SHERIFF: Time, money, oversight and our children

I couldn’t agree more with Diana Braskich’s opinion in “My Turn: An open letter to our Sheriff,” published Oct. 5 in The Press. “If we want to protect children, perhaps the time would be better spent policing the community, not the library.”

I would assume the individuals that operate our libraries have the professional acumen and oversight for this sort of thing, and are well able to manage their own house. This seems like an appropriate moment to consider the ubiquitous idiom: “stay in your lane,” with no traffic enforcement pun intended. I would even go as far as to say there is an exponentially higher probability our children will be exposed to the antics of Lauren Boebert, the U.S. representative from Colorado’s 3rd congressional district, and her inappropriate public behavior caught on CCTV cameras in the Buell Theater this past September, that went viral, than there would be stumbling across the books, “Deal With It!,” and “Identical” in our community libraries.

I would rather see my tax dollars being allocated to community-sponsored workshops and think groups, on how best to address and prevent collateral damage, as an unintended consequence, of social media, the internet and cellphones. These are extremely expeditious mediums, and often preferred tools for ill-minded individuals, that are contributing heavily, due to lack of oversight, to the negative influences on our children in the 21st century.

BRAD BANTA

Coeur d’Alene