Squall Alert

 

By Mary Reiman

Note to self… 

Never leave Lincoln without my pink bag – the ‘go-to’ bag. The pink bag should always contain a phone charger, a toothbrush, and a device with a book just waiting to be read. 

Because you never know when a squall will pass through so you can’t get home. What was to be an hour visit to family on January 18th turned into an unplanned stay without my pink bag. 

Squall: a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm, especially one bringing rain, snow, or sleet. A snow squall warning is issued for short duration. These warnings will be used to warn about whiteout conditions with intense bursts of snow and wind.

Are squalls only about weather? 

Think about that definition for a moment. We got through that afternoon and evening of swirling snow. But doesn’t it seem like we are still surrounded by squalls? Localized storms take many forms. Are low clouds hanging over Lincoln? 

Some of last week’s news stories: 

• Melting snow in Lincoln causes damage to a building, causing businesses to close temporarily. That was problematic for those employees on Monday morning.

• Raising sales taxes so property taxes can be lowered. How is this most beneficial?

• The need in our state for more skilled workers in spite of low population growth. A dilemma.

• Potholes (potholes=squalls)

Or national news:

* Amelia Earhart’s plane may have been located. A female adventurer in a time when female adventurers did not receive a lot of acknowledgement.  Interesting to think that all these years later they are still trying to locate her airplane. Was it a squall that sent her plane into the ocean in 1937?

* Loss of taste and smell from COVID. For most, those senses come back within a few weeks after testing negative. However, for those who still can’t taste or smell after eight weeks, there’s a major concern, more than a squall.

Is a squall simply a blip in time when everything seems to go awry?  

Well, in our political world, it seems that squalls are becoming more long term, turning into gale force winds, especially throughout the plains of Nebraska. I fear this turbulent weather pattern will be hanging over our heads at least until after the election. It is only February and already our nationally elected officials are not passing needed legislation, even though they support it, because it would look like they were supporting the other party’s candidates. Really...is that what is best for their constituents? Is that the first question they ask themselves when voting for any legislation?

And then there is the headline from today's Lincoln Journal Star. The proposal to ban books from school libraries across the state of Nebraska. Much turbulence ahead.

Let's use The Color Purple by Alice Walker as an example. It is on a list of books created by a national group, being circulated state by state, to be banned from school librarians. The Color Purple is a classic, has won a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, and was made into a movie in 1985 and recently released again in 2023. Within the story line about the power of family, resilience, hope and bravery, is also the acknowledgement of sexual abuse by a family member. 

IF a child who has also been sexually assaulted reads The Color Purple and realizes she/he is not alone in the world, then that book needs to be available for that child to read. The same can be said for children contemplating suicide, or with feelings of being isolated or bullied. It does not mean that every child or young adult in that school should read every book, but diverse literature, sometimes dealing with difficult topics, is what they are searching for to give them solace in the storm of emotions they are feeling. What purpose does it serve to ban those books? 

If we truly want to address the mental health issues caused by childhood trauma, allow children the opportunity to read and reflect and know they are not alone in this world. 

I believe there is power in words. The power to heal. 

Parents may look at the online card catalog to see the titles of the books in their child's school library. There are selection policies in the school libraries. There are processes in place if a parent is concerned about a book their child has chosen to check out from the library. 

Mr. Penner's quest to ban books is a story worth following. You may want to submit your thoughts/concerns/comments to your representative on the State Board of Education. I attended Friday's meeting. I know they read the letters from their constituents. They referred to several of them. The board will meet again to discuss the possible rule changes on March 8th and your letter will probably need to be submitted by the 6th. Their agenda, with the link for public comments, will be posted:  https://www.education.ne.gov/stateboard/ 

If you would like to talk about this storm brewing, please let me know. I think fondly of the days when I had great conversations with parents who called to ask about a book in the library. Discussions, learning from each other. Civil discourse. Perhaps this would still be a better way to calm the stormy weather that seems to have settled over us.

FOR MORE URGENT ACTION: From the Nebraska Legislature: LB1399 - Change provisions relating to the involvement of parents, guardians, and educational decision makers in the education of their children.

Read page 5 of Section 6:   https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Intro/LB1399.pdf 

Comments regarding this bill need to be made by 8:00 a.m., Monday, February 5th https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55180 

You may notice that some of the language about the school library resources in LB1399 sounds familiar. Some of our state legislators are finding very subtle, some might say subversive, ways to ban books.

Yes, storm clouds are looming overhead.

I think I will definitely make 'squall' my word of the year...hoping I don't have to change it to 'gale-force winds.' 

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