Pulse people! Once again, the Pulse brings you an issue of our community publication, packed with events, business news, local concerts and more; we have a concert at our local Civil War battlefield, a new speakeasy on the Square, pupusas, concerts, a soup festival, 5K races, fundraisers, Frankenstein, Harvest Days, a pumpkin fun run, and that ain’t even the half of it.

Pickups of the paper have been going great lately. The people love it. Thousands of local folks want to keep up with what’s happening right here in our hometown. Thanks for reading and thanks for the support. Enjoy another edition.

Now, as a proud American newspaperman, I truly consider myself a very strong supporter of free expression, of the free press, of the First Amendment, and the entire Constitution, in fact.

This whole discussion on what books to allow in school libraries geared towards children, however, has gone in some strange, and dishonest, directions.

Curating a library to best suit the needs of its intended audience is quite different from “banning books.”

As far as this discussion is concerned, no one is telling an author they cannot write something, no one is telling a press that it cannot print something.

Some simply seem to be of the position that “hey, maybe we should refrain from placing overly graphic or obscene material in a government library used primarily by 11-year-olds,” seemingly a perfectly rational thought, even among many free expression advocates. These are not mutually exclusive ideas.

There’s a difference between the concepts of curation and censorship.

The librarian or school officials should select materials most suitable for the library’s theme and audience.

You can’t have every book in the world in every library’s collection.

Just because one can’t find Anna Karenina in a sheet music library, The Cat in the Hat in a library for medical students, or a highly technical medical journal in an elementary school library does not mean these works are “banned” or that the government has censored or silenced the author.

It means the library chose to curate different titles more targeted to its audience.

Unfortunately, some have the goal of introducing graphic violence, sexually explicit material and adult themes to 11-year-olds, and are comfortable making that case in public. Be careful about letting these people make decisions regarding your children.

Children can’t get into R-rated films on their own. It doesn’t mean the filmmakers cannot produce the film.

Having a “free press” does not mean that every school library in the U.S. has to use tax dollars to purchase a particular controversial book.

This whole issue leads to some great arguments that perhaps the government shouldn’t even be in the business of building and operating schools (let alone threatening parents with jail time if their children do not attend).

The proposal to construct a minor league baseball stadium in Murfreesboro has resurfaced. Now supporters say that the project could result in a unique blend of history and baseball, and the historic Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village could still be preserved next to a new stadium.

Others seem skeptical of the benefit, feasibility and popularity of a potential Murfreesboro minor league team and stadium at the site.

But don’t worry, even if “plans” move forward, no one will actually build a baseball field here.

Based on the pattern the people of Murfreesboro observe when some fancy new development is proposed here, it begins with a big spectacle, city officials do a bunch of PR work for a private developer’s grand idea with inadequate funding and market research, but . . . the plans fizzle out and nothing happens—as far as the Notes Live Amphitheater, the Legacy Sports Complex, and the One East College proposals, at least.

All talk, no shiny new building project.

Even if by some miraculous convergence and movement of finances the baseball stadium is built, those who worry about “traffic” should probably not be too concerned.

How many people do you think would attend minor league baseball games in Murfreesboro? (not based on the lofty dreams and projections of those behind the project, but, you know, based in reality—and the number of people who attend NCAA Division I events in Murfreesboro).

We shall see.