I got a letter

This is just a quick update on my entry about Slaugherhouse-Five and the efforts of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library to get the book to kids who can’t get it in their school district (due to the action of some rather small-minded people). Almost immediately after I made my donation, I received this email:

Beth,
Thank you so much for the donation. We are doing the best we can to handle a ridiculous situation in a classy way. I believe you are our first donor from South Bend. My sister actually works at IU South Bend (but she lives in LaPorte, which is where I was born). Anyway, thanks again for the donation. I think we all feel good about being able to do something when it seems like we have little to no control over other things that are going on in the world right now. At least we can help kids to have access to Vonnegut.
:)
Best regards,
Julia

I thought that was so cool. I loved what she said about trying to do something when there are so many things beyond our control right now. She’s exactly right. The current insanity with the teabaggers and those who would try to push their narrow-minded theocratic bigotry onto the rest of us is sometimes beyond frustrating. Making a small donation might not seem like much, but it might mean that a kid gets to read the book who wouldn’t have gotten to read it otherwise. With such small actions, empires are toppled.

Okay, that might be exaggerating a little, but the principle is there and it is sound. Ignorance breeds fear and hatred, and if anyone discourages you from asking questions or from reading a particular book, look at them with narrowed eyes of suspicion, for they are not to be trusted. Ask yourself, “What do they have to hide? Why don’t they want me to ask questions?” Speaking from personal experience, I can also tell you that chances are good that there will eventually be a backlash, perhaps of apocalyptic proportions. I wasn’t raised to be a foul-mouthed smartass left-wing heathen, but look how I ended up! haha I’ve seen it happen with other kids, too, and I have to admit that it delights me. Hey, look...your kid is more like me than like you! Ahh, sweet revenge.

Anyway, we all have our own personal hot-button issues, and my two main ones are probably anti-vaxxers and those who would ban books. They make me very, very angry. Find me an anti-vax book burner, and I’d probably implode. I know they’re out there, too.

I wrote back to Julia and told her how I came to donate, and sent her my blog entry. I said that I would apologize for the language, but I suspect that Mr. Vonnegut wouldn’t mind. She found that amusing.

Off to do a few chores, then over to Shane and Matt’s for a little more pool time. The window of pool days is narrowing, and that makes me sad, but I want to enjoy the waning summer as much as possible.