Freadom

In a past posting about the American Library Association's shameful silence about Cuba's repression of librarians, booksellers and writers, I criticized Jessamyn West for being silent likewise. That is no longer true. I recently found out through her blog about a new group called Freadom. From their website: "FREADOM is a loose coalition of librarians and library supporters. We support the freedom to read, everywhere. We also support librarians who advocate for the freedom to read."

Karen G. Schneider, LII webmaven, Free Range Librarian, and ALA Councilor who proposed the amendment calling for the imprisoned librarians' release at the ALA's midwinter conference is also involved, as is Steve Marquardt, a perennial voice of reason from the Midwest. Their project for April is a letter-writing campaign on behalf of the independent librarians imprisoned by the Cuban government. Bravo. That's one letter-writing campaign I'll join. Even if it accomplishes little in immediate terms, it's a way to act on a principle I value.

Meanwhile, the little cadre of neo-Stalinists who have roadblocked the ALA from speaking out in defense of its purported principles are becoming ever more shrill and incoherent, as in this letter, in which Mark Rosenzweig splutters wildly, not about the substance of the issue, but about the fact that American Libraries permitted Schneider to publish an editorial explaining her views in the April issue of that journal. He also resorts to the old, old character-assassination tactic of trying to smear one's critics through misinformation, in this case, by asserting that Nat Hentoff, the Village Voice's longtime oracular defender of free speech, is famous only for being an "anti-abortion-rights activist."

There's a very old, jokey cliche among lawyers: When the law is on your side, pound on the law. When the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. When neither is on your side, pound on the table. The relatively small faction in the ALA that is determined to defend the Cuban dictator at all costs has long since passed beyond the first two stages, and is well into the stage of pounding on the table with Nikita Khrushchev's outworn shoe. Perhaps their stranglehold on that organization will fail as the Orwellian hypocrisy of their position becomes apparent in the glare of public exposure.

In the meanwhile, librarians and others who believe that intellectual freedom is properly the right of all human beings, everywhere, have a way to bypass the ALA Council's roadblock.

Editorial note, 4/25: corrected American Libraries citation from February to April.