Excerpt: A Michigan group supporting a proposed tax to save a library is putting up signs promising a book burning if the library closes.
The group, called Safeguarding American Families, or SAFE, registered June 20 with Oakland County as a ballot question committee in favor of an Aug. 2 ballot measure, which would levy a tax to provide dedicated funding to the Troy public library for five years, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
The group's yard signs promise to hold a book burning party if the library closes, which would happen Aug. 5 if the ballot measure fails.
"Our agenda's pretty simple," the group posted on its Facebook page. "We want the library to close so we can have a book burning party. What's not to get?"
Here's the text of an email from Safeguarding American Families that I received minutes ago. (The question marks subbing for apostrophes is as sent.)
7/14/11
Troy, Michigan
Re: Troy Library Book Burning Party
First of all, we apologize for not returning any calls or email requests for information regarding the book burning party. If you visit facebook.com/BookBurningPartyhttp://www.facebook.com/BookBurningParty as of 6:30 PM today, our intentions should be clear.
Through the past two elections, the conversation about the future of Troy?s library has been a rational one. Dollars and cents, political posturing, stats and numbers. But a library means so much more to our community than that. It?s even more than a place to gather, study, or borrow books. A library is a place where we learn to love books. A place to celebrate books. A place to learn that books are so important, our community has an entire building dedicated to them.
This community has become numb to the rational conversation surrounding the library. It?s time to turn the rational conversation into an emotional one. To remind the people of Troy just how important the library is.
Today, people are talking. They?re talking online, talking on the phone, and talking over the fence. They?re talking about books and what it means to lose a library. And that?s exactly what we should be talking about.
This is not about politics. This is not about left or right. This is about a community on the verge of losing its library. A horrific thought to be sure.
Books burned or shrink wrapped. In the end the result is the same. If the vote fails, the doors will be locked and the books gone from sight. Out of sight, out of mind. We can?t kid ourselves into believing the library will reopen any time soon. If ever.
We encourage the passionate discussions to continue. And we hope it?s this passion that will get people to the polls on August 2 to vote YES and save our precious library.
SAFe
Safeguarding American Families
email@nobookburningparty.com
From the lates version of the Book Burning Party Facebook page.
Related articles:
Troy mayor is upbeat. (7/14/2011)
Oakland Press editorial. (7/14/2011)
Book burning listed on Detroit News events calendar. (7/12/2011)
Troy Chamber supports millage request for library. (7/10/2011)
A half-million dollar library collection up in flames? Not gonna happen. (7/9/2011)
I)s it just me or are things heating up in Troy Michigan? (7/6/2011)
The battle lines are drawn. (6/28/2011)
August 2nd a "This Is It" moment for the Troy Public Library.. (5/17/2011)
Working to keep the library open. (5/10/2011)
Will there be a library after June 30th? (4/20/2011)
Keep the Troy Public Library open: Council members told to 'figure it out'. (4/19/2011)
May Day! May Day! Two Michigan libraries set to close on May 1. (4/17/2011)
Library to close on May 1. (2/23/2011)
Troy Michigan (population: 80,000) still on track to close its library. (2/8/2011)
Voters wave bye-bye to their library. (11/3/2010)
Giving voters more choices than they need. (8/13/2010)
Library threatened with closure, part 2. (5/19/2010)
Library threatened with closure, part 1. (4/25/2010)
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