By: Travis Naughton

There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who value the freedom of speech and those who are threatened by it. The longest running war in history, one that has raged since the advent of the written word, shows no sign of ending anytime soon. I’m referring to the war against free expression waged by power hungry, self-appointed defenders of morality who seek to ban and/or burn books in order to tamp down dissent and maintain control over people whose religion, skin color, political affiliation, nationality, or sexual orientation differs from their own. As long as there have been books there have been people who feel threatened by the ideas contained within them. Throughout history, books have been banned and burned in an effort to intimidate and frighten people who dare to upset the status quo. Nazis are perhaps history’s most notorious book burners, but they are part of a larger tradition of anti-intellectualism that began long before Hitler lived and will continue as long as deliberate ignorance and bigotry exist in this world. A Republican Texas State Representative named Matt Krause recently compiled a list of 850 books to ban in schools because he believes they “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.” It is not known, however, if Krause or others who share his concern about upsetting young children plan to ban traumatizing active shooter drills in schools.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal

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