Battery Storage Facility Bid Goes Up in Flames

 By Gretchen Garrity

The Christian County Commissioners voted 3-0 on Thursday, April 18, 2024 to reject an application to build a battery storage facility in Ozark (previous article HERE). Fierce opposition from residents located near the proposed facility, as well as other citizens, made the commissioners' decision popular.

The second floor courtroom was packed for most of the meeting, with citizens handing out flyers and information they had gathered. A team from the developer Black Mountain Energy Storage, based in Austin, TX traveled to the meeting to make another pitch to the commissioners. Also, a representative of Show Me Christian County, the development organization of the county spoke in favor of the project.

While the dialog was mostly cordial, citizens were quick to react and call out the Black Mountain team at times. Show Me Christian County President and CEO Kristen Haseltine spoke about a forecasted tax increase for local schools of up to $24 million, which caused Commissioner Brad Jackson to later counter that because the facility would be considered personal property and not real property, a future change in the law (getting rid of the personal property tax) could negate all of the tax windfall.

Kristen Haseltine

Haseltine said, "Whenever this project came about, almost a year ago, we were informed about it and so we started investigating and started looking at it...seeking professional input from, um, across the state. We have even gone to Eaglepicher...in Joplin. They actually produce lithium ion batteries. We have talked with, I think, a minimum of six different utility partners, Liberty included, as well as cooperatives. We've talked to regional, as well as statewide, different groups. So we feel like we have been in lots of conversations, done research...Honestly I'm gonna point out Todd [Wiesehan, Resource Management Director]. Todd has done an amazing job at creating a summary of this project and addressing some of the concerns, and provided all of the resources that he used during his research. Based upon a lot of that research and investigation and everything that we've done, and including--which I'm going to point out--Danny Gray [county assessor] the financial impact as well."

  Haseltine went on to share three main points that attracted Show Me Christian County to the project:
1) Construction jobs
2) Energy Supply
3) Financial impact

Haseltine admitted that the construction jobs (about 100) would be temporary. Additionally, the Black Mountain team admitted earlier in the meeting that there is no guarantee that county residents would see a rise in the local energy supply or a lowering of rates. And, as noted above, if the personal property tax is done away with, the taxes collected would not meet the projection that Black Mountain gave to the assessor.

Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris kept control of the meeting while allowing everyone to speak. The commissioners had done their homework about the project, and Morris remarked that he had received a plethora of emails and phone calls from concerned citizens.

In an interesting development, the property owner, Stu Stenger of Natural Bridge, LLC, who also owns the land adjacent to the proposed facility, did not appear. Apparently, Stenger has plans to build a housing development on his adjacent property, and Haseltine inferred that if Stenger did not have a problem with the storage facility then citizens could feel at ease.

Later, a citizen who is a real estate appraiser got up to speak (at about the 1:44:00 timestamp) and explained how projects like the proposed battery storage facility could negatively affect property values. At the end, she said, "And I don't agree with that developer [Stenger]. He's gonna have a hard time selling a $500,000 or $600,000 house sitting next to a storage facility and a substation."

Haseltine arose in defense of Stenger, saying that his company had taken into consideration all the variables of locating a housing development near a utility. She also cited the housing shortage and stable local home prices as reasons for going forward with building housing near the battery storage facility.

Commissioner Morris commented about the absence of the developer, Stu Stenger, saying, "I'm a little disappointed. I continue to be that way, from time to time when people who should be at a meeting don't come to the meeting."

Commissioner Bradley Jackson spoke just before making a motion to deny the application for the project. "I don't like having people tell me, 'Think of all the property tax that will be generated for the schools.Think about the schools'. I do think about the schools. I think about them a lot. But the fact that there is a governor candidate that is running on the premise of eliminating the personal property tax, I can't take that into consideration as a revenue source. And I'm not going to be bought or have that threat of money hamper my ability to make a good decision. My citizens are worth more than money."

The motion was seconded by Commissioner Bilyeu, and the vote to deny the application was 3-0.

Video of the proceedings:

Shout Out!

 A shout-out to TPUSA-Faith of Christian County! 

