on everyone else.

Oh the irony of it all, and on so many levels too. LOL.

Kernel Sanders · 08-04-08, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danarhea

The funny part is that the father, when interviewed by Channel 13 in Houston, said that he opposed the book because it depicted burning the Bible. Can't believe he did not understand that, in the story, burning the Bible was an affront to moral values, done by people who claimed to have moral values, that they pushed on everyone else.

Oh the irony of it all, and on so many levels too. LOL.

I would guess that he has never read the book and has not discussed his views with anybody who has either. It's the same thing that you see when crazies try to get Huck Fin banned because it's racist. It isn't, and the parts that superficially appear to be so are satire or portrayed in a negative light, and are in fact against racism. Some people are just too single-minded and ignorant to look past the fact that a bible gets burned, and see what is meant by it

Tucker Case · 08-04-08, 06:10 PM

Did the father really say "talking about our firemen" was a reason to ban the book?!?!?!?!?

Great googly moogly... that is perhaps teh dumbest argument I've ever heard.

And his daughter sounds like she's about three peanuts shy of a payday if you ask me.

cherokee · 08-04-08, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danarhea

Only in Texas would they attempt to ban a book that is a story about book banning. In Conroe, just north of Houston, a few fundies are attempting to ban Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, despite the fact that almost everybody else (95% or so of the population there) has no problem with it.

Next week, it is inevitable that the fundies will begin to demand trials for witchcraft, so they can then burn godless people along with their godless books. Call it a fundie double header, if you will.

Jeez. These people are batsh!t insane. As far as worshiping God goes, I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I thank God each and every day for not having to live in places like Conroe, Texas.

NOTE: The irony in all of this is not lost on me either. LOL.

YouTube - Religious nuts in Texas seek to ban book about book banning!

Some people are just born completely retarded other become that way on their very own.....

We do have a cure for them should they become violent...

UtahBill · 08-04-08, 08:35 PM

I attended Smiley High School in Houston, TX, just south of Conroe, back in 61-64. The school board there banned To kill a mockingbird, and The Scarlet Letter.
Same predominant faith there as in Conroe.