2011 Banned Books Week Proclamation

WHEREAS, the freedom to read is essential to our democracy, and reading is among our greatest freedoms; and

WHEREAS, privacy is essential to the exercise of that freedom, and the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one's interest examined or scrutinized by others; and

WHEREAS, the freedom to read is protected by our Constitution; and

WHEREAS some individuals, groups, and public authorities work to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, to distribute lists of "objectionable" books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society; and

WHEREAS, both governmental intimidation and the fear of censorship cause authors who seek to avoid controversy to practice self-censorship, thus limiting our access to new ideas; and

WHEREAS, every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of American society and leaves it less able to deal with controversy and difference; and

WHEREAS, Americans still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression, and can be trusted to exercise critical judgment, to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe, and to exercise the responsibilities that accompany this freedom; and

WHEREAS, intellectual freedom is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; and

WHEREAS, conformity limits the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; and

WHEREAS, the American Library Association's Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year as a reminder to Americans not to take their precious freedom for granted; and

WHEREAS, Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that MAD Hoydenish celebrates the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, September 24 - October 1, 2011, and be it further

RESOLVED, that MAD Hoydenish encourages all libraries and bookstores to acquire and make available materials representative of all the people in our society; and be it further

RESOLVED, that MAD Hoydenish encourages free people to read freely, now and forever.

---

Adopted by MAD Hoydenish 

September 24, 2011
Out in the Yard, USA

SMH. The Birth of My Acapcolist Quest

During a drive to the library, I started thinking about what I wanted to accomplish for the summer. Being that this is the first week of summer and all. Just as I was about to turn off the car,  Nickelback's song, If Today Were Your Last Day (from their Dark Horse album), started playing on the radio (see the music video on YouTube.com). I started shaking my head, recalling my reaction to the "Save the Date/Return of Christ" campaign. In case you need a refresher, read The Daily News post by Kevin Modesti -  Billboards across the Valley trumpet Judgment Day.

Sadly, the sum of my reaction was essentially zero. On May 21, 2011 at 5:00 pm, I was sitting on a porch with my dad. If you'll recall, the drama was to start at 6:00 pm that day. It hit me that I hadn't prepared for the start of the end. Although I didn't believe the hype, I realized that I wasn't quite as prepared for the world's downfall if it was true.

According to Harold Camping and his Family Radio show, Judgement Day was to be on October 21, 2011. Right around the corner. I shrugged off the notion and I suggested that we go get a margarita. I actually ended up watching TV Land reruns with my mom because the trip to the restaurant was too much effort. <big sigh>

Guy Kawasaki and Steven Pressfield should have smacked my palms with rulers! Did I learn nothing from reading The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything and The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles? 

For Petey's sake and my own, I need to get right and ready in more ways than one! After recently watching 2012 and The Bucket List, I ready to commit to a program.

Stay tuned ...