Featured in the national organization's monthly newsletter, the feature said in part, "Let us applaud TPUSA Faith of Christian County Faith HUB for their exceptional commitment to civic engagement and excellence. This remarkable faith hub, located in Springfield, MO, organizes numerous transformative Biblical Citizenship Classes both within the city and throughout the county. Their unwavering dedication to actively engage and serve the community stands as an inspiring testament to the power of faith-driven initiatives. Through their efforts, TPUSA Faith of Christian County Faith HUB is making a meaningful impact, fostering unity, and empowering individuals to contribute positively to society."

From TPUSA-Faith

Contact the Christian County chapter at their Facebook page for information on upcoming Biblical Citizenship and Constitution Alive! classes, which are conducted in partnership with David Barton's Wallbuilders. The classes are perfect for families, as well as individuals.

The People Will Speak

 

By Gretchen Garrity

“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.” – Frederick Douglass

There is a concerted effort across the United States to quash free speech. In Christian County, the effort is being seen in library and school board meetings with increasing restrictions on what people can say or do during public meetings.

From a 2015 Springfield News-Leader article regarding public comments during open meetings:

“Missouri's Sunshine Law, which requires that most government meetings and records be open to the public, surprisingly says nothing about requiring public comment. Likewise, state statutes generally mandate that cities discuss and vote on new ordinances during open meetings, but don't specifically require that citizens be allowed to speak.”

Perhaps legislators should take another look at the statutes and ensure the right of the public to speak when the people’s business is being discussed and decided by their elected officials.

To not make specific provision for the right of the public to comment during open meetings is to give officials too much discretion over free speech rights. It encourages elected and appointed officials to restrict free speech when their actions are not in concert with the public.

The Christian County Library Board of Trustees is one example. Citizens have been addressing the board for nearly a year about the library’s policy of allowing access to sexually explicit and pornographic books in the children and teen sections.

While citizens are increasingly diligent about challenging the inappropriate books and informing the board of the issue, little headway has been made beyond relocating a book or two, and removing one. The library staff seems adamant that books containing gender ideology, critical race theory, and age-inappropriate introductions to sexuality should be accessible to children.

At the September 26, 2023 board of trustee meeting, Board President Allyson Tuckness, presented a new policy that included restrictions such as “no clapping, no responding, no vocal anything from the audience.” Additionally, Tuckness said if there was any such disturbance the meeting would be immediately adjourned.

The irony is not lost that while children and teens are being used in a “free speech” ploy by organizations like the American Library Association (ALA) and its numerous spin-offs, parents and citizens are having their right to comment on that agenda restricted at library meetings.

This is a direct result of the pressure the library board and staff are feeling from an increasingly alienated public. Further restricting public comment, even to the point of banning any kind of vocalizing from the “audience” as Tuckness refers to citizens, will not deter the public from exercising their free speech.

Dr. Naomi Wolf has written an essay titled “Neo-Marxism and the End of Language” in which she argues that the “changes I see being introduced into English speech in America, are designed to kill off the practices and assumptions of individual freedom and responsive representation that have also been embedded for generations in us as a people.”

While her essay deals primarily with how Marxists are changing the meanings of words and how those words are used in order to suppress free expression, she also mentions this is having a chilling effect on the ability of citizens to comment in exchanges with our elected representatives.

Dr. Wolf writes, “There is a change in how dialogue is being conducted at a public level. Questions are being dissevered from answers and we are being propagandized that that is ok. A feature of the Biden era is that the Western notion that in a representative democracy, your elected officials have to answer you, or at least, have to appear to do so, is being demonstrated to be dead.”

Further on, Wolf says, “Questions in public from the public to “officialdom,” or to elites, will soon feel theoretical, cosmetic, or purely rhetorical. Questions themselves will be drained of the positive social valence that they have had in the West. As in any totalitarian system, we will conclude: why even bother asking?”

The public comment policy that is read at each library board of trustee meeting states, “As a general rule, the Board will not respond to public comments at the time they are made. The Board may ask clarifying questions, comment, or take action at their discretion. Questions for staff about library operations should be made during normal business hours.”

In essence, a county commission-appointed public body is telling taxpaying citizens they are above responding to stated concerns unless they choose to do so.

At the October 24, 2023 board of trustee meeting, Rep. Jamie Gragg ably contested the board president’s unilateral changing of library policy regarding public comments. (See here.)

When some public officials set themselves above the people, the people will respond, either via their elected representatives or through their own resourcefulness.

