Vote for unfettered access to brain food

To those in our community who have been promoting a “restricted” section of our library, I offer my carrot analogy.

I don’t like carrots. I don’t like them raw, cooked or in a soup. I don’t even like carrot cake. I cringe at the crunch of raw carrots being chewed. I don’t like carrots.

If I had my way, there would be no carrots. No one would grow them, sell them or ruin my salad with them. I would like to ban them. Or possibly put them in a “restricted section” of the Farmer’s Market or grocery store. But should I have the right to do that? I am sure that carrot lovers will answer with a resounding “no.”

Of course, I don’t have the right to police carrot eating. I don’t have the right to tell you what you and your family can grow, purchase or eat. And you don’t have the right to restrict or ban what is in our Library. Reasonable people know that restricting what people can eat is unacceptable. And controlling what is available in our library is even more unacceptable.

You have a choice in the upcoming library board election. You can vote for Susan Shea who steadfastly supports our First Amendment rights. Or you can vote for the other candidate who wants to create restrictions in our Library.

Please vote for free and unfettered access to our brain food. Don’t let anyone put some library materials in a restricted area. And please don’t let my dislike of carrots prevent you from freely enjoying them.

PATRICIA ERICSSON

Sandpoint