NO BOOK BAN IN BARTLESVILLE Petition : [ powered by iPetitions.com ]

#	Name	Comments
101	Malcolm Tredinnick	I find it difficult to understand why anybody who has read this book and values a balanced discussion of issues that affect teenagers would want this book to be supressed. I have read the book and struggle to understand any of the interpretations that represent it as a sexual free-for-all.
102	Melissa
103	Imogen	yep this is absolutely rediculous! some ppl these days are just so homophobic it makes me sick! LEARN TO ACCEPT PPL FOR HOO THEY ARE!! NOT WOT THEY ARE!!
104	Imogen
105	Katherine Leatherman
106	Keri
107	Karen Costa
108	Korbe Canada
109	Joanna Milner	As a public library employee, an elementary school volunteer, and a concerned and involved godparent, I am horrified that a book would be taken out of reach of all the students at a school because of one parent's objection to content.
110	Rebecca L.	If you want to see my thoughts on the banning of this book, you can read about it by visiting the following link: http://breca-halley.livejournal.com/tag/banned+books The short version is, I think this is crap. All book banning is crap. Cheers to Maureen for fighting it!!
111	Ivy Louise Crawford	Just as it is un-American and antithetical to the idea of a free society to ban books such as the Bible from the shelves of our libraries, so too is it un-American and antithetical to the idea of a free society to ban a work of fiction of whose content we do not approve. I, for example, do not approve of the work of Danielle Steele, yet she remains on the bookshelves because we do not live in the grip of fascism. Ideology aside, if one does not care for one's child to read particular books, then one should monitor one's child's activities and act as a parent to one's own spawn instead of attempting to put the role on the government and/or the rest of society.
112	Genevieve Barrons
113	Russell Down
114	Kat	Okay, if the book in question was Brokeback Mountain, I could understand why a parent wouldn't want their child to read it. No denying the homosexual content in that one, brilliant as it is. But this book was specifically written for the Young Adult genre! Yes, there are going to be more mature ideas than you'd find in Artemis Fowl (Hey, does she want that banned, too? It does condone thievery, magic, and a belief in the paranormal!), but it's not like they're putting Danielle Steel books on the school shelves. Are they going to pull a Savonarola on us and have a bonfire of these banned books, to "save our innocence?" Because if so, they'll need to take away the Internet. And the television. And the radio. And any contact with the outside world. Hate to break it to you, but homosexuality and sex in general are everywhere today. They're not hush-hush topics anymore.
115	Sarah Rees Brennan
116	Emma Comerford
117	Trish Doller	If a book -- any book -- offends a parent's belief system, it is THEIR responsibility to explain to their child why it's inappropriate to read that book. Asking the school district to assume that responsibility by banning the book is wrong.
118	Amy Harman
119	Caroline Pitcher
120	Alisa Goode
121	Candy Gourlay	Not being American, can I say that book-banning is profoundly un-everything that has to do with what's good about reading.
122	Enrique Gomez	Attempting to ban a book because of objections over its content runs counter to the most fundamental elements of our country's principles. And to do so because it depicts homosexual behavior staggers the mind. Homosexuals exist in the real world. To ban a book because it touches on that subject is to deny reality.
123	roslyn lieber	My in-laws were caught up in the Holocaust. The Nazis started with book burnings and moved on to bigger things. We have already lost enough civil rights because of 9-11. Let's not lose any more.
124	Sarah Hill	The book is staying on my high school's shelves. And so will other books that mention gays and lesbians. Because no matter where you are, you have kids who need to feel comfortable at school. And if that's because they can read about kids like themselves, then so be it!!!
125	Heather Weeden
126	Kristin Baxter
127	Maria Levetzow
128	Naomi Hurtienne
129	Jeannine Garsee
130	Carrie Jones	Although I am horrified and stunned that this book may be banned, what terrifies me more is that if this book, which is quite clean, can be banned what book can't be banned? Perhaps the US will follow the lead of the Alabama representative who wanted to ban all books (except classics) in libraries (not public or college) that are gay themed or by gay writers. Yep. That would mean Capote would be gone. Tenenssee Williams would be gone. I hope not. Libraries are not supposed to present just one view on politics, on writing. They are not supposed to present just one avenue of thought. Please don't become the kind of school district that narrows the choices of its students because of the thought-inhibiting actions of a few parents. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of education means so much more than that.
131	Anonymous	Haven't read the book., but I sure plan on it! sounds like a great summer read!! Banned books typically are...
132	Laura Warren-Gross	It is very important to keep materials with many themes on your shelves. By removing this book based on its homosexual content, you are saying that your school district purposely discriminates. This is not a slippery slope that you should choose to slide down.
133	Laura Warren-Gross	It is very important to keep materials with many themes on your shelves. By removing this book based on its homosexual content, you are saying that your school district purposely discriminates. This is not a slippery slope that you should choose to slide down.
134	Rebecca Muchow
135	Karen Barsamian	Books should not be banned, regardless of content. FREE MJ!
136	Colleen Cook	It astounds me that any person can request or approve the banning of a book he or she hasn't even read. Unlike the people involved in Bartlesville, I have read Maureen Johnson's THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE. She created a moving, funny, sometimes bittersweet story about friendship and acceptance. She does not describe any sex act nor does she promote a careless approach to making choices. As a parent, I resent another person dictating what my children can read or stifling views he or she deem offensive. Please reconsider this position and instead support the amazing writers creating worlds for young people.
137	Colleen Cook	It astounds me that any person can request or approve the banning of a book he or she hasn't even read. Unlike the people involved in Bartlesville, I have read Maureen Johnson's THE BERMUDEZ TRIANGLE. She created a moving, funny, sometimes bittersweet story about friendship and acceptance. She does not describe any sex act nor does she promote a careless approach to making choices. As a parent, I resent another person dictating what my children can read or stifling views he or she deem offensive. Please reconsider this position and instead support the amazing writers creating worlds for young people.
138	Rev. Keri Bas	Book banning in any situation is not in the service of education - and book banning without even first READING the book in question is a shameful rejection of the principles of a free and open democratic society. Put an end to banning, and try civil discourse and education, instead.
139	Rachel Belanger	Hello, I HAVE read this book and do not believe it should be banned. I also submit that any person involved in passing judgement on the banning of any given book should be required to reasonably prove they have in fact read the material. Perhaps a short questionnaire? The school children and teenagers are expected to be capable of passing tests, their parents, guardians and instructors should expect no less of themselves. R. Belanger Canada
140	Anonymous
141	Will Young	If someone has a problem with a book, there is a marvelously simple solution: don't read it. Insisting that the library remove the book altogether seems a tad extreme, and for the Board and Superintendent to act to foist such views on an entire community completely stymies me.
142	Alexander Newman	I salute you for your bold stance, and the bravery of the Bartlesvillians who have signed the other petition. It's a short, nasty step from book banning to book burning.
143	Aubrey Eyer
144	Emily Jenkins	Books are meant for discussion, thought and analysis. The Bermudez Triangle is published for teenagers, and contains no inappropriate content for that age. If you don't agree with what happens in the book, or the ideas therein, have a conversation.
145	Ashley Lindemann
146	Jennifer Laughran
147	Christopher Kondrich
148	Hanna Khan
149	Sara Norman
150	Melissa