@right2winozarks NO MORE APPLAUSE OR EMOTIONS AT ANY MEETINGS!!!!BECAUSE SHE SAID SO. #christiancounty #missouri ♬ Shh! be quiet…! Song loop of thief image - Hiraoka

Rep. Gragg Stands Up for Freedom of Speech--Epic!

It's Going to be Epic

 

@right2winozarks The truth shall set you free…. #ozark #staterepresentative #missouri #christiancounty #freedomofspeech #library #libraryboardoftrustees #libraryboardmeeting #capcut ♬ original sound - Right2WinOzarks

Christian County Library Board to Meet: UPDATED

 Correction: The Meeting is being held at the Ozark Library

The Christian County Library Board of Trustees has their monthly meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the Ozark library. Agenda here. Do attend if you can. It's usually pretty lively, as far as public meetings go. :-)

 

 

Show-Me Coach Conference in Christian County

 

Hosted by TPUSA-Faith (Christian County chapter), Patriot Academy coaches and citizens are invited to attend a one-day conference promoting knowledge of our civic rights and duties in public life. With the slogan, "Build Back Biblical," the Show Me Patriot Academy Coach Conference will bring Patriot Academy coaches, citizens, and pastors together who are taking a stand for biblical citizenship.

Event organizer Brian Rohlman, who is a long-time local coach for Patriot Academy, said, "The Show-Me Patriot Academy Coach Conference was envisioned as a teaching and equipping event for people who are already Patriot Academy Coaches, and for those who would like to find out more about educating their communities in the Biblical mindset that influenced our founding generation."

Additionally, Rohlman said, "In much the same way the Black Robe Regiment of the American Revolution shaped the moral and political thought of their generation, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must engage our communities with the absolute truth of God to stem the tide of moral and political decay in our cities, states, and nation. This can only be done by individual Biblical citizens operating at the local level, and the Show-Me Patriot Academy Coach Conference, hosted by TPUSA Faith Christian County, will provide invaluable training and encouragement to those who attend."

Doors open at 8 a.m. Speakers include Pastor Bill Cook of the Black Robe Regiment/Liberty Pastors, Brett Sterley of Convention of States, Rep. Jamie Gragg, Ashley Alexander (via virtual video) of Patriot Academy, Jennifer Rosebrock of Concerned Parents of the Ozarks, as well as a pastors' panel, coach panel, Civitas Tours and more.

For information and to register, go here. 

If you would like to sponsor the event, which is free for attendees, go here.

Sen. Bill Eigel Stops in for a Visit with Christian County

 

By Gretchen Garrity

Sen. Bill Eigel visited Christian County on Monday and spoke to a group of citizens at a local Nixa coffee house, The Baked Bean. Eigel, who is running for Missouri governor has been putting the miles on his truck (41,000 so far in the last ten months).

Eigel got right to business involving the audience in his talk. He thanked the group for "being a part of the political discussion" in Missouri and the nation as a whole. Then he asked them what got them involved in politics.

Some said the 2020 election fraud, someone mentioned the attack on children by leftists, others said Obamacare, the open border, the Covid craziness.

 

Candidate for Governor, Bill Eigel with future voters

"You know what all these things have in common?" Sen. Eigel asked. "They're all examples of what's wrong with politics today...People don't get involved in politics because they think things are going great...People get involved in politics because of what's wrong. Children are getting their hands on materials that are inappropriate for kids. The election was stolen in 2020. The tax burden is greater than its ever been in government. It's far more expansive in scope than it's ever been before. Missouri is stagnating because of it. Our children are being taught--and even though we don't allow them to choose their bedtime--that they can choose their gender."

Eigel went on to say that the Covid environment was the moment when people really started getting involved. After get involved in politics, Eigel said he soon realized that things are much worse than he envisioned. "What was really frustrating for me is that I thought going in to this that Missouri was electing these super majorities of Republicans to protect us from this insanity that seems to be taking place in our state and national capitols."

__________________________________________________________________________________

"I've seen firsthand that a grift has been created in our state capitol. A grift--that's what it is. It's a $51 billion state budget that's a grift that benefits the most powerful in this state at the expense of everybody else."

___________________________________________________________________________________

As he's been traveling around the state talking to citizens in Missouri, Eigel said whether they are rural or suburban or urban they all say the same thing, that they are furious. 

