DEAR EDITOR:

The Vindicator published a story on June 5 noting that Ohio state Rep. Al Cutrona introduced a bill that targets library materials. The Bill would supposedly “protect” juveniles from materials that were deemed “obscene.” Cutrona presents himself as a constitutional representative who protects the freedom of individuals — this Bill is anything but!

Where does Al Cutrona or any other person get the authority to tell me what is right for my kids? I decide what my child’s “impressionable eyes” see and read, not some standard set by the government. What a ridiculous concept that a kid will see a book about two moms and suddenly “turn gay!” Or that a kid will “accidentally stumble” upon something in a book and completely forget everything they’ve ever been taught by their own families about making wise choices! In today’s world, kids are going to come across all different types of people and lifestyles. Best to prepare a child rather than dump them in the world with no background at all.

Parents don’t need a way to hide information from their kids; they need good tools to expose them to it — that’s what the library does. The library has materials that affirm all types of parenting beliefs — books that can be used to explain things to children — instead of relying on social media. Good parents use these tools to teach manners and foundations. No one has the right to tell a parent how to raise their kid — that happened in 2020 / 2021 when schools were shut down and kids were forced to wear masks and get shots — because someone other than the parent decided what was best for children. The library is open to everyone — regardless of race, creed, color, gender and political affiliation.

It wasn’t so long ago that blacks and Japanese people were denied the use of the library, couldn’t borrow certain things and had to have books kept in a “special section” because it was “deemed harmful” to others. Seems as though Cutrona wants to return to those days.

I am a conservative constituent of Cutrona’s and he has lost my support. Freedom is freedom for everyone, and a true constitutional conservative would have had the backbone to tell that to his “constituents” that have “called him” about library materials.

Obviously, he played into their emotions for political gain. I hope the Republican Party is able to locate a strong candidate to run against him in the next primary — all Cutrona has done with this bogus bill is to get press for himself and further split an already divided Republican Party.

ELISSA DOUGLASS

Boardman