Governor Pete Ricketts is defending his decision not to sign a proclamation for a book that was chosen for statewide recognition.
The governor was scheduled to sign the proclamation Monday for the book “This Blessed Earth” by Lincoln author Ted Genoways as part of the “2019 One Book, One Nebraska” initiative. He says he decided not to because of Genoways’ social media presence, which he described as politically “divisive” on his monthly call-in show on KFOR radio.
“If my name is on that proclamation, then proclamations aren’t automatic and so I used my judgment in regard to what proclamations I’m going to issue and I generally look for ones that are going to be less divisive than the author has been online, so that’s the reason why I didn’t decide to sign the proclamation,” Ricketts said in answer to a caller.
Genoways says he’s surprised at the governor’s decision and doesn‘t consider his book political. He says his opinions on social media are his own and have nothing to do with his book.
“I would hope that there’s not somebody in the governor’s office who is monitoring the social media presence of everyone who is potentially getting arts or humanities funding from the state, that we would all agree that multiple viewpoints are important enough that they should all be supported by the state and that the conversation that they spark should be something that we want,” Genoways said.
Governor Ricketts says he hasn’t read the book. He describes Genoways as a “political activist” who has been critical of national leaders.
Genoways has written critically about President Donald Trump, the Keystone XL pipeline and Nebraska's all-GOP congressional delegation, but says he has also questioned Obama administration policies.
"This Blessed Earth" follows a Nebraska farm family struggling to stay afloat in the midst of shifting trade policies and climate change. Genoways also wrote a 2014 book, "The Chain," that highlights problems caused by major slaughterhouses.
Editor's Note: By way of full disclosure, Genoways’ wife is employed by NET.