Iowa school confronts Steinbeck's acclaimed novel

I happened upon the following paragraph that seemed timely while browsing The Chariton Leader of March 9, 1882, yesterday --- "The Iowa Legislature has decided that they will disband on the 16th inst. They no doubt think they will be able to do as much needless legislation prior to that time as the people can endure for the next two years."

Iowa's General Assembly convened only every other year then, in fact until 1969 when the Constitution was amended and annual sessions commenced. And "inst." here is "instant" abbreviated, meaning during the current month. So lawmakers were hoping to adjourn March 16, 1882.

Much of the "needless" legislation during the current session, 140 years later, has focused on Republican school agendas --- strategies for channeling more public funds into private education, banning transgender girls from participating in girls' athletics, lowering teacher standards to cope with teacher shortages, banning books, etc., etc.

Just last week, for example, Senate President Jake Chapman's bill that would allow teachers and librarians to be charged with aggravated misdemeanors for making "obscene material" or "hardcore pornography" available in classrooms or school libraries advanced to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It's likely to die there, but in Iowa these days one really doesn't know.

One of the obvious questions here is who gets to define "obscene" or "hardcore pornography." 

Which brings me to an interesting piece written by veteran political reporter Todd Dorman yesterday for eastern Iowa's Gazette, headlined "An Iowa teacher faced the wrath of book-banners 42 years ago." The book in question was John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath."

The Gazette allows visitors to access a few stories before the door in the pay wall closes, so you should be able to read the piece by following this link if you're not interested in subscribing.