Power of one
Re “Superintendent of Virginia school district orders 108 books pulled” (June 5): The superintendent of Spotsylvania County Public Schools removed from school libraries a total of 108 books. I was shocked to see that most challenges are initiated by one parent.
Banning books is not about protecting children. It’s about discrimination against others. By banning books that a few parents object to results in impinging the rights of other readers, creating significant gaps in the knowledge for young learners, taking books away from someone who wants to read them, creating a false sense of reality for children, preventing the exploration process of others, and preventing books from changing the world.
Many of the banned books in question have become celebrated classics of literature. Book-banning is a weak response to ideas that scare us. To counter the practice, there should be more and more people who are speaking up against such censorship. Oppression and ignorance should not be allowed to win this battle.
Tazewell Hubard, Norfolk
The Tide
Virginia Beach has a youth problem: They’re moving away. I myself plan to move to greener pastures, and I can tell you that lack of public transportation and infrastructure is the biggest factor in my decision. I told my doctor that I biked and took public transit to get around Virginia Beach, and she labeled that a “high-risk behavior.” I’m inclined to agree with her, as I have had more than a few run-ins with injury as I have biked around Virginia Beach.
Extending The Tide to the Oceanfront would be a big step in the right direction, bringing more vibrant life back into the city of Virginia Beach. An opponent of this plan, former City Treasurer John Atkinson, once said that Virginia Beach was a cul-de-sac. A cul-de-sac is not where I want to live; I seek the community and walkability of urban areas. If you want to prevent the up-and-coming workforce from leaving the area, then make choices that reflect the changing world. Extend The Tide.
Max Lichtenstein, Virginia Beach
Difficult choices
Voting in national elections has become harder as both parties have become more extreme because of gerrymandering. My first votes were for liberal Democrats as that was my parents’ belief, but when I got a Master of Business Administration and got involved in a small business, I realized that conservative Republicans had the better policy of supporting small business and free enterprise. However, both parties have forgotten their basic beliefs, so I have voted for libertarians and third-party candidates such as Ross Perot.
Democrats have forgotten that former President Bill Clinton tried to end welfare as we know it by placing time limits on payments and adding work requirements. Republicans have forgotten that the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” by trying to make abortion illegal based on the Christian belief that life begins at conception while Jews believe it begins at birth.
I am frightened by Biden’s excessive spending, open borders and weak foreign policy, but even more frightened by Trump’s narcissistic, anti-gay and anti-constitutional tendencies, which threatens democracy and our country even more than Biden. I like the recent growth of support for third parties and hope that I can live long enough to be able to vote for a traditional Republican or a third-party candidate, but I see the threat of Trump as so dangerous that I will have to vote for Biden so I can face my kids and grandkids.
Arthur Rosenfeld, Norfolk
