LETTER: Sharing books to stay engaged, stay informed

January 27, 2025

To the community:

I am heartbroken as I write this post. I hope that you have a strong friendship/family group to support you through this difficult time if you are as heartbroken as I am. We are slowly losing our fundamental rights as U.S. citizens. 

As I have stated in the past, I am a strong supporter of the First Amendment. This weekend, I found out that the Department of Homeland Security is choosing to ignore the Fourth Amendment protections against agents of the government entering a home without a judicial warrant. If you are a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, be aware that top government officials this weekend questioned where it is appropriate to legally carry arms.

Our government is excusing its own actions by calling the victims domestic terrorists without any investigation. We are supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Everything that is happening was predictable. We were warned about Project 2025. This is why it is important to be informed and to read/listen to a variety of sources so that you can make educated decisions.

One of the most famous quotations from George Orwell's novel, “1984,” reads: “The Party told you to ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Even CNN’s Jake Tapper and conservative podcaster Joe Rogan do not support the way ICE and CBP are doing their jobs.

This quote inspired me to pick up a copy of “1984” from Bridgeside Books this weekend. While I was there, I saw a good variety of books that have been written over the past century to warn against totalitarianism. So, I decided to purchase a small library of books to loan out to community members who are interested in reading or rereading some familiar and less familiar titles. 

Please contact me if you are interested in borrowing any of the following books: “1984,” “The Time Machine,” “Animal Farm,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” “Fahrenheit 451,” “Lord of the Flies,” “Brave New World,” “The Handmaid's Tale,” “On Civil Disobedience,” “The Cult of Trump,” “Star-Spangled Jesus,” “Slaughterhouse Five,” “Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism,” “Antifa the Anti-Fascist Handbook,” “Why Fascists Fear Teachers,” “Rebellion,” “The Great Gatsby,” “A Fever in the Heartland,” “Age of Revolutions,” The U.S. Constitution and “The Diary of Anne Frank” (which I am currently reading). 

For teen audiences, I have from my own children's teenage years: “Matched,” “The City of Bones” series, “Cinder, the “Legend” series, “The Giver Quartet” series, “Insurgent” and “Allegiant” from the “The Divergent” trilogy.

Lastly, if anyone is interested in joining me this Saturday, from 11 a.m. to noon at the corner of Stowe Street and Main Street for an informal ICE OUT poster demonstration, I would love your company and support.

Stay engaged. Stay informed!

As always, your neighbor and friend, 

Carol Baitz

Waterbury