June Garen: Book banning is a dangerous and slippery slope

To The Daily Sun,

I recently read of the efforts of New Hampshire Sen. James Gray (R-District 6) in his role as a Rochester city councilor to ban books in the Rochester City Library. Throughout history, banning books has been demonstrated to be a very dangerous and slippery slope — think back to the time in the not-so-distant past in Germany. Nazis worked diligently to ban and burn books that they felt were in opposition to their politics.

Yesterday, I saw signs posted on the edges of highways and front lawns in my rural neighborhood with "Ban Senator Gray, NOT Books” in bold letters. While a bit cryptic, the message is important.

We, the voters, need to be informed and thoughtful about who to support in the upcoming election on Nov. 8. It is key to pause and reflect on the implications of Sen. Gray’s focus on banning books in a local library. Banning books serves no purpose other than to light and fan the flames of a culture war while removing resources for citizens of our “Live Free or Die” state.

As that wise man Benjamin Franklin succinctly stated, "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” I implore you to be ever mindful of this quote when considering Sen. Gray’s recent actions — and remember that once started, the descent on this hateful slope is treacherous for our communities.

Ruth Larson, Sen. Gray’s opponent in the Nov. 8 election, understands that book banning goes against our way of life. She supports access to resources for all. Ruth Larson will work to unite us rather than divide us.

June Garen

Gilmanton