Banned Book Week

Happy Banned Book Week!

Yes for decades, nay nearly a century, there have been some books that have offended people so, that said people have gone out of their way not just to exercise their own power of the free market, but have forced their will upon the public by rallying for several works of fiction and non fiction to be banned at publicly owned libraries.

From Authors as celebrated as Mark Twain, to Recent Geniuses like J.K. Rowling, a minority in the United States, Nay, the entire world have sought to destroy or ban the exercise of intellectual freedom by subverting human expression in one of its most basic forms.

I choose however not to rally a call to prevent such censorship. Not because I believe that some books ought to be banned. Quite the contrary, I find all books to be as sacred as some find the Bible, or the Quran to be. It matters not if it is as whimsical as “The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby.” That Mein Kampf came from such an evil soul is irrelevant. It does not even matter if it is as bad as Twilight. The fact is that the written word is the gateway to a person’s soul, and we are allowed through books to view into the souls of others. Nothing can be more divine then that.

So rather then wording my own call, I choose instead to invoke John Milton, from his speech to Parliament Areopagitica

“Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. I know they are as lively, and as vigorously productive, as those fabulous dragon's teeth; and being sown up and down, may chance to spring up armed men. And yet, on the other hand, unless wariness be used, as good almost kill a man as kill a good book. Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but a good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.”

Damn, dude that is heavy stuff.

To celebrate banned book week, go out and find these books, and read a couple of them.

Not Republican Enough

In 2002 I signed up for the Young Republicans in order to get a free T Shirt. I was never bothered by them again. Well a few days ago I got a call on my cell phone being invited to a small event in Columbia so I could speak to a small Young Republicans Panel as a “Approaching 30” guy who apparently was a “long standing member” of the organization. Despite being confused, I graciously accepted.

When I asked about what Items I wanted to speak about I said that I wanted to talk about a return to fiscal conservatism. I also spoke about a serious opposition to gun control, something I am not passionate about, but do tend to fall on the Republican side of.

This got the caller really excited.

Then I said I also wanted to talk about things that Republicans need to change, social issues that are either unimportant, inevitably going to move a certain direction, or are not the venue of legislation to solve.

This got the caller nervous.

I spoke of the need to step back from LGBT marital rights for example, as time and history are on the side of that issue. I spoke about how Television, Film, and Electronic entertainment need to be continuously advocated for to ensure first amendment protection.

This agitated the caller

I then talked about how if Republicans want any credibility on Abortion rights; they need to surrender other sexual rights issues. Those issues, like access to birth control and sexual education need to be handled in a more comprehensive and scientific way then smacking kids upside the head and saying “don’t have sex.

The caller summarily dis invited me, stating that I have swayed to far away from Republican Party issues to be of any use to them.

They can fuck off.