Ray Bradbury has died. If you don't know the name, Bradbury belongs in the pantheon of great science fiction writers for his anti-censorship novel Fahrenheit 451 alone.
In a time when right-wing lawmakers in my home state of Tennessee have tried (and failed, at least so far) to ban the use of the word "homosexual" in public school classrooms and right-wing lawmakers in North Carolina have successfully banned the use of climate science models showing a sea-level increase of up to 39 inches between now and 2100, Bradbury's warnings against government thought control seem pretty damn prescient.
And so I mourn, not only for Bradbury, but also for what the wealthy and powerful are doing to our formerly democratic and free-thinking society. Think I'm being melodramatic? Sit back and watch while Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers under the guise of "American Crossroads" spent upwards of a billion dollars smearing first-term President Obama as the sole cause of the current budget deficit.
— Jeff Callahan
Flat Rock
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.