Samuels Library, Let Democracy work

I wish to thank the author of the recent letter to the editor, “Investigating the Reasons for the Book Ban Campaign.”  Her diligent efforts to provide her best version of the related history was useful. As a Warren Count taxpayer, devoted parent, retired DoD careerist and patriot, and committed Christian, I now have a better understanding of the progress made and who to express my thanks to for their committed efforts in leading this call for accountability and responsibility within the Samuels Library issue.

While no doubt the author does not have all the details and actual specifics accurate, her effort is seemingly excellent.  Although her use of the terminology “book ban” is quite inaccurate.  The effort by this loosely formed group, and I believe she gives them greater credit for close coordination and organization than may be deserved, is that they have achieved bringing to the public square nefarious business geared towards our youth, which should have every adult alarmed and wanting to be better informed.  While I won’t pretend to have inside knowledge as to the Library’s intentions, the facts are apparent that they are, at the very least, good with allowing sexually charged literature to be accessed by our youth.  It seems their intentions are perhaps much more severe than even that, but as I don’t have first-hand knowledge, I’ll leave my opinion there.

I am a fan of public libraries and have used them all my life and have encouraged my children to do so as well.  But until recently, I never had reasons to doubt the intentions of the library.  I am dismayed to understand through this process that our public library in Warren County is no such thing but rather a private company running on the backs of the public, literally, the taxpayers.  The easy no-brainer “fix” on this is for the money managers, i.e., the Board of Supervisors, to cease this business and either take over public ownership of the library through a fair process in the public forum, working with the library or simply stop funding the library as it exists with public funds for sexually charged themes towards our youth.  This is not about hatred or anti-anything except public morality and common decency.  No youth books in the public library should be about sexuality, hetero or homo, period.

At the end of the day, my take on all the bantering back and forth between the two sides is as simple as this: borrowing from one of the greatest movies ever made, do the tax-paying citizens of Warren County prefer to live in a town like Bedford Falls, or Pottersville?  And a simple election referendum in November, worded fairly, would put the issue to rest, once and for all.  Let’s continue civil discourse and let the electorate resolve this since neither “side” seems to be succeeding in doing so.

Ken Reuwer
Front Royal, VA

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