I love the Op-ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

When people ban a book what they are saying is that they are the one who gets to decide what other people are allowed to read, what thoughts and ideas people are allowed to hear, and which thoughts and ideas are right or wrong on that particular subject. Those doing the banning don’t like to think of themselves as someone who bans books. Instead, they prefer to say challenged books, because it sounds better. However, what they are doing is banning books and trying to censor the thoughts of other people. I call that censorship.

Sometimes they say, “It’s for the children.” We know that is not true because no one has tried to stop parents from telling their children what they can and cannot read. Parents have always had that right. In other cases they say, “This language is not acceptable.” What they are really saying is that it’s not acceptable to me, and you do not have the right to have an opinion.

What both sides have in common is that they are trying to stop all dissent. I would argue that dissent is the most American quality we have, and we should fight for it.

Teresa Alsept, Ocean Shores