"They're angry, they're disappointed, they're frustrated. These super majorities of Republicans that said they were gonna make government smaller, that said they were gonna protect your rights, that they were gonna protect your families, that they were gonna cut your taxes--almost every one of those we have failed to deliver on all of the campaign promises. Not because our principles are wrong but because our politicians are weak."

The crowd agreed.

State Sen. Bill Eigel

 Sen. Eigel continued. "I've seen firsthand that a grift has been created in our state capitol. A grift--that's what it is. It's a $51 billion state budget that's a grift that benefits the most powerful in this state at the expense of everybody else. And because we're so busy trying to cater to the powerful few in our capitol we struggle to take time to protect our children. We struggle to take time to cut our tax burden..."

"At the end of all that, I'm running for office and I'm running to be the next governor of the state, and you know what? I'm angry, too. And I'm frustrated, and you heard that I'm a husband and a father. I've got two kids--they're 17 and 19 years old--and I want them to find opportunity in this state, because we know where opportunity is happening in this country right now, right? Which states are people moving to?

The audience answered Texas, Florida, Tennessee.

"The same ones you hear over and over. Big red states in other places doing big red things, and yet we're not doing them here even though we actually elect more Republicans to our state capitol than any of those states. And every two years the people of this state demand those kinds of reforms of broken government--protecting our elections, cutting our taxes, protecting our kids--that Republicans in Jefferson City compromise on or fail to accomplish altogether. And so they're furious."

"So I come along and I've been the guy down there for the past seven years, that's already been rubbing against the grain. I've been very candid and folks understand that I'm gonna call it the way I see it. And what I see is a grift that needs to be knocked over."

Sen. Eigel said he is incredibly unpopular in the halls of power in Jefferson City. "There's nothing that the swamp hates more than someone from the real world willing to call out all their lies and all their BS. Well, that's what I've been doing for seven years, and I've been attacked for it, almost constantly for seven years."

And I'm here to tell ya, when I become the next governor of this state, with your help, I'm gonna take the slings and arrows and attacks on behalf of every single one of the six million people that live in the state. Because I believe we are desperate for leadership. We're desperate for a bold, conservative Missouri that we only hear about in campaign season."

Eigel said that one of the first things he'll do as governor is to get rid of the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) "trash in our schools." He got a big hand for that.

"Believe it or not, the governor can defund those positions in state government. He doesn't actually need to wait for the legislature because he is the chief executive. The question is not 'Can we do it?' The question is 'Why haven't we done it already?' Why don't we have someone that is defending our kids from this stuff?"

____________________________________________________________________________________

The question is not 'Can we do it?' The question is 'Why haven't we done it already?' Why don't we have someone that is defending our kids from this stuff?"

________________________________________________________ 

He said both Democrats and Republicans in Jefferson City are afraid to stand up and be bold about it. He asked the audience where DEI and the transgender ideology is coming from? While he got a variety of answers, he said it was the federal government sending dollars and restrictions down to the state level, where it is digested and sent out by DESE (the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

He said, "Here's an idea. Let's get rid of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education." Wild applause and hollers followed.

He said DESE used to be a department of six people whose only job was to write checks to local school districts. Today it is a department of over 2,000 individuals who disseminate DEI, CRT and transgender ideology down to local school districts.

"When I'm the governor of the state we're going to stop that." More applause.

The issue moved to election integrity. 

"I've got a question for you," Sen. Eigel said, "How many of you trust the machines?" Loud boos. "I'm the only candidate for governor on either side of either party that is going to commit to you right now that I will work and get rid of every single machine in every county." Loud clapping.

Then he asked if anyone felt as if they weren't being taxed enough? Derisive laughter. "Everyone in this room is sending more of their money to government in one form or another--adjusted for inflation--than you ever have before. You've never sent more. How many of you feel like you're getting more for that record amount of sacrifice?"

Eigel went on to discuss some of the taxes Missourians suffer under, such as paying "rent on your car." He said he would get rid of the personal property tax if he were governor. Loud whoops and applause.

"Let's have an honest conversation," he continued. Then he said there are a lot of people, including politicians who ask him where the money is going to come from to make up for eliminating some taxes.

