More than eight in 10 Americans don't think books depicting race, history, or ideas they disagree...

[Paula Sims]

32. Banning ANY book sickens me...

My parents weforced to flee Ukraine while the were children in the 1940s (Dad was 20 and from Володимир, 200 mi to the south in Львів, Mom was 10). In both cases they were forced to read and think in a way that was safe. Either the German or Russian way. It sickened them.

Luckily they raised my brother and me to question, learn, and read , ESPECIALLY that with which we disagree. I have read Mein Kampf in German and English (subtlety makes a difference), Das Kapital in English and Russian and German, and yes, I watch Bill Mahr, Fox Noise, and other stuff that makes me vomit. Why? To learn their talking points, thei arguments, their perspective. I do not plan on converting anyone but I can hold my own in an argument.

If parents are afraid of books influencing their childen -- good!! That's the job of a book. To make a person think. If parents are afraid of their children not following the parents' teaching -- guess the parents didn't do a good job instilling and reinforcing their values. I am 57 - I went to Ukrainian school, every Saturday for 16 years, Ukrainian church every Sunday (4 hours!!!). I am more Ukrainian today than I ever was. I understand the current situation, the Russians, and Putin (personally I believe he has malignant narcissistic personality disorder). I am my own person with my own thoughts. Thanks to books...

Oh, and by the way, I am severely dislexic.

I blame this on a decline in teaching civics, literature (esp the Bible as literature), philosopy and logics, and liberal arts. Now we have employyes that are great at programming but can't think their way out of a wet paper bag. But that's for another post...

Слава Україні

Paula