Should We Just Hold an Ol’-Fashioned Book Burning?

By Todd Richissin

Every once in a while, a loud protest warms the heart.

For book lovers, that was the case Wednesday in Fairfax County, where something resembling a very smart mob gathered at the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale.

That’s where the throngs gathered to tell the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees exactly what they thought of the library system policy of dumping thousands of books as if they were garbage — among other issues.

The other issues seem debatable and really up to Fairfax County residents. But dumping books as if they had no more value than empty milk cartons, used coffee grounds and eggshells? That’s something universal.

So, we want to know what you think. Is there a punishment you’d have, real or imagined, for tossing away Harry Potter like yesterday’s comics page?