Ted Cruz's Travel, Book Bans, and Library Returns: The Good, Bad & Ugly

Senator Cruz's Winter Travel

• 💡 Senator Ted Cruz left Texas for "pre-planned work travel" to California before an impending winter storm, a move reminiscent of his 2021 Cancun trip during a deadly storm.
• 📌 Texans have developed a ritual of googling "Where is Ted Cruz right now?" when storms approach, associating his travel with potential grid issues and bad weather.
• 💬 Panelists noted Cruz's destinations often include "pretty beaches" like Cancun, Greece, and Laguna Beach, and memes depict him as a "groundhog" signaling bad weather.

Conroe ISD Book Ban

• ⚠️ Conroe ISD's board upheld a grievance, banning the children's book "I Am Billie Jean King" from elementary school libraries due to its mention of the tennis legend being gay and in a same-sex marriage.
• 📚 The book, part of Brad Meltzer's "Ordinary People Change the World" series, focuses on King's fight against sexism in tennis, including her 1973 victory over Bobby Riggs.
• 🧠 Panelists unanimously called the ban "ugly," arguing it diminishes education, narrows student perspectives, and can harm LGBTQ+ children by censoring diverse stories and historical figures.

Importance of Diverse Stories

• ✅ Mary Flood highlighted Billy Jean King's iconic status for equal pay, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, emphasizing her significance beyond tennis wins.
• 💡 Ernie Manuse stressed the duty to understand history, even if parts are disliked, and noted that the "ordinary people" in the book series are actually extraordinary figures whose full stories should be known.
• 📖 Jack Young pointed out that removing sports biographies like King's can discourage reading among students who might otherwise be drawn to such narratives.

Overdue Library Book Returned

• ✨ The La Mesa branch of the San Diego County Library received an anonymously returned book, "The Incredible Journey," 46 years late, with a note simply saying, "Sorry, this is so late."
• 👏 Panelists described the return as "beyond good" and "poetic," with one envisioning a grandchild discovering the book and returning it to keep it in circulation for future generations.
• 💰 Despite the significant delay, the library manager confirmed no late fee would be charged, reinforcing the positive nature of the return.