Letter to the Editor: Censorship Isn’t Freedom
A lesson from life in Vietnam
Thursday, June 5, at 2 p.m. at the Carbondale Library, the library board of trustees discusses if an individual’s and group’s belief certain books are offensive should they be isolated. If isolated, this action restricts access to books and is censorship.
Censorship is not a good thing. Restricting access to information is used by communist countries. Communist countries rely on censorship to control information, thereby controlling the thoughts and ideas of their people.
My husband and I learned firsthand what it is like to live in a country with censorship. We lived in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, we did not speak poorly of the government inside our apartment. We were never sure who was listening.
In Vietnam, it was difficult getting people to talk about how they helped America during the Vietnam War. They were never sure who was listening.
In Vietnam, my husband purchased the movie Gran Torino to ship to us from America. We found out who was listening.
He received a letter from the Vietnamese government informing him he violated Vietnam obscenity laws. He was told to write an official apology letter and pay a fine or be promptly escorted out of the country. We immediately complied with the request, but the incident prompted us to think about America and its freedoms and protections.
We are so fortunate to live in America. We are free to control the direction of our lives. We are free to access information. We are free to parent and supervise our children. We do not need the government to tell us how to live. We do not need the government to tell us what we can and cannot read. We do not need the government to supervise our children. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Please show your support of the First Amendment Thursday, June 5, at 2 p.m. at the Carbondale Library. ProtectOurGarcoLibraries.org.
Susan Use, Glenwood Springs