To: The People of the United States, May 11, 2024
The Travesty of Book Banning
By Mark Albertson
People would be immensely served by spending less time on
Facebook and sticking their face in a book . . . Mark Albertson
* * * * *
School districts in some twenty-six or more states across liberty’s land have banned books. This auto-de-fe of American intellectualism is a virulent form of censorship reflecting society’s lack of confidence in itself, even to the extent of retarding its ability to create; for the pen and the ability to wield same is an art form. The decline in American intellectualism is mirrored with the corresponding deterioration for the appreciation for same. And no where is this better understood than through the use of technology, which can readily be seen through such outlets as Instagram, twitter, Facebook, . . . by which users opt for the shadow in lieu of the substance on issues of importance. Indeed, many of these keyboard commandos would be better served if they reduced their Facebook time and stuck their faces in a book.
Freedom of the Press, as found in the 1st Amendment of this Nation’s blueprint for government, the Constitution, is not only for journalists. It is for all of us: To the writing of letters to the editor in the local newspaper up to and including writing a book, to which I have published several. Indeed, our freedom as a people depends on our ability to express ourselves; and the former cannot exist when the latter is limited, which is tantamount to its being lost. For as Potter Stewart observed, “Only the suppressed word is dangerous.”
When one embarks on the road to banning books, one will eventually burn books. And when burns books, one next burns . . . people. . .
