Louisiana middle school librarian Amanda Jones said she’s “had
enough” of extreme rhetoric deployed against educators over LGBTQ
materials
…
Amanda
Jones, the president of the Louisiana Association of School
Librarians, was alarmed and outraged by the verbal attacks, which came
after she spoke against censorship at a Livingston Parish Library Board
of Control meeting. She said she’s suing the two men because she’s
exhausted with the insults hurled at educators and librarians over LGBTQ
materials.
“I’ve had enough for everybody,” Jones said
in an interview. “Nobody stands up to these people. They just say what
they want and there are no repercussions and they ruin people’s
reputations and there’s no consequences.” …
… Jones, the 2021 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators Middle School Teacher of the Year and the 2021 School Library Journal’s
Librarian of the Year, said more than 200 librarians have reached out
to her as the insults on Facebook spread. Many claimed they had been
victims of similar verbal and online abuse in the past two years. More
than 600 people donated a combined $20,000 for Jones on GoFundMe so she
could respond with legal action.
The defamation suit
seeks damages and asks a judge to issue a restraining order to prevent
the two [conservative] activists from speaking about Jones publicly. She also filed
criminal complaints with the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office against
the men. The sheriff’s office said the case is under investigation. …
On Tuesday, Politico reported that Republicans feel boxed in by their constant efforts to defend former President Donald Trump from the FBI investigation into highly classified information stored in boxes as his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida — as new revelations continue to pour out of the investigation that makes Trump’s actions appear less and less defensible.
“After having decried the FBI’s search of the ex-president’s home, many Trump defenders went silent upon the release on Friday of the probable-cause affidavit that revealed the extent of Trump’s efforts to hold onto the top-secret documents,” reported Meridith McGraw, Andrew Desiderio, Nicholas Wu, and Kyle Cheney. “GOP worries about the developments of the case and Trump announcing a 2024 run before November are giving way to a subtle, broader warning about putting the former president too much on the ballot this fall.”
One of the most prominent Republicans pushing this line is Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who has generated controversy for warning "there will be riots in the street" if the former president is prosecuted.
