SAMUELS PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS BEEN FUNDED UNTIL JUNE 30th, 2025

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Letters to the Editor & Opinion Columns

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Letter to the Editor: Objecting to censorshipAs a long-time resident of Warren County, I strongly object to any type of censorship of the Samuels Public Library.

Commentary: Appalled at Warren supervisorsAs a lifelong conservative resident of Warren County, I am appalled at the actions of the Warren County Board of Supervisors to defund the library. The First Amendment, as are

Defending Samuels Public Library: A Plea for Reason and InclusivityDear Mrs. Cook: It is with a heavy heart that I write to you regarding the unconscionable withholding of funding for Samuels Public Library, which will very likely result in its imminent closing. Our library is the jewel of Warren County. How can the Board of Supervisors allow a tiny group of fanatical interlopers - many of whom didn’t even own a library card - dictate how our library is [...]

Board of UsurpervisorsRather than arbitrate business, property, and tax disputes, our board of supervisors has chosen to start a cultural conflagration within our community. It is all quite clear they did this for cheap political gain. You don't have to be savvy or experienced to see it. Witness these excellent letters to the editor which outline the hypocrisy and mismanagement on display: "Facts, [...]

Investigating the Reasons for the Book Ban CampaignIn the last few months, we've heard a lot of claims about alleged reasons for the aggressive recent campaign to remove LGBTQ+-themed books from Samuels Public Library. The most often repeated of these reasons is that there are "pornographic books in the children's section," a claim which is prominently plastered on the Clean Up Samuels website. But is this really about [...]

Facts, Accounting, and Homework, Oh My!! A Library Supporter Digs Into the FinancesIf you don’t care to read this long and detailed letter about the library’s finances, here’s the takeaway: At the insistence of 90 individuals who question the existence of LGBTQ+ people, the library will close next June, at the latest, unless the 20,549 library card holders in Warren County speak up ASAP – and VOTE for candidates who support our library. Botetourt County supervisors just [...]

Commentary: 'Are you sure, Mr. Butler?'Warren County Supervisor Jerome "Jay" Butler decided to outright lie to the public from his chair recently, asserting at the Aug. 1 Board of Supervisor's meeting: "There is no one,

Commentary: Supervisor Butler Confirms Book Removal Requests But Stands By Removal Walk Back; Board Mum on Full Funding LibraryAfter noting that he had spoken to constituents on both sides of the Samuels Public Library book removal and funding debate following Public Comments at the August 1st Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, six speakers on that topic in support of full library funding without removal of books, Happy Creek Supervisor Jerome "Jay" Butler addressed the library debate 50 [...]

Letter to the Editor: In support of Samuels LibraryEditor:

Interim Library Director Addresses Questions About Finances, MOA With CountyAs I start my new role as Interim Director at Samuels Library, I would like to thank everyone who has reached out with kind words of encouragement and support. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the many contributions made by Michelle Ross during the last three-plus years. Her professionalism, creativity, knowledge, and kindness will be greatly missed by staff and patrons alike at [...]

Analyzing Delores Oates’ HypocrisyDelores Oates wants you to believe she's the best choice around for delegate of District 31, but she can't even uphold her own campaign values. For proof, we need to look no further than the recent Samuels Public Library attack she's involved in. Taken from Delores Oates' campaign site: "Education: We must ensure parents remain the primary educators and drivers of [...]

Commentary: Stand up for the libraryOn May 13, 2023, the group Clean Up Samuels held a “Beer, Babysitting and Cleaning Up the Samuels Library” party to fill out Request for Reconsideration forms to send to

Letter to the Editor: Butler's behaviorEditor:

Commentary: Grandma’s AdviceAs a kid growing up in Front Royal, I would make my summer pilgrimage to my grandma’s farm to spend time with her and my cousins in The Plains, Va. These were great times and full of many memories that I cherish to this day. One of these memories focused on our daily activities of playing in the creek that ran through the fields. Each day my grandmother would tell us that we should not swim [...]

Library Drama and Clever RhetoricIn a recent (July 26 publication) opinion piece by Warren County resident Richard Jamieson, the author employed a neat rhetorical maneuver that I believe is worthy of examination. Mr. Jamieson made two statements which he surely believed, and I agree, are not terribly controversial. One that "no sexualization of any sort should be in the juvenile section of the library." Two, that [...]

Upholding Freedom of Expression and Promoting Inclusive Dialogue for AllI am writing to you as a concerned citizen of our county, stirred not only by the recent controversy over book banning but also by the ongoing propagation of harmful and prejudiced rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community, which persists in our area. This letter serves as a decisive stand against such actions and speeches, seeking to shed light on the dangers they pose while emphasizing the [...]

Letter to the Editor: You won what?Editor:

Commentary: Disappointed in Warren boardI was extremely disappointed to learn the Warren County Board of Supervisors has chosen to withhold most of the funding for Samuels Public Library until the library can satisfy a

Letter to the Editor: Censorship at SamuelsEditor:

Commentary: Manufactured outrageGroups across the country are challenging public libraries and seeking to hold librarians and administrators liable for material a minority deems unacceptable. The right is fond of accusing schools of

Commentary: A cooked-up controversyEditor:

Commentary: Banning library books violates First AmendmentEditor:

Every Human Being Deserves to be Educated in the Truth(Writer's Note: I originally shared this text as a statement to the Warren County Board of Supervisors during a public comment session last night (July 18). I wasn't able to attend in person, so it was read on my behalf by Kelsey Lawrence.) My name is Bridget Randolph. I lived in Front Royal, VA, from the ages of 5-22, and my father is still a resident. While I lived here, my family [...]

It’s Censorship and It’s ExpensiveSupervisor Oates once said, "We need to hold government accountable!" So, who did she hire with $20,000 of Oates-for-Delegate campaign donations, no experience required? Thomas Hinnant. (Who?) Fox News described him as a "community organizer." (Check YouTube!) He wants to "seize the library," let kids "run free," and "decolonize" the county! [...]

Former Samuels Library director chimes in on book debateSamuels Public Library is a “true gem” that just happens to be in Front Royal, Virginia. It is a sanctuary away from many difficult things, including severe weather, the streets, drugs, and juvenile crime. In person, it offers a place to learn, attend excellent local and or regional programs, and check out books, magazines, and or DVDs. For some, it is just a place of refuge to cool off or [...]

Oh, wait here’s an ideaWell, here we are, the first of July, and as I open up the Royal Examiner this morning, I see we're still talking about the Great Samuels Public Library Book Ban of 2023. This time, “one of ‘the 53’” (her words, not mine) is complaining that her request for the removal of Prince and Knight from the children’s section has been denied. By her own admission, the book is “engaging and [...]

Congress shall make no law …The Board of Supervisors, as a body of elected officials, appears to be now coercing the library to ban books by using our tax money to do their bidding. That is exactly what the founders prohibited. Supervisor Oates can gaslight us by calling it temporary while they "continue to work in good faith" -- to do what? Ms. Oates's "good faith" outcome may not be another [...]

Warren County resident denounces book banning and calls out Board of Supervisors for underfunding local libraryWarren County Board of Supervisors Re: Samuels Public Library Supervisors, I was extremely disappointed to learn the Warren County Board of Supervisors (Board) has chosen to withhold most of the funding for the library until the library can satisfy a small group of people who wish to ban books. The complainants assert the books are pornographic and obscene; our courts advise they are neither. [...]

Woe to you, hypocritesSigmund Freud, that master explorer of all things proctological, would have been utterly fascinated by Dale Carpenter’s obsessive use of the term “filth” in his recent letter to the editor, to describe the alleged “pornography” Mr. Carpenter wants his tax dollars to stop funding in the Samuels Public Library. In fact, Mr. Carpenter is so morally offended by this insult to the public morality, [...]

Spectacle versus ReasonCensorship has no place in America. Regardless of whatever camouflage it receives, denying free expression runs counter to the ideals that underly our society. The ability to make a personal choice for you and your family must be coupled with the requirement that your choice applies to your immediate circle. Attempting to limit the choices available to a community has no place in our society. [...]

Former Samuels Library Board member counters salary and process rumorsHello to my fellow readers, Having read through a few incorrect rumors in the recent opinion letters, I thought it might be helpful to remind us all of some facts: 1) “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to [...]

An Open Letter to the BOS – Fully Fund Samuels LibraryDear Board of Supervisors, I write to ask that you fully fund Samuels Library for a variety of reasons: Respect the internal library process that is already ongoing to determine appropriateness of books. Respect the mission statement of the library to bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. Respect the 99% of 473 library users who gave the library [...]

Countering views on LGBT-themed books in Samuels Public LibraryI recently came across Richard Hoover's response to Paul Miller's Letter to the Editor regarding book selection at Samuels Public Library. Mr. Hoover expressed concerns about the inclusion of LGBT-themed books, and I would like to offer a different perspective on this issue. It is important to recognize that public libraries, including Samuels Public Library, have the autonomy to [...]

Does removing LGBTQ books from libraries undermine First Amendment Rights?I write in response to letters by Mr. Richard Hoover (May 27th) and Mr. Paul Miller (May 18th) concerning the proposal to remove LGBTQ-themed books from Samuels Public Library. Mr. Hoover contends that removing such material aligns with the principle of free speech and the values of our community. I humbly beg to differ. I feel it is essential to shedding light on the significance of [...]

Book BanningRecent news of efforts to ban mostly LGBTQ-themed books at Samuel’s Public Library in Front Royal highlights how comfortable a small fringe of homophobic individuals are with jettisoning the guarantees of the First Amendment to satisfy an agenda to marginalize their neighbors. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I know how important it is for children and the adults raising them to see their [...]

Book censorship and the importance of autonomy in reading choicesAs a child, choosing books from the library was one of my favorite activities. I traveled to the library with my mom every two weeks, and the only restriction placed on me was that I could only check out as many books as I could carry on the walk to and from the library. I was allowed complete autonomy in making book choices–even as a young child whose reading abilities greatly surpassed my [...]

Commentary: Why book banning is a violation of freedomThis past week, news broke regarding a group in Front Royal petitioning to remove books they perceive as containing “smut” from Samuels Public Library. This news, while not particularly surprising

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