"Guys, I'm a Republican. I won't replace it with anything. We're gonna cut that tax burden and government is gonna do with a little bit less tomorrow than they are today. How about that? To those concerned about the boldness of that answer, how about this: Last year the state revenues in Jefferson City grew by more than $2 billion. Two billion dollars, and that was just the growth in our state revenues. Well, the value of every personal property tax bill in the state...is $1.7 billion. That means we could've gotten rid of every personal property tax bill on every person in this state, refunded the difference on just the growth we see in Jefferson City and still had $300 million left over."

 

Sen. Bill Eigel

"But is that what we did? No. We wasted that money. Gov. Parson came out with the largest budget the state has ever seen. $10 billion in new decision items and pork barrel spending. I refer to the budget we passed as 'Making Earmarks Great Again.' What did we get for all that? Can anybody tell me?...."

"You're getting a meat laboratory that will produce fake meat for $30 million. You're getting a concrete walking path built over the top of I-70 in downtown Kansas City--taxpayers are gonna spend $200 million on that.We're spending tens of millions of dollars on private stadiums. The women's soccer team in Kansas City got a parking lot for $2 million. Good for them, right? Bad for you."

"We're missing the opportunity to make Missouri the economic leader that other states like Tennessee and Texas and Florida are becoming...while our state becomes stagnant. And that's a darn shame."

"It's no surprise then as I go around and I say that the only thing stopping us from that better version of Missouri that I'm talking about is a Jefferson City that can't imagine that this state ever might have a governor like me that's raised up by a bunch of patriots like you."

"You know how you tell when somebody's from Jefferson City...or just government? Because whenever you have a crazy idea like 'Let's get rid of the personal property tax', you know what they'll say? They'll say 'We can't do that.' Well, let's get rid of the machines. 'We can't do that. We don't know how to count.' And there is such a 'We can't do that' attitude in Jefferson City. In spite of all the sacrifice that every one of y'all are making right now...but I think we need to do a heck of a lot better in our state."

Sen. Eigel also shared, "You know when I had this announcement [for governor], you know the first thing that Jefferson City said--first response from all the swamp creatures down in Jefferson City was 'Eigel can't do that. He can't win. He doesn't have the proper last name, right? He doesn't have enough name ID.'

_______________________________________________________

"Every time the swamp tells you you can't do something or every time the Missouri public is told that something can't be done we always come through. You know the heritage of America is that of an underdog overcoming the odds. And we've been told for 200 years that we couldn't do things or we couldn't go places and yet every single time the fact that we weren't willing to stop in the face of that message is why we became the greatest nation on earth."

_______________________________________________________ 

He then related the story that when he ran for state senator, he ran against a well-known candidate whose name was so popular in his district that his own wife's maiden name was the same. He said he had no name ID.

"Even though everyone was saying I didn't have enough name ID, we won that race."

He said the naysayers are also saying he doesn't have enough money to win...that the lieutenant governor's put together millions of dollars from all these powerful special interests--millions of dollars. But he told the story of an incumbent state senator in southwest Missouri who outspent his primary challenger seven-to-one, but still lost because his voting record and message was bad.

"Every time the swamp tells you you can't do something or every time the Missouri public is told that something can't be done we always come through. You know the heritage of America is that of an underdog overcoming the odds. And we've been told for 200 years that we couldn't do things or we couldn't go places and yet every single time the fact that we weren't willing to stop in the face of that message is why we became the greatest nation on earth."

"So here we are today, and all I'm asking is for you to consider that this Missouri that I'm talking about, where we're gonna boldly push back--on whether it's the next Covid environment, the next election scam, the next tax increase proposed by the swamp--that it's worth fighting for and believing that we can get to that better place so that one day Ron DeSantis, or Gregg Abbott and all these governors from other red states wake up and turn their TVs on and they say to themselves 'Look at all the great things Missouri's doing. What do we need to do to be more like them?'"

"So, my campaign slogan is, 'Let's go Missouri!' We are in a time and a place where more individuals are coming together and engaging in the political discussion for the first time in their lives--parents who are angry about the schools, business owners who are angry about taxes and the Covid environment. Patriots that are angry about what happened to our election."

"And by the way, how about all those patriots who are working on our elections who get ridiculed and called names by the media even though all they're trying to do is help every single one of us by making our elections a little more transparent and work a bit better..."

