Mr Kent,

As I understand it, lis-link is a discussion list pertaining primarily
to libraries, information and related matters. While I have no doubt
that you are campaigning for a worthy cause, I would be grateful if you
could keep your political and sociological debates and arguments off
list as they do seem to be deviating from the aims of the list and I for
one do not appreciate being included in them.

Thank you

Charlotte Wilson.

-----Original Message-----
From: A general Library and Information Science list for news and
discussion. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert Kent
Sent: 08 December 2004 13:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Was Scrooge Really a Librarian?


In a message dated 12/8/04 5:42:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Roy, the letter you link to [www.hacer.org/current/Cuba008.php] is 
> signed
by Vaclav Havel. I presume this is the
>  same Vaclav Havel who, along wth other conservative statesmen, signed

> the  toadying letter last year supporting the US and treating 
> communism and  fascism as "twin evils" which of course they were not.

First and foremost, we in the Friends of Cuban Libraries would like to
thank all the Lis-Link subscribers who let us know they are sending
holiday cards to the families of imprisoned librarians in Cuba. Your
support is gratifying and will warm the hearts of people who are
deprived of a cherished husband, partner, father or son during the
holidays.

As for Mr. Barrett, perhaps during this holiday season he is due for a
remedial reading of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Surely Mr. Barrett
cannot have forgotten that Eastern Europeans such as Vaclav Havel and
Lech Walesa know from painful personal experience what is like to live
under both of the twin horrors of the 20th century: fascism and
communism. Besides, impartial support for the principle of intellectual
freedom is a matter of JUSTICE, not ideology. What else can explain the
broad support for Cuba's brave independent librarians from people such
as Noam Chomsky, Ariel Dorfman, and Naomi Klein, not to mention
respected human rights groups with a worldwide mandate, such as Amnesty,
Pax Christi, Human Rights Watch and International PEN?

Please, Mr. Barrett, can't you soften your heart during this holiday
season by sending a little human comfort, in the form of a holiday card,
to the families of innocent people who are suffering severe hardships
for defending the universal principle of intellectual freedom? Can it be
true that members of CILIP could give their approval to raids on
libraries, the court-ordered burning of books such as "1984" and "Animal
Farm," and the sentencing of fellow librarians, after grotesquely unfair
one-day trials, to 26-year terms in a hellish prison system?

[LATEBREAKING NEWS: The trustees of the Vermillion, South Dakota, Public
Library have "adopted" a library in Cuba. In taking this action,
Vermillion joins the French cities of Paris and Strasbourg. "Cuba's
independent librarians have been targeted for repression because of
their principled challenge to censorship," said Jon Flanagin, president
of the Vermillion library trustees. "We felt we had a moral obligation
to offer our support." For more details, please refer to the Recent News
section of the Friends' website].

Sincerely,

The Friends of Cuban Libraries
(www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org)