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Even in Iowa’s Bible Belt, porn for kids is now the sacred cow
A library board member in the reddest part of one of the reddest states in the union recently learned what “progress through cooperation” really means: Sit down, shut up, and stop objecting to porn for kids.
Teri Hubbard, a Sioux Center, Iowa, library board member, was the only vote to remove the book “Icebreaker” — which contains a six-page, graphic sex scene — from the shelves. Her reward? A gentle nudge from City Manager Scott Wynja suggesting she resign.
If these people can’t be trusted to protect children from graphic sex scenes, they can’t be trusted with anything else.
“As our motto with the city states, ‘progress through cooperation,’ I would ask that you work in a spirit of cooperation for the best interest of all,” Wynja wrote, after the board voted 8-1 to keep the book available to everyone, including minors. “If you feel you are unable to serve in that capacity ... we can consider going another direction.”
So let’s take a moment to appreciate what “progress,” “cooperation,” and “best interest of all” apparently sound like in Sioux Center. They sound like a passage that opens with: “Don’t be gentle. F**k me like you hate me.”
Wholesome stuff, truly. Norman Rockwell could never.
In fact, I’m shocked Wynja doesn’t put that line on a welcome sign, right under “Population: Proudly Confused.” And why not? I’m sure the eight board members — Tara Berkenpas, Angeles Bahena, Andrew Geleynse, Logan Kaskie, Brian Van Der Vliet, Lynn Van Beek, Lisa Dykstra, and Ruth Clark — would approve. They voted to keep the book, so the public deserves to know their names.
Clark even made the motion to retain it. And here’s the plot twist: She’s a Christian schoolteacher! Apparently, the gospel is no match for the mystical powers of library director Becky Bilby, who seems to think the First Amendment collapses into dust if 13-year-olds don’t get unlimited access to graphic sex scenes.
When Hubbard asked whether the concerned parents could attend the library board meeting — as they had requested — Bilby shut it down immediately.
“Becky made it clear this was a very bad idea,” Hubbard wrote to Wynja, “and that we do not want the public at board meetings because that would lead to media at board meetings, and that would be disastrous.”
Yes, you read that correctly. Public board meetings should avoid the public. The threat of transparency is far more frightening than distributing smut to minors.
Naturally, the usual cast of local intellectuals showed up to defend the cause. Kim Van Es, former chair of the Sioux County Democrats, solemnly warned that “excluding certain authors or certain views leads to authoritarianism, as it did in Nazi Germany.” She then offered a hypothetical about a majority-Muslim town imposing beliefs on Christians — because when you’re out of arguments, you go straight to Hitler and a thought experiment.
But she’s a Democrat. This is exactly the level of analysis we have come to expect.
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Then Northwestern College theology professor Jason Lief stepped up in “hold my beer” fashion.
“I’m afraid the Bible’s going to be pulled off the shelf,” he said. “I mean, if we go by kind of lewd, sexual stuff. I don’t know if you’ve read the Bible. The Judah-Tamar story ...”
This is the profound insight he brought “on behalf of the Bible.”
Has Lief ever read Romans 12:9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good”? Doesn’t seem like it.
For those in Sioux Center and at Northwestern College who have read it, here’s a modest proposal: Demand everyone on the board except Hubbard resign immediately. Then fire Wynja, Bilby, and Lief. They all had the easiest job in America — don’t give kids access to pornography — and failed spectacularly.
If they can’t be trusted to protect children from graphic sex scenes, they can’t be trusted with anything else.
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If the Supreme Court ends up taking the case and rules in line with the true understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Citizenship Clause, the Trump administration could start turning the corner on removing the true number of illegals in the country.Criminal Illegal Alien Who Ran Des Moines Schools Registered As Maryland Voter
The left clings to corruptible voting systems in a process where having a path to cheat is just as bad as actually cheating.Michelle Obama's former chief of staff aborts Senate campaign amid scandal over hiring of criminal noncitizen
Jackie Norris, the chairwoman of the Des Moines Public School Board who once served as chief of staff to Michelle Obama, has pulled out of the race for Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat as recommended by her Republican opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson.
Hinson stressed earlier this month that Norris, a champion of DEI, had "lost all shreds of credibility" over the role she played in the hiring of the Des Moines district's former superintendent, a criminal illegal alien who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sept 26.
'The state is so red that having her albatross on the ticket all but assured a Democrat loss.'
Ian Andre Roberts, a native of Guyana, has a lengthy criminal record. In addition to being convicted in 2012 of reckless driving and in 2022 of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, Roberts — who served as superintendent and worked with children until late last month — was previously charged with criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell; criminal possession of narcotics; and criminal possession of a forgery instrument.
According to ICE, when agents went to arrest Roberts last month, he "identified himself then sped off, abandoned his vehicle, and hid in a brushy area about 200 meters away, where ICE officers located him with help from Iowa State Patrol officers."
After apprehending Roberts, arresting officers allegedly found a loaded handgun, a hunting knife, and $3,000 cash in his vehicle. Roberts was subsequently charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.
"Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children," stated Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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"As chair of the Des Moines School Board, Iowa Democrat Senate candidate Jackie Norris hired an illegal alien with a rap sheet to be her superintendent and work with children," Samantha Cantrell, the regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, noted in the wake of Roberts' arrest. "Jackie Norris has put every single Des Moines student and family in danger. Democrats will stop at nothing to protect criminal illegal aliens."
In addition to being a convicted criminal noncitizen, Roberts reportedly lied about his academic bona fides, falsely suggesting, for instance, that he had attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Norris seemingly made things worse for herself by suggesting in the immediate wake of Roberts' arrest that the community should "engage in radical empathy as we work through the situation together."
Rep. Hinson suggested that instead of "radical empathy," it was time for "radical accountability."
Norris later suggested the school board had similarly been victimized by Roberts' deceit, then attempted to displace blame over the decision to hire him, filing a lawsuit against the headhunting firm JG Consulting for alleged negligence in the process of offering Roberts as a candidate, reported the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
In addition to facing significant backlash from parents, the district is now under investigation by the Trump Justice Department over its alleged discriminatory hiring practices.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon noted in a Sept. 30 letter to Matthew Smith, the interim superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, that "DMPS may be engaged in employment practices that discriminate against employees, job applicants, and training program participants based on race, color, and national origin in violation of Title VII."
Just days after telling Axios she was going to stay in the race, Norris announced she was instead calling it quits.
"The recent Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent crisis demanded my full attention as Board Chair and, overnight, put the School Board, our community, and me personally in the crosshairs of vicious and coordinated attacks," said Norris. "Those realities took time and oxygen away from the work I set out to do: stand up for our kids and families — and the backbone of our communities, their educators and caregivers."
Norris, who was the state director for Barack Obama's 2008 general election campaign, noted further, "I leave this race with my head high."
Blaze News has reached out to Norris for comment.
"Do not think Jackie is the first Democrat in recent memory to have any sense shame or self-awareness in ending her bid," BlazeTV host and Iowa native Steve Deace told Blaze News. "This is still the party that won't denounce their attorney general nominee in Virginia who has a murder fetish."
"Rather," continued Deace, "Jackie is ending her bid because Iowa isn't Virginia. The state is so red that having her albatross on the ticket all but assured a Democrat loss, and obtaining power is all Democrats care about. Now it's time to pursue her criminally and make an example out of her."
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Illegal Alien Who Ran Des Moines School District Had Long History Of Criminal Charges
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