Every time I re-read Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," a book about
firemen who burn books, I ask myself, "Is the fire chief a liberal ora conservative?"
Ban "woke" books and speakers from schools as we are in Utah? A conservative, obviously.
Ban "conservative" books and speakers from bookstores, as many "liberals" recently demanded of the Kings's English?
Hmmm. And here I thought everyone agreed that banning books was "bad."
The thought came up tonight talking to a friend who said, "Did you see
Gov. Cox has a book out that (Salt Lake bookstore) 'The King's
English' was going to have him in to promote? A lot of us told them
we were against it and they cancelled!"
She said this with a grin of pride, of victory.
I suspect, as a registered Democrat, I was expected to share the glee.
Instead I said "How is that different from the state cancelling the
speaker at UVU?"
She was taken aback.
"Would you want to promote that book?"
"Not relevant," I said. "It's a book."
We went back and forth like that. Her final answer to everything was
"They're still selling it."
Yes, they are, but apparently hundreds of people called King's English
not just to protest the book, but to threaten to boycott the store for
daring to host Gov. Cox promoting it.
Be clear: Gov. Cox, who used to be a moderate, is a major
disappointment, but it is precisely because I disagree with him that I
demand neither he nor his book be cancelled. Let him promote it
anywhere, any way he can. Freedom of screech, if you will. Same for
anyone else.
That's the American way, or so I thought.
But, apparently, he can't.
Is the fire chief a liberal or a conservative? If you called the
King's English demanding it cancel Gov. Cox, if you threatened to
boycott the entire store over this one book, guess what?
The fire chief is you. Congratulations.
The thought came up tonight talking to a friend who said, "Did you see
Gov. Cox has a book out that (Salt Lake bookstore) 'The King's
English' was going to have him in to promote? A lot of us told them
we were against it and they cancelled!"
She said this with a grin of pride, of victory.
I suspect, as a registered Democrat, I was expected to share the glee.
Instead I said "How is that different from the state cancelling the
speaker at UVU?"
She was taken aback.
"Would you want to promote that book?"
"Not relevant," I said. "It's a book."
We went back and forth like that. Her final answer to everything was
"They're still selling it."
Yes, they are, but apparently hundreds of people called King's English
not just to protest the book, but to threaten to boycott the store for
daring to host Gov. Cox promoting it.
Be clear: Gov. Cox, who used to be a moderate, is a major
disappointment, but it is precisely because I disagree with him that I
demand neither he nor his book be cancelled. Let him promote it
anywhere, any way he can. Freedom of screech, if you will. Same for
anyone else.
That's the American way, or so I thought.
But, apparently, he can't.
Is the fire chief a liberal or a conservative? If you called the
King's English demanding it cancel Gov. Cox, if you threatened to
boycott the entire store over this one book, guess what?
The fire chief is you. Congratulations.
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