The banning continues... Next up, SPEAK?!

The situation regarding censorship in the United States is becoming a little ridiculous.  It is one thing to teach your own children what your own family values and believes, but, when you start forcing those values and beliefs upon others and their children, you have crossed a line, especially when it comes to a book like SPEAK. 

SPEAK is one of those rare books that has the ability to assist an adolescent in putting a horrible experience that they may have had into a perspective that they so desperately need.  SPEAK teaches adolescent girls that it is okay to speak up against violence and rape.  It is okay to confront your accuser.  You do not have keep in the emotion and be silent.  Tell someone and the closure may begin.

However, according to Dr. Wesley Scroggins, SPEAK is nothing but "soft pornography".  Wait...what?!?!?!  Can someone please explain to me how a young girl being raped is "soft pornography"?

Here is what Dr. Scroggins has to say:

"This is a book about a very dysfunctional family. Schoolteachers are losers, adults are losers and the cheerleading squad scores more than the football team. They have sex on Saturday night and then are goddesses at church on Sunday morning. The cheer squad also gets their group-rate abortions at prom time. As the main character in the book is alone with a boy who is touching her female parts, she makes the statement that this is what high school is supposed to feel like. The boy then rapes her on the next page. Actually, the book and movie both contain two rape scenes." (Read the full article here.)

I am not sure what book Dr. Scroggins read, but it sure was not SPEAK.

If you go to any YA author's blog right now, you will find a discussion of this situation.  Here are a couple of good reads:

• Sarah Ockler's Blog (Her book Twenty Boy Summer was also mentioned by Scroggins.  His exact words:  "How can Christian men and women expose children to such immorality?") 
• Laurie Halse Anderson's Blog

However, if you do not quite feel angry enough, yet, why not read Dr. Scroggins 29 page manifesto about everything that is wrong with the curriculum in his town of Republic, MO, which includes a discussion of how the separation of church and state is a myth and freedom of expression was created by a liberal Supreme Court to "justify many perversions in our society".

This needs to stop.  It has to stop!!!!  What will be next on the chopping block?