The article that appeared in The Progress on April 12 (page 1, “Book banning talk bubbles up at school board”), suitably demonstrated to me that several of the members of Chilliwack school board do not have library cards or in fact ever read a book unless it is the Bible.
What really burns me is there is no understanding of the idea of freedom of choice as entered in the Canadian Charter of Rights. We recently celebrated the Freedom to Read Week, which is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, it is guaranteed to us under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
It suggests to me that there are people still around who would no doubt burn books like the Nazis did during the Second World War.
They usually read passages out of context. We as a just society must not ever allow or support these fundamentalists. Over time there continues to be uneducated individuals and groups that attempt censorship of books that they claim are salacious. In every case the books have proven to be works of art.
Young people have choices and they must be given every opportunity to read any written word.
Banning books or applying censorship is “illegal in Canada.”
We fought two wars to safeguard these rights.
Jack Kopstein
Chilliwack
