Latest news with #NimitzLibrary
The National
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
A pattern's emerging and it's similar to Germany in the 1930s
Now it's alleged that her book is one of nearly 400 books removed from the prestigious US Naval Academy's Nimitz Library. Why? Just following orders from the US defence secretary to review and remove books promoting diversity, equality and inclusion. But if I wanted to, I could borrow one of their two copies of Mein Kampf. There's a pattern emerging here. In the latest escalation of Donald Trump's war on the judiciary, the FBI arrested a sitting Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, accusing her of helping a man evade immigration authorities. READ MORE: Labour MPs angered as Keir Starmer ignores calls for change of course Attack the judiciary, take steps to remove and silence the very people meant to consider, interpret, defend and apply the law, then who is safe? There's a pattern emerging here. Two high-profile cases, two people, have become the face of fight back to the picking up and forced removal of thousands from the US. One is the pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student facing deportation Mahmoud Khalil, picked up and detained without an arrest warrant. The other is Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk, with her full legal credentials swept away. If you can remove people from the streets, their homes, without legal due process, who is safe? There's a pattern emerging here and it's similar to Germany in the 1930s. That pattern has carried on with the far right now even smarter with its blitzed-up propaganda. Everything's wrong. Others made it wrong, it's their fault. But 'they and only they' will make it better. Much as I hate acknowledging it, what Trump said pre-election, he did ASAP. So with Trump as a real change factor, not a weak slogan in freebie attire, is it any wonder that the main traction for change here is coming not from the mainstream, but from the far-right? Politicians are dressing up more of the same as change or asking us to rally against Reform as a diversion away from their failure to deliver. I'm just wondering if a square round table bash will cut it. That initiative seemed to depend on a lot of trickledown, from those present, to us on the outside. We can't rely on bogeyman tactics or the other Unionists losing out to Reform in 2026. Even if they do, how will that further Scotland's move to independence? What's on offer? Why vote for independence? Why not offer something revolutionary? Why not have pro-indy parties offering radical change as part of a managed phase, the foundation laying for independent Scotland, such as control over land? Land reform that puts Scotland and its people in control, how it's used, where, by whom and taxed. Or taxing profit before wages. Or control over our energy: creation and supply. At the Waterwise Conference in London in March, it was stated that the country (whose country?) could face insufficient water supplies in 25 years. But fear not since part of the solution was 'cross-country water transfer schemes'. Now I know whose country! It's too cheesy to paraphrase it thus, but having come for the oil, then wind and wave, then when drought hits, they come for the fresh water, what's left? Spain and Portugal have just demonstrated the importance of central power of supplies and infrastructures in the life of a country and its people. Can we afford to have someone else controlling basic energy creation and supplies? I doubt it. That would be unimaginable ... like someone else being in control of all our money through their banks, and not having our own currency and banks. Selma Rahman Edinburgh
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth's Orwellian purge leaves US military academies less free
I was shocked and upset to learn recently that Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' was, under orders of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, pulled from the shelves of Nimitz Library on the campus of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. As if the removal of this seminal text of American literature were not egregious enough, in this 'DEI purge,' staff also jettisoned 'Memorializing the Holocaust,' by Janet Jacobs' and 'Jack Johnson: Rebel Sojourner,' by Theresa Runstedtler. Jacob's book explores gender as a framework in the larger context of Holocaust memory, and Runsteldler's text highlights a Black man's struggles against Jim Crow racism of the early 1900s. At a college founded in the early 1800s, but which did not produce a Black graduate until 1949, and a woman graduate until 1980, the reading of these text by students ought to be lauded, not discouraged. When I was one of the few Black students at Annapolis in the late 1970s, I and a group of classmates often discussed books we were reading outside of the classroom. The freedom to engage with books like Richard Wright's 'Native Son,' Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' and Nathan McCall's 'Manchild in the Promised Land.' offered a connection to our personal stories and collective histories while augmenting our official instruction which emphasized the histories and accomplishments of white men. These activities encouraged curiosity and empathetic listening, skills as important to future Navy and Marine Corps officers as learning military tactics and armament. Current students at the Naval Academy may no longer have such freedom. Nearly four hundred other books were purged, prompting members of the House Armed Services Committee to demand that the Navy, 'stop the removal of books from the service academy's library.' Every American should make the same demand. Moreover they should urge their representatives in Congress to also demand that Hegseth return the purged books to the library. My alarm about this library purge extends beyond pinning for earlier days of unmonitored library visits. In what appears to be another misguided effort to conform to Executive Order 14151: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, staff at the Academy cancelled the talk of an invited lecturer, Ryan Holiday, after he refused their request to not mention the book purge in his remarks. Staff at libraries in other military academies and on hundreds of military installations, may be compelled to take similar actions to curtail free speech. Moreover, Secretary Hegseth's egregious actions may embolden other Trump appointees to further restrict what civilian employees may post on websites, include in internal documents, and discuss with coworkers. The NAACP correctly criticizes book bans as increasingly becoming the tool of 'anti-black policy leaders who systematically perpetuate intolerance and ignorance.' More extensive book bans have already disrupted the education of our youth. The free speech advocacy group PEN America reports nearly 16,000 book bans in our nation's public schools since 2021, numbers 'not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.' Libraries at service academies exist to help educate the next generation of military leaders. However, these libraries are operated at what the defense department markets as liberal arts colleges. While the academies' peer institutions have been criticized by Trump administration officials for giving lip service to the free flow of ideas and information, none have been subjected to such blatant censorship—not yet. One Department of Defense website reports that on his visit to the Naval Academy, Pete Hegseth said: 'Our noncommissioned officer corps…gives us an advantage over autocratic, top-down militaries every day… Push information, decision-making and capabilities downward." Yet, if the secretary genuinely believes in the power of non-autocratic leadership, he should give his subordinates more latitude to decide for themselves what they should read. Many websites offer lists of books banned by public officials in numerous states across the US. In addition to asking our representatives to oppose the book purge at the Naval Academy, the public can act further. Buy the books banned, share them with friends and colleagues, review them in the media. These are important actions in what is looking to be an ongoing fight against growing draconian efforts to suppress free speech and individual choice.
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
US army and air force libraries ordered to comb stacks for books related to DEI
US army and air force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to new memos obtained by the Associated Press. The orders from service leaders come about two weeks after the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by the office of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to get rid of those that promote DEI. The latest army and air force orders are part of the Trump administration's far-reaching efforts to purge so-called DEI content from federal agencies. The memos suggest that any removal of books will only happen after the initial lists are reviewed more closely. That slower pace may reflect a desire to be more careful about what books are pulled from shelves after the navy faced criticism over some of those it removed. Books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, as well as Maya Angelou's famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, were among the 381 books that were removed from the US Naval Academy's Nimitz Library. The army memo was sent to the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, the Army War College in Pennsylvania and several other service departments. It says they must review their collections and any books promoting DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory 'in a manner that subverts meritocracy and unity' must be removed 'pending additional guidance'. The memo – signed by Derrick Anderson, acting assistant army secretary for manpower – says a list must be provided to the army's chief librarian by Wednesday. The order also applies to libraries under the authority of the army's training and doctrine command, army special operations command and the army judge advocate general's legal center and school. The air force memo, meanwhile, directs the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, to review all of its titles for anything related to DEI, gender ideology and critical race theory. The school must provide an interim list by 30 April and a final list by 30 May. That memo was signed by Gwendolyn DeFilippi, the acting assistant air force secretary for manpower, and did not specify other libraries within the air force. The three military academies had not been included in Donald Trump's executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges. But when Pentagon leaders realized that gap, they initially ordered the Naval Academy to review and remove books and soon after gave the same directive to the other services. In a statement, the air force said the academy is 'conducting a deliberate review' of the library to comply with department policies. Army Col Terry Kelley, a West Point spokesperson, said the school 'will complete the directed review with the utmost professionalism and efficiency'. Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from lawmakers, local leaders and citizens angry over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from defense department websites and social media pages. In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Hegseth's ‘Big Brother' book purge models the worst of McCarthyism
The U.S. Naval Academy has had a library since the day it was founded in Annapolis, Md. in 1845. Its history had been one of steady expansion and wide inclusion until last month, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the removal of suspect books. Hegseth was not the first Republican figure to demand a library purge. That was the disgraced Roy Cohn, Sen. Joe McCarthy's henchman and President Trump's early mentor. Hegseth was, however, the first to insist that future military officers could be harmed by exposure to the wrong books. In fact, the most famous five-star general in U.S. history once took a decidedly contrary view. The Naval Academy's initial curriculum included mathematics, navigation, gunnery, chemistry and interestingly, natural philosophy, for which the original 50 midshipmen could study from the 400 books housed in the superintendent's office. The library expanded over the ensuing 180 years, moving from location to location until 1973, when the collection was consolidated in the new building of the Nimitz Library. It now holds over 500,000 print books, as well as ebooks, periodicals, databases and videos, both scholarly and popular. The Annapolis administration at first believed that the college-level academy was not subject to President Trump's executive order requiring the removal of books related to diversity, equity and inclusion themes from K-12 libraries. Hegseth, however, thought differently. His office informed the Naval Academy that Trump's order applied in full. The academy had no choice but to acquiesce, announcing its full commitment 'to executing and implementing all directives outlined in executive orders,' and undertaking a review of 'the Nimitz Library collection to ensure compliance.' The review yielded a list of 381 books, evidently deemed too dangerous to remain on the shelves. One of the banned books is poet Maya Angelou's best-selling memoir 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.' Others include studies of lynching in the South, the history of the Ku Klux Klan, the Holocaust, Weimar-era Germany, anti-Asian racism, gender studies, Mormonism and several books about Muslim and Palestinian Americans. Coinciding with Trump's campaign of political retribution, the list also includes Stacey Abrams's 'Our Time Is Now.' A Navy spokesperson explained that the purge was part of 'the Naval Academy's mission … to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically in order to cultivate honorable leaders, create a culture of excellence, and prepare them for careers of service to our country.' In 1953, Cohn went on a similar mission at the behest of his boss, McCarthy. He was tasked with investigating the libraries at U.S. cultural centers in Europe for the purpose of removing purported 'communist' books from the shelves. Needless to say, Cohn declared that he found what he was looking for, declaring that the libraries were 'fairly teeming with anti-American, pro-Soviet books written by Communists and fellow travelers.' At one stop on the multi-city tour, Cohn proudly displayed 'The Maltese Falcon,' by the mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, as 'proof that there were indeed Communists represented in the American library.' He did not mention that the 1941 film adaptation had been nominated for three Academy Awards, having done no damage to the morals or citizenship of American movie-goers in the 12 years since its release. McCarthy himself promised to 'pin down' those who were 'directly responsible' for 'placing the U.S. stamp of approval on a vast number of well-known Communist authors.' Predating Hegseth by 72 years, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles ordered the removal of many books 'stocked in our libraries throughout the world.' Although McCarthy did not then have a fraction of Trump's power today, the U.S. Senate nonetheless embraced his efforts to purge intolerable reading matter. His Senate Committee on Government Operations unanimously endorsed Cohn's finding of 'Communist infiltration of our libraries.' It was President Dwight Eisenhower, the former supreme allied commander who led the victory in World War II, who finally repudiated political censorship. In an address at the 1953 Dartmouth College commencement, he urged the graduates, 'Don't join the book burners.' Instead, he told them, 'Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book.' It is shameful that Naval Academy midshipmen are being given a very different message from the Trump administration. McCarthy finally met his downfall in what became known as the Army-McCarthy hearings, when he attacked the loyalty of military officers. Perhaps today's military leaders will eventually take a similar stand for their own freedom of thought. Publicly posting the names and authors of the Naval Academy's 381 banned books may even have been intended as a small act of resistance. And at least the forbidden volumes have not been burned or shredded, but merely 'placed in a room where library patrons cannot access them,' leaving open the possibility of restoration. In the meantime, Hegseth has earned for himself perhaps the best-known rebuke from the McCarthy era: 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?' Steven Lubet is the Williams Memorial Professor Emeritus at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Hegseth's ‘Big Brother' book purge models the worst of McCarthyism
The U.S. Naval Academy has had a library since the day it was founded in Annapolis, Md. in 1845. Its history had been one of steady expansion and wide inclusion until last month, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the removal of suspect books. Hegseth was not the first Republican figure to demand a library purge. That was the disgraced Roy Cohn, Sen. Joe McCarthy's henchman and President Trump's early mentor. Hegseth was, however, the first to insist that future military officers could be harmed by exposure to the wrong books. In fact, the most famous five-star general in U.S. history once took a decidedly contrary view. The Naval Academy's initial curriculum included mathematics, navigation, gunnery, chemistry and interestingly, natural philosophy, for which the original 50 midshipmen could study from the 400 books housed in the superintendent's office. The library expanded over the ensuing 180 years, moving from location to location until 1973, when the collection was consolidated in the new building of the Nimitz Library. It now holds over 500,000 print books, as well as ebooks, periodicals, databases and videos, both scholarly and popular. The Annapolis administration at first believed that the college-level academy was not subject to President Trump's executive order requiring the removal of books related to diversity, equity and inclusion themes from K-12 libraries. Hegseth, however, thought differently. His office informed the Naval Academy that Trump's order applied in full. The academy had no choice but to acquiesce, announcing its full commitment 'to executing and implementing all directives outlined in executive orders,' and undertaking a review of 'the Nimitz Library collection to ensure compliance.' The review yielded a list of 381 books, evidently deemed too dangerous to remain on the shelves. One of the banned books is poet Maya Angelou's best-selling memoir 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.' Others include studies of lynching in the South, the history of the Ku Klux Klan, the Holocaust, Weimar-era Germany, anti-Asian racism, gender studies, Mormonism and several books about Muslim and Palestinian Americans. Coinciding with Trump's campaign of political retribution, the list also includes Stacey Abrams's 'Our Time Is Now.' A Navy spokesperson explained that the purge was part of 'the Naval Academy's mission … to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically in order to cultivate honorable leaders, create a culture of excellence, and prepare them for careers of service to our country.' In 1953, Cohn went on a similar mission at the behest of his boss, McCarthy. He was tasked with investigating the libraries at U.S. cultural centers in Europe for the purpose of removing purported 'communist' books from the shelves. Needless to say, Cohn declared that he found what he was looking for, declaring that the libraries were 'fairly teeming with anti-American, pro-Soviet books written by Communists and fellow travelers.' At one stop on the multi-city tour, Cohn proudly displayed 'The Maltese Falcon,' by the mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, as 'proof that there were indeed Communists represented in the American library.' He did not mention that the 1941 film adaptation had been nominated for three Academy Awards, having done no damage to the morals or citizenship of American movie-goers in the 12 years since its release. McCarthy himself promised to 'pin down' those who were 'directly responsible' for 'placing the U.S. stamp of approval on a vast number of well-known Communist authors.' Predating Hegseth by 72 years, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles ordered the removal of many books 'stocked in our libraries throughout the world.' Although McCarthy did not then have a fraction of Trump's power today, the U.S. Senate nonetheless embraced his efforts to purge intolerable reading matter. His Senate Committee on Government Operations unanimously endorsed Cohn's finding of 'Communist infiltration of our libraries.' It was President Dwight Eisenhower, the former supreme allied commander who led the victory in World War II, who finally repudiated political censorship. In an address at the 1953 Dartmouth College commencement, he urged the graduates, 'Don't join the book burners.' Instead, he told them, 'Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book.' It is shameful that Naval Academy midshipmen are being given a very different message from the Trump administration. McCarthy finally met his downfall in what became known as the Army-McCarthy hearings, when he attacked the loyalty of military officers. Perhaps today's military leaders will eventually take a similar stand for their own freedom of thought. Publicly posting the names and authors of the Naval Academy's 381 banned books may even have been intended as a small act of resistance. And at least the forbidden volumes have not been burned or shredded, but merely 'placed in a room where library patrons cannot access them,' leaving open the possibility of restoration. In the meantime, Hegseth has earned for himself perhaps the best-known rebuke from the McCarthy era: 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?' .