"I'll leave you with the idea, 'Don't be afraid'. Don't be afraid of the media and the powerful in Jefferson City who say that we can't accomplish something great. Don't be afraid of whatever crisis is gonna come out of Washington, D.C. We're gonna face that together and we're gonna face it with a bold, conservative version of Missouri that is as good and as conservative as the people of this great state."

Sen. Eigel then spent over 45-minutes answering questions and talking with citizens. Part Two will cover that.

 

Kicking Over the Applecarts

 

Sen. Bill Eigel at the Greene County GOP T.A.R.G.E.T. BBQ

By Gretchen Garrity

 The race for Missouri governor is already heating up. Since he announced his candidacy, state Sen. Bill Eigel has garnered a lot of media attention. Eigel is not afraid of controversy, or of attacks from either his own Republican party or the Democrats.

Last weekend, Sen. Eigel was in Springfield to attend the Greene County GOP’s T.A.R.G.E.T. BBQ. While local party rules prevented him from addressing the audience except to introduce himself, Eigel took time to meet with local supporters and citizens in a coffee meetup at an IHOP near the Ozark Empire Center Eplex beforehand.

Sen. Eigel’s platform is straightforward: Election reform through getting rid of machine counting and prohibiting out-of-state organizations from collecting voter data. According to his platform, “Missouri has its own authorities, from the Missouri Secretary of State to county election officials, to ensure election integrity. Missouri election transparency and integrity should be maintained within our borders and out of the hands of foreign special interests. Bill Eigel opposes Missouri’s membership or participation in any out-of-state organization and does not support the release of private voter data to any non-Missouri agency or authority.”

When asked about disenfranchised voters, Sen. Eigel replied, “Don’t let go.” He said, “God is in control. God has a plan.” He explained that one way to ensure election integrity in Missouri is by developing a local grant program to train hand counters. He also proposed a special fund to go to any county that has moved fully to paper ballots and hand counting.

Eigel has described his candidacy as “kicking over the applecarts” in Jefferson City, and he spares no one, including the current governor, Bill Parsons, whom the senator describes as a “center-left Democrat” on fiscal policy. Parsons has grown his budget more in the last seven years than any Democrat governor previously, the senator said. 

“All taxes in this state are too high,” Eigel said.

Acknowledging that even local budgets are growing too much, another plank in his platform is the repeal of the personal property tax. In a March interview, Sen. Eigel said the personal property tax hits working and middle-class taxpayers hardest. While SB8 is currently stalled, Eigel is determined to make headway with providing tax relief to citizens. His bill would phase out the personal property tax over several years, allowing for local entities to make adjustments.

 On a related note, listen to Sen. Eigel and Christian County Commissioner Brad Jackson talk taxes below:

Very heated discussion this morning with @BillEigel @Producer_Cass Bradley Jackson, and @chrisrussell_ #moleg @johncombest_com @missouriscout https://t.co/ArKGLG0BbO

— KWTO 93.3 FM - 560 AM - News - Analysis - Opinion (@933KWTO) September 22, 2023




When asked about the ever-expanding budgets and poor performance of local school districts, Sen. Eigel mentioned the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). He said DESE began as a very small department, with about six employees. It now has 2,000 employees and has become very powerful. Eigel wants to put parents in charge, and one way to do it is to rein in DESE’s funding.

Eigel is also opposed to the top-down imposition of CRT (Critical Race Theory) and DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). His platform includes: “Eliminat[ing] Hate-Based Ideologies such as Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, and other “woke” programs in public schools…” He is equally opposed to biological males participating in female sports, and prohibiting gender-transitioning surgeries for minors.

Additionally, Sen. Eigel “supports legal requirements for school districts to maintain easy to understand and electronically searchable curricula and lesson plan records, available at all times on the homepage of the website hosted by the district.”

When asked about what can be done regarding obscene and pornographic books in public libraries, Sen. Eigel said the governor has the power to stop state funds from going to libraries.

GOP candidates and elected representatives in Springfield

 

Eigel intends on staying busy in the Missouri Senate in 2024, and has plans to continue pushing for a repeal of the personal property tax, and a rollback of the gas tax increase, as well as supporting SB98 (maintaining separate bathroom/shower facilities for males and females), and SB100 (the gold and silver bill). He is also vigorously opposing Red Flag laws, vaccine and mask mandates, and foreign ownership of Missouri land.

