Dear Editor,

The heinous practice of censoring and banning books is nothing new, It began even before there were actual books in existence.

It began when people who wanted power over others decided to eliminate the opportunity for their intended subjects to learn or to actually think for themselves. The practice expanded into more than censorship or banning – it seemed burning was the best, final solution for the silencing and control of free-thinking people. The Nazis did it. The Chinese did it. People in Warsaw, Indiana, did it! In the long run, it did not stop anyone from reading anything and everything. Thank goodness.

Now that righteous Republican legislators all over the country have created the shiny new distractions of censoring books, banning books, removing them from classrooms and libraries, and trying to pass laws to alter and restrict educational goals have become the latest mission of those who wish to control our children’s minds and make them all robots,

I say, “Have at it!” You cannot stop us. We are buying out the bookstores in person and online. Don’t you realize that when you say a book should be banned, it is only human for folks to want to read it to find out what is so offensive? So, every book you choose to condemn is now flying off the shelves. People are reading again!! I love it. I encourage it. Young folks, older folks, reading is cool again! This kind of defiance is exhilarating, positive, and peaceful.

Maybe you self-proclaimed moral judges of what is true, wholesome, and acceptable for the rest of us should take on TV commercials about personal hygiene, bathroom practices, the cleanliness and health of our private body parts, the explicit modeling and promotion of underwear—-male and female. And there are all those “offensive” TV reality shows and dramas and comedies about real subjects depicting all kinds of people with all kinds of problems — all related in explicit language. Oh, and how about the internet and the capability to download just about anything under the sun? Looks like your work is cut out for you for a very long time.

Just please leave our books alone. If it is your own kids you worry about, parental guidance might be worth considering maybe by homeschooling or even private schools. Just do not foist your misplaced, judgmental hysterics on the rest of us or our public schools. Also, quit deputizing children to be the “thought police.”

Seriously, ignore this political shiny object of distraction and put your efforts into eliminating some increasingly dangerous problems that really do affect us all … like childhood poverty, bigotry, hate-inspired violence, and oh, yeah, that pesky covid thingy.

Jeanne Schutz
Winona Lake