A book is a loaded gun.
— Ray Bradbury
The nation's librarians are under attack, The New York Times reports.
Bent on ridding shelves of "objectionable" books, rabid Supermoms are using threats and intimidation to rout well-meaning librarians.
Many librarians have caved under the onslaught. Some have had nervous breakdowns. Some have resigned. Some have been fired.
"As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the country, librarians—accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities—have found themselves on the front lines of an acrimonious culture war, with their careers and their personal reputations at risk," The Times writes.
The American Library Association says that book-banners have targeted nearly 1,600 titles for removal—the largest number since the association began to track book-banning two decades ago.
For their part, librarians are mortified, seeing their integrity questioned and their professional judgement discarded.
In some states, right-wing legislators are passing laws that criminalize their jobs.
If the book-banning continues, the nation's collections will soon be thinned to the works of Ayn Rand, Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump.
Oh, and Mein Kampf.
But there is a solution: librarians should stand their ground.
They should come to work packing heat.
Because the only thing that stops a bad guy against a book is a good guy with a book.
