Those who signed our Constitution in 1787 clearly understood it was not a perfect document. The preamble states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…”.

While grammatically challenging to create something that is “more” perfect, since perfect means having all the required elements to be as good as it is possible to be, it was not an oversight. It was an eloquent reminder that no document written by men living in a specific time and place could ever be perfect.

They were proven correct four years later in 1791, when the first 10 amendments to the Constitution were ratified. The First Amendment reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, or to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Freedom of speech includes the written word. We have already had one act of violence that may be connected to the issue of book banning: the slashing of our librarian’s car tire, and the terrifying emotional consequences of such an act to both the librarian and the community. But to give in to domestic terrorism is to lose our freedom.

We hope the citizens of Wallowa County will resist undermining the First Amendment and will protest any future acts of violence. If one does not like what is written, one is free to not read it. If one does not like what is available in a public library, one is free to not check it out, or allow their children to read it or check it out.

Catherine Matthias and Stewart Jones

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