The Edmond Sun Online | Editorial Crossing a line

The Edmond Sun Online: "Crossing a line

Citizens who love and respect the Constitution of the United States are often troubled when laws restricting access or banning firearms are considered by state or federal legislatures, often rightly so. Such laws might put the nation on a 'slippery slope' to erosion, possibly outright repeal of the Second Amendment.

That's the same problem many have with the Oklahoma Legislature's resolution 'urging' state libraries to restrict access to children's book that have homosexual themes, such as 'Heather Has Two Mommies' or 'Daddy's Roommate.' Both books, incidentally, are written with the goal of letting children with homosexual parents feel better about themselves and educate other children about homosexual parents.

Putting aside the merits or problems of such books for a moment, it always sends a chill down the spine of First Amendment defenders when elected officials get involved in the flow of information. Professional librarians are, for the moment, declining to accept the Legislature's request, even though some Republican lawmakers have threatened to cut off funding for libraries that don't comply.

And that's why such a resolution is a problem. Libraries in Oklahoma have local boards to oversee operations at the facilities, and such decisions are rightly left to the citizens who use and support those individual libraries, not legislative bodies whose motives are somewhat suspect and usually include appeasimg groups that helped them get elected.

In a test case of the resolution Thursday, members of the Metropolitan Library Commission met with 32 people to discuss the policy. Among those who signed up to speak was St. Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, who sponsored the resolution. Commissioners decided not to change its policies but to study content of books to determine whether they are appropriate for children. Of course, to Kern and her cohorts, any book mentioning homosexuality is inappropriate for all of us, not just children.

If the state is successful in this, the so-called 'pro-family lobby' will celebrate a triumph. But they should consider what will the Legislature next deem offensive and should be restricted, or even banned?

The framers of the Constitution trusted the individual citizen to decide what is right and wrong for themselves in the open marketplace of ideas. Those framers knew that such license would give free rein to ideas some find offensive, or to ideas that the vast majority of citizens would find repugnant. But the Constitution allows the individual citizen to accept or reject those ideas, and firmly prohibits the government from doing so.

The Legislature has overstepped its bounds."