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I find it rather curious that social conservatives are clamoring for the government to regulate book exposure. Having an "R" rating slapped on the cover of a novel is absurd! A parent should be the one who is active in the life of the child and should help bring about exposure to certain ideas and worldviews- not the government.

I believe that the mighty hand of the Federal government should not regulate the books and warn people of material. Big Brother has no right. The pages of controversial books have long been the avenues of societal growth. Books, unlike movies, have had a long privileged place in our history and have grown in societal importance since the advent of the printing press. They have stirred people's imaginations and have inspired revolutions across continents. What exactly will be rated within the pages of the books? Sexual content, violence... minority thought?

Instead of censoring a book I think that it is more important for the parent to remain active in the life of the child. Parents should examine the books before giving them to the child. They can help raise the child by giving them a Chronicles of Narnia book to an elementary aged child or Harry Potter to a Jr. Higher. It is utterly absurd to have the government restraining things through a ratings board.

Parents must be the vehicles for the exposure of thought and real-life events. Parents must reaming active in the lives of the children, helping them grow through complex themes and topics. Exposing children to a variety of ideals is a necessary thing in the Contemporary United States. A "one-size fits all" ruling would not benefit the American society, because youth grow at different rates. Call me a (classical) liberal, but government has no right to arbitrarily apply a rating to a book. Heed the lessons of the past; books are the necessary pathways for free expression and free thought. We must keep it that way.

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