Warner Todd Huston
Publisher's warning label: Constitution and Declaration no longer valid thinking
By Warner Todd Huston
A Virginia-based publisher has decided that the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other founding books are likely offensive and they want their readers to understand that these old documents are no longer valid ways of thinking. And so the publisher, Wilder Publications, has put a warning label on its reprints of America's founding documents and books to shield American's delicate sensibilities.
The warning label reads, "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."
The warning labels appear on copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalist Papers, as well as other founding books and documents the company reprints.
FoxNews was not able to elicit a comment from Wilder Publications and the webpage of the company seems to feature a lot of self-published type stuff, so big time it is not.
But, looking at the New Agie stuff the company prints, I'd say that we are dealing with a bunch of left-wingers that really do find America's founding documents unacceptable. It is also pretty plain that they do not have the first grasp of what those very founding ideas mean or why they are so amazing.
I'd also guess that this small company is also trying, in a ham-fisted way, to protect itself from some level of liability. Not that anyone should expect that readers might want to sue anyone over these 200-year-old documents and other, older ideologies, but, I guess you never know these days.
Still, the FoxNews report quoted constitutional attorney Noel Francisco to good effect proving his high level of common sense.
"By putting on the warning, you're making controversial something that's not controversial: our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence," Francisco said. And to that one can only give hearty agreement.
In fact, I'd go further and say that putting on these idiotic and insulting warning labels on new printings of our founding documents actually invites the stupidity that it seeks to prevent. In our overly litigious society one might not be surprised if some halfwit might get it into his tiny little mind to sue someone over the Constitution or the Federalist Papers and these labels certainly encourage that sort of hackneyed thinking. And who could doubt that there'd be some anti-American ACLU lawyer-type out there to take on this foolish case?
Still it is outrageous that this little publishing company would chose to put warning labels on our founding documents.
If you wish to contact Wilder Publications:
A & D Publishing
PO Box 3005
Radford, VA 24143-3005
www.wilderpublications.com
Wilder Publications also has a few listings of its founding documents on Amazon.com. You might enjoy reading the comments excoriating this company for its decision to add the warning label. You may even feel disposed to add you own to the mix, too.
Here is the Wilder Publications Amazon Listing for its volume of The Federalist Papers.
And here is its Amazon listing for its copy of The Constitution.
© Warner Todd Huston
June 10, 2010
A Virginia-based publisher has decided that the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other founding books are likely offensive and they want their readers to understand that these old documents are no longer valid ways of thinking. And so the publisher, Wilder Publications, has put a warning label on its reprints of America's founding documents and books to shield American's delicate sensibilities.
The warning label reads, "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."
The warning labels appear on copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalist Papers, as well as other founding books and documents the company reprints.
FoxNews was not able to elicit a comment from Wilder Publications and the webpage of the company seems to feature a lot of self-published type stuff, so big time it is not.
But, looking at the New Agie stuff the company prints, I'd say that we are dealing with a bunch of left-wingers that really do find America's founding documents unacceptable. It is also pretty plain that they do not have the first grasp of what those very founding ideas mean or why they are so amazing.
I'd also guess that this small company is also trying, in a ham-fisted way, to protect itself from some level of