Banned Books Week Proclamation
WHEREAS, the freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and reading is among our greatest freedoms; and
WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of that freedom, and the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others; and
WHEREAS, the freedom to read is protected by our Constitution; and
WHEREAS some individuals, groups, and public authorities work to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society; and
WHEREAS, both governmental intimidation and the fear of censorship cause authors who seek to avoid controversy to practice self-censorship, thus limiting our access to new ideas; and
WHEREAS, every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of American society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference; and
WHEREAS, Americans still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression, and can be trusted to exercise critical judgment, to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, and to exercise the responsibilities that accompany this freedom; and
WHEREAS, intellectual freedom is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; and
WHEREAS, conformity limits the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; and
WHEREAS, the American Library Association's Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year as a reminder to Americans not to take their precious freedom for granted; and
WHEREAS, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that William S. Smith Library celebrates the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, (September 26, 2009- October 3, 2009), and be it further
RESOLVED, that William S. Smith Library encourages all libraries and bookstores to acquire and make available materials representative of all the people in our society; and be it further
RESOLVED, that William S. Smith Library encourages free people to read freely, now and forever.
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Adopted by William S. Smith Library
September 17, 2009
Douglas, Georgia
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If a book can be seen foul enough to be banned then what else can be taken from us if we do not stand up for ourselves then we are doomed to forever kneel before a faceless master who controls every facet of our lives soon we will not be able to think a certain way much less speak. now is the time to stand up for what u believe in and stop sitting around waiting for a savior be the change you want to see in life and let nothing stand in your way of ur future
ReplyDeleteI feel that it is everyons right to read write and speak as they like the goverment or no one should be able to stop this. This country was founded on freedom and thats wat freedom is..... is to speak, hear, learn, and read what you choice.
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