Banned Books Week celebrates freedom to read

[Judi Lynn]

Banned Books Week celebrates freedom to read
Updated 12m ago

When a library removes a book from its shelves because someone disapproves of the ideas or opinions contained in the book, that is censorship. When it is done by publicly funded schools and libraries — government agencies — it is a violation of the First Amendment ("Column: Banned Books Week is just hype").

Librarians have always supported a parent's right to decide what his or her family should read. But in our democracy, other families should be able to make different choices for their own families, not dictated by a particular political or religious viewpoint.

We need to remember that when one book is removed, this act of censorship affects more than one person or family. It affects the entire community. We need to remember that public libraries serve everyone, including those who are too young or too poor to buy their own books or own a computer.

Contrary to commentary writer Jonah Goldberg's assertion, librarians and library users celebrate Banned Books Week as a testament to the strength of our freedom in the United States. We celebrate the freedom to read because we all know that we are so fortunate to live in a country that protects our freedom to choose what we want to read. If you doubt this, just ask anyone from a totalitarian society. That is why we draw attention to acts of censorship that chill the freedom to read.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/letters/story/2011-09-12/Banned-Books-Week/50374960/1

[awoke_in_2003]

1. I am reminded of a scene...

in "The Day After Tomorrow". They were burning books just to survive. One of the librarians was holding onto the Guttenberg bible- not because he believed in what it said, but believed in what it represented- the first mass produced book for the masses. Librarians are our last line of defense, and should not be politicized. If parents don't want their kids to read certain books, then they should accompany them to the library. But, of course, most of these idiots are against knowledge in general.

[awoke_in_2003]

2. oh, and K&R. nt

[midnight]

3. K&R I'm afraid as our ability to move about freely tightens so do other forms of censorship...

Censorship of what to read, what to post, what to think......