Vamos a Cuba Banned (UPDATED)

The Miami-Dade County School Board voted 6-3 to ban the controversial book Vamos a Cuba, as well as the other 23 in the series which includes descriptions of life in other countries.

As this Miami Herald article points out, lawsuits by the ACLU are already being planned.

I have a very uneasy feeling about this. As I've alluded to in the past few days, I have mixed feelings about this issue. Now, the ACLU and the School Board are getting into a big stink over this, and the focus will be on the battle between the two entities, instead on where it should be which is of course what our children are exposed to in our schools.

For all their good intentions, Juan Amador Rodriguez and the others who fought for the ban will now have another fight on their hands, this one with high-powered lawyers against them. I wonder if a middle ground could have been reached here.

I know, we need to stand by our principles. But sometimes, we have to pick our battles, and pick them wisely. The book was definitely worth discussing, but was a total ban necessary in order to drive the point home? I don't know, but I have some doubts.

Before I finish blogging this topic once and for all, I would like to point out one exchange in the meeting yesterday between Board members which really pissed me off.

Board member Robert Ingram voted for the ban, but only to invite the ACLU's lawsuit so the issue could be resolved by the courts, he said. In an impassioned speech, he said threats from the exile community left him thinking board members ''might find a bomb under their automobiles'' if they voted to keep the book.

''There's a passion of hate,'' Ingram said. ``I can't vote my conscience without feeling threatened -- that should never happen in this community any more.''

Perez promptly called those comments ''inappropriate and offensive,'' and Ingram later explained himself further.

''That's just the nature of Miami-Dade County,'' Ingram said. ``If you were offended, come see me, work with me.''

Needless to say, Robert Ingram is a spineless idiot for making those comments. First, he accuses the exile community of threatening to commit terrorist acts. Then, after appropriately challenged by another board member, he backpedals and makes a weak and lame statement basically stating that it's "business as usual" in Miami-Dade County. Based on Ingram's irresponsible comments, we can expect the 3 board members that voted against the ban to have bombs planted in their homes or under their cars at any moment.

It's just unbelievable that someone would go as far as saying something like that about ANY part of our community. Could you imagine the stink if a Cuban-American board member made a remark that they were afraid of Overtown and Liberty City being destroyed by riots if they made a decision that went against the feelings of the black community? I would be similarly upset.

Mr. Ingram, with all due respect, you're a total and complete moron. If I lived in your district, I would make 100% sure to vote your ass out of office. Don't pretend to speak or categorize the entire county and its citizens when you were voted to represent them.

UPDATED 11:04 AM - Conductor shares his views over at Cuban American Pundits.