Warning on archives is just too much
To the Editor:
One can find treasures in the most improbable places. For me, the Letters to the Editor captures the flavor, thought, and concern of local residents. Whatever the tenor, whether amusing, strident, or irreverent, the letters offer the spectrum of current concerns. There is seldom universal agreement, but the crux of the matter is that opinions are not just possible, they are encouraged.
Contrast local opinion with the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Incomprehensibly, the federal employees on the Archives staff have posted a warning sign above founding documents, including a copy of the United States Constitution. They warn that our Constitution “may reflect racist, sexist, ableists, misogynistic/misogynoir, and zenophobic opinions and attitudes; Be discriminating towards or exclude diverse views on sexuality, gender, religion and more; Include graphic content of historical events such as violent death, medical procedures, crime, wars/terrorists’ acts, natural disasters and more; demonstrate bias and exclusion in institutional collecting and digitization policies.”
Further, it states that the document is “outdated, offensive and insensitive.” Staff wishes to “forewarn audiences of content that may cause intense physiological and psychological symptoms.”
If this evaluation of the documents which guarantee our freedoms is accurate, then one must expect that the Letters to the Editor page will soon carry a warning label. The same must apply to all printed matter, movies, TV, etc.
Where will government correctness and repression end? Thomas Jefferson said that “A government that is big enough to give you everything that you want is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”
Don’t let them confiscate your freedoms.
Kathryn van Heyningen
Franklin