When asked how his military service prepared him for public service, Eigel related how his time in Turkmenistan--a country which at the time had transitioned from a Soviet republic to an independent nation under the authoritarian rule of a self-styled “Turkmenbashi"--showed him what government overreach can do to the citizenry.

Those in government had much. Those not in government had little. It solidified his conviction that less government means more for citizens.

Eigel said the heart and soul of his campaign is “Don’t be afraid."

Challenge Results Trickling In

 

By Gretchen Garrity

The Christian County Library staff has responded to two recent book challenges. Although the challenge responses don't seem to be published on the library's website (as required) the outcome was expected except for a welcome concession regarding placement of displays.

 The first challenged book, "Thirteen Reasons Why," contains depictions of the sexualization of a minor, two rapes, sexual assaults, domestic violence, teen drug and alcohol abuse and suicide, and has been checked out 64 times since 2017. That is a potential of 64 kids who've been introduced to obscene and sexually violent scenarios.

Additionally, there is a popular Netflix series based on the book that may encourage minors whose parents won't allow them to watch the series to find the book at the library.

Further, the reasons given for retaining the book in the teen section of the library is that it is "well-reviewed," "popular," and appropriately located for a book geared toward 12-14 year-olds. 

The full response is below. Click on the image for clarity and size.

The second book challenge was for "Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story."

The book had been placed in a recent display in the Nixa library, in close proximity to the teen section. 

In a concession, the staff response said, "The display this book was on was next to the Adult Fiction collection, which is also near the teen area. The Nixa branch is limited in space, but we understand the concerns about materials being in close proximity to the teen area and confusion over the intended audience. We have reevaluated the location of that display shelf since it typically contains materials from the adult collection and have moved it further from the teen area."

Note the book display below in which "Sissy" was situated (you can see it peeking out from behind "The Bold World" on the middle shelf, also next to the book "Lawn Boy" and "Gender Queer." 

Other books in the display included "Normal People," "Fun Home," and "The Bluest Eye," among others. Several of those books are considered coming-of-age and would appeal to "young adults" and one, Gender Queer, is located in the teen section of the library.

 

Recent Nixa Library book display.

Activist book displays like the one above, are most likely the brainchild of groups like the American Library Association and its chapters like the Missouri Library Association. These groups, which actively seek to promote sexual and political agendas that are often contrary to local community values, filter down to local libraries through a well-organized narrative that pits parental rights and protecting children against "intellectual freedom" or  "freedom to read."

It's a false narrative. And taxpayer-funded local libraries should not belong to such organizations. A new and better alternative is the World Library Association, which is just getting started, and will serve as a commonsense alternative to radical associations like the ALA.

 And lastly, read WLA's Dan Kleinman's latest article about the plan for libraries to become vectors for socialism. It's straight from ALA President Emily Drabinski's mouth, thanks to undercover journalist Karlyn Borysenko.

Queering the MLA: Emily Drabinski is Keynote Speaker at Upcoming Conference

 

 By Gretchen Garrity

Just as citizens are finding out their local school districts are run in a top-down manner, so public libraries are also the victims of pressure from state and even national organizations like the American Library Association and its chapter, the Missouri Library Association.

Currently in the Christian County Library

 These organizations, many of which receive taxpayer funding, are pushing agendas whose aim is to  indoctrinate children into sexual and political agendas that are often contrary to parents' and the community's values. Emily Drabinski, the current president of the ALA, has spoken about an encounter with a library book at age 14, in which two of the characters engaged in "fantastic queer sex." She says, "...my body told me I was probably whatever that was!"

Drabinski is slated to be the keynote speaker at the Missouri Library Association's annual conference in October.

You can read about her introduction to queer sex and more in this report from the American Accountability Foundation. 

The Missouri Library Association put out a statement in February regarding Missouri Code of Regulations 15 § 30-200.015, "The Missouri Library Association continues to oppose 15 CSR 30-200.015 Library Certification Requirement for the Protection of Minors and now opposes the HB 1159 filed in the House of Representatives on 2/15/2023. While the final version of the Secretary of State’s proposed rule reduces potential for frivolous challenges to library collections from any individual, it remains vague and continues to engender strife between the library and its community. The newly filed HB1159, however, makes no such distinction on who may challenge the library's collection. It goes beyond the rule to institute punitive damages against libraries and librarians for merely doing the work of the library, providing access to information resources."

