Library fines: Banning books in Cheshire won't make the tragedy go away

[XanaDUer]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/24642

It seemed like such a simple request. The town where I live, Cheshire, Conn., was the scene of one of the most publicized acts of brutality in recent years — the July 2007 home invasion and murders of a mother and two daughters. Some residents, still traumatized by the crime, asked the town library to ban from its collection a recent "true crime" recounting of the killings.

That's always how these things start, isn't it? Simply.

Not so long ago, because 18 fanatics with box cutters hijacked four planes and flew them into buildings, we were told that we no longer possessed the freedoms of assembly and speech, the right to privacy on our phone or e-mail, nor the freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. We were told, simply, that this was for "national security." And we, simply, did away with two centuries' worth of rights without much of a whimper or wail.

On a quieter level, the same process is going on in my town. But, instead of having a partisan hack as attorney general and an embedded press corps that didn't think the rescinding of civil liberties was a big enough story to cover, my town has a librarian, Ramona Harten, with a backbone. She has refused to ban the book. Harten said that she does not endorse the book or even plan to read it, but she's received requests for it from patrons. For standing on principle, she is under fire from a group of hysterical residents.

[murielm99]

1. Good for her!

Librarians usually stand their ground over censorship.

If she gets fired, make sure this goes national. Contact the American Library Association, and Library Journal, their publication. They will help.

Twenty-five years ago, 60 Minutes came to our town. They made us look like the meanest small town in the world. I have never really trusted 60 Minutes since then. The story was much more complex. Both sides did things badly. But we did not need the lawsuits and death threats against our officials that followed.

A couple of books were written that contained chapters about that controversial story. Both books tried to show the pros and cons of the story. Both books became very popular in our local library.

The comparison may not be good enough, since a brutal murder is not in the same league. But people have a right to read what has been written. It may help them grieve, too.

If this is the case I think it is, didn't this story appear on TV? How did the town react to the TV show?