Try That In A Small Town (Op-Ed By Anne Featherston)

Image: Fentress County Public Library Image Credit: Chuck Sutherland / Google Maps

submitted by Anne Featherston [Tennessee Action Group] –

Try That in a Small Town,”  is a song by Jason Aldean of what can what happen in a small town over bad behavior.  The nuggets of truth add to the humor.

Have small towns really escaped the craziness of the “blue” states?   Tennessee has its own “blue” cities like Nashville and Memphis.  Is the craziness moving to the country?  Well, let’s just try that in a small town and see.

One of the worst horrors of the last 3 years or so is the blatant and continuous public assault on our children. The media and airwaves have exploded with what used to be X-rated content.  It is becoming normal.  That’s the plan.  It’s called “sexual grooming.”  

Legally, the American Bar Association defines sexual grooming as, “a preparatory process in which a perpetrator gradually gains a person’s or organization’s trust with the intent to be sexually abusive.”  

So sexual abuse is not just physical, it is also introducing words, pictures and actions that are not age appropriate. This means it is not just from a person, it can also be an organization. 

As an example, there is the  assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky of Penn State University.   The term “grooming” was introduced into the public vocabulary after he was convicted of the sexual abuse of boys participating in his charitable foundation.

As far back as 2006, the professional medical publication, “Journal of Sexual Aggression”  indicated there are many types of  grooming  including “grooming of the environment.”   That means creating an environment for a child that normalizes adult themes. Are people or places introducing things of a sexual nature that are not age appropriate, like a city or county library? 

Fentress County library, located in the county seat of Fentress County (Jamestown) in Fentress county (population 22,000), now offers free condoms on open shelving between the front desk and the children’s section. 

The library personnel report that they are recipients of donations from an organization called Operation Sharing Tennessee.  The donations are free but must be given away to the public. So if you want free handouts, you must conform to their “rules.”   Sounds fair, just do as you are told and you get free stuff.  Good thing they did not require show and tell.  This is a step up from lollipops.

Who is really behind this? When asked, we were directed to  Operation Sharing Tennessee,  a seemingly benign operation out of Scott County. They have a Facebook page which includes a website that redirects to Appalachian Life Quality Initiative (ALQI), an arm of Alliance for Better Nonprofits who is a part of the United Way of Greater Knoxville.  All non-profits, and a great place to funnel money by people who have an agenda and want to get out a message.  

The mission of Alliance is “collective impact” and success is measured by “social change.”   They do not define what social change is. 

However, their resources include “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion,” (DEI) – the very definition of critical race theory which our Tennessee General Assembly outlawed in schools, and state and local governments across the country are demanding the deletion of in public organizations and higher education schools.

Do the ends justify the means?  Is getting free “stuff” worth opening the door to whatever anyone wants to introduce?  Should we consider the source?  The answer is no, no and yes.  DEI unfortunately does not truly include critical thinking, and that is on purpose.

Check out Fentress County library where you can get your free bag of chips, vitamin water and condoms. There are plenty.