The MLA asserts, "Of course, providing minors with obscene materials is already both illegal and against library ethics and standards, so the rule seems to be based on personal interpretations of what materials, displays, and programs are ‘age appropriate." 

However, they do not explicitly deny that such materials are present in the children's sections of Missouri libraries. 

Books like Gender Queer and All Boys Aren't Blue are currently in the Christian County Library and available to minors in the teen section, or as the library titles it, the "Young Adult" section, which is geared toward ages 12-17.

From Gender Queer

 

And while this Federalist article says the State of Missouri has cut ties with the ALA, what has publicly occurred is that Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft sent a letter withholding any future funding of the ALA. Ashcroft stated, "Therefore, I have instructed my staff to discontinue any future financial payments to the American Library Association. My hope is that you reconsider this blatantly political stance, abide by your own principles, and protect the right of Missourians." Ashcroft is specifically referring to the kerfuffle that happened when it was found the ALA was flirting with denying Kirk Cameron's Brave Books events meeting spaces in public libraries. 

Ashcroft said, "The American Library Association Library Bill of Rights states in Article VI, "Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affirmations of individuals or groups requesting their use."

May this be similar to when Missouri lawmakers threatened to withhold funding from public libraries in March of 2023, but by April 2023 the Missouri Senate had restored that funding?

Here are the April meeting minutes of the Secretary’s Council on Library Development, “Secretary of State Office Update; Trish Vincent: Vincent states that the state aid budget the House cut has been restored by the Senate. Vincent believes this money should stay.” Who is Trish Vincent? She is the Executive Deputy Secretary of State/Chief of Staff for Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

From the ALA's website

 

Has there been a formal withdrawal from membership with the ALA, or just a withdrawal of support? Even the headline of a July press release from the Secretary of State mentions the word "admonishes" but not an actual divorce.

To illustrate how this works, ALA President Emily Drabinski is the keynote speaker at the upcoming October 2023 MLA state conference. Is the MLA continuing their relationship with the ALA until next year's membership funds are due? Will the MLA use private funds to continue their membership with the ALA?  Since it is a chapter of the ALA, has the secretary of state also withdrawn support from the MLA?

Drabinski the keynote speaker at the MLA Conference

 

Noticeably missing from Sec. Ashcroft's letter was any mention of the Missouri Library Association (a chapter of the ALA), and the Missouri State Librarian's ties with it. Robin Westphal is the state librarian, and here she is quoted in a January 2023 article from American Libraries Magazine: "As a state librarian, Westphal connects the 160 libraries that are part of the Missouri Library Association (MLA) with needed resources. Most MLA members are rural libraries, she said, and they are seeking to “evolve and adapt” services provided to their communities. 'Sometimes the best stories come from small towns,' Westphal said."

Here is a screenshot from Westphal's appearance at the MLA's "Library Advocacy Day":

Westphal speaking at the MLA in February 2023

And here is Sec. Ashcroft speaking with the MLA in February:

How is the MLA not accountable for its current membership in the ALA? The connections are clear as seen in the MLA handbook and its Intellectual Freedom page. 

As long as our taxpayer-funded libraries continue to walk hand-in-hand with organizations like the MLA, the indoctrination of children into sexualized and politicized agendas will continue. Local public libraries who retain membership in these organizations will continue to be pressured to implement policies and agendas that are not in consonance with the values of their communities.

Again, ALA President Emily Drabinski is the keynote speaker at this year's MLA annual conference. Ponder that.

And just in case you think of the MLA as library professionals fighting valiantly for free speech, here is a short video clip from a post the MLA featured on their Facebook page, detailing a fundraiser for the MLA by Rude Revue's Booklover's Burleque: Kansas City Edition. 

MLA representative, Brian McCann detailed the August 26 show, explaining that the adult performance was all in good fun to raise funds for a beleaguered MLA trying to stop censorship. There's lots more at Rude Revue's Facebook page about the August 26 show, including another video clip with McCann.

Protecting vulnerable children and youth from sexually explicit books does not mean censoring adult entertainment--however vulgar; but the MLA is apparently fine with making that false connection.