Costa Mesa Council and Censorship

The entire National Endowment for the Arts incident has made my blood boil. Crime is a very scary thing to think about, but censorship is deeply terrifying.

Now I read that the Costa Mesa City Council is also considering censorship. This time I felt sickened. The ruling from Washington affects everyone in this country, but this latest attempt on banning is right in my own back yard.

I am an artist and have been to many exhibits and performances in Orange County and Los Angeles. I’ve had the opportunity to take for granted the freedom of letting myself, for myself, be the sole judge of a work of art. Some mesmerize me into a state of tranquility, some I find boring, ugly, outrageously fun, weird or confusing.

These are my opinions and thoughts. Other people may have different opinions and that is part of what makes the world go around and it allows me to think and learn.

May I express to Mayor Peter F. Buffa and the Costa Mesa City Council that I have a mind of my own and don’t care to use theirs. If I don’t like something, I don’t have to see it again. Please, oh, please, give me the freedom this country has always tried to uphold. Preserve the freedom of choice for everyone, not just for you.

Perhaps as an elected official, Buffa would better spend his energies on giving people rights rather than taking them away. Has the mayor noticed the homeless situation? They do have the same rights as all of us with a place to live, but they may have difficulty exercising their right to vote since they have no mailing address to receive a sample ballot or voters pamphlet.

Let’s not forget we are in America where we struggle to preserve freedoms. If you disagree with this, then please board the quickest flight to a country without freedom of speech. Perhaps with that head start, you can begin working hard toward revoking all kinds of other freedoms.

CHERIL DRAGON

La Habra