Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1961-11-04

ciple of freedom of speech to
be distorted into protecting OBJ
scene material.
Who do you citizens think
you are kidding? Do you ac-
tually believe that this book
won't reach the hands of many
of our impressionable teen
ayers? Is this what you think
a growing boy or girl should
read? What's to prevent
"some adult" from buying so
copies and selling them around
the high schools and junior
highs, for that matter?
We say that it is time that
we stopped fooling around
with all this legal talk and did
something about these deplor-
able conditions. How many
times have we read of thieves
and murderers going free-not
because they were innocent
but because of some legal tech
nicality? Is this what our laws
are for?
Every time someone starts
talking about our rights and
freedoms in regard to obscene
material, we can hear poor old
Ben Franklin and Thomas
Jefferson writing in their
graves! How their concept of
the Freedom of Speech has
been distorted to suit certain
groups desires! We are sure
that they never dreamed that
this principle would ever pro.
tect a book like "Tropic of
Cancer. For those of you who
have forgotten, the freedom of
speech principle was designed
to keep our political system
free from tyrants through the
media of open criticism. 1t was
never meant to be used as a
fence behind which these de-
mented publishers of such
trash could hide! (Sue us for
libel If you like!)
We would like to know why
you well meaning citizens don't
start demanding RESPONSE.
BILITY from the press rather
than support the press de-
mands for freedom and rights?
Doesn't the press have a RE-
SPONSIBILITY to its readers?
What about the RESPONSE
BILITY of publishers to see
that what is printed will in no
way be to the detriment of our
citizens and our way of life
our Christian way of life for
those of you who have forgot
ten that this nation was found
ed on a belief in GOD! Can
you effectively say that such
books as Lady Chatterly's Low.
er and TrOpic of Cancer make
any kind of a contribution to
the literary world and there
fore, to society?
Matter of fact, we won't
limit it there. We'd like to see
how many of you people yell
ing for your rights could stand
at a newsstand and read nine
tenths of the paperback books
without feeling shocked or
ashamed or disguised!
We are going to demand our
rights. We ask why don't we
have the right to try to stop
the publication of these books
with their half.dressed women
on the covers? Can you hon.
estly say that you wouldn't OBJ
ject to your son or daughter
reading this trash? Why do
we have laws against gambl-
ing, prostitution and the like
and yet, we do virtually moth
ing about a mass media that is
actually undermining our so
cietyi AND if you don't think
it is, then you are refusing to
face facts. The family is the
basis of our society, and these
books do everything in their
power to make a mockery of
the principles of chastity, in.
tegrity, value and fidelity!
And yet, a happy marriage
and consequently, a happy
family are based on these
principlesl
AS taxpayers, we have a
RIGHT to object to our taxes
being spent on such books for
the library. AS a mother and
father, we have a RIGHT to
object to our children being ex-
posed to the filth and sugges-
tive trash that is plastered all
over every newsstand in the
county. II used to be that
while this trash existed, it was