One of the greatest, but simplest, faults that some in our communities have today is the inability to distinguish between what is private and what is public. When a citizen takes it upon herself to attempt to enforce her own private religious preferences upon the public, she displays a certain immaturity as a citizen of this country.

There are mechanisms in place for the public to establish (and change) public policy and actions. That is the second beauty of our system of government, after its protections of individual civil liberties.

When JoAn Karkos stole the book “It’s Perfectly Normal” from the shelves of the public library, she displayed her affinity for religious oppression. This country was founded as a haven from religious oppression. Since her views on religion and politics are so fundamentally extreme, perhaps Ms. Karkos would feel more at home in Iran, where such views would be welcome. They aren’t welcome in this country.

“Its Perfectly Normal” is an excellent book because it is not so much about sex as it is about self-esteem. It addresses issues of body shape and size and self-acceptance.

A healthy society is not based on denying human sexuality, but rather on understanding it, accepting it, and exercising it responsibly. Karkos did not act responsibly when she stole the books from the library.

John Henderson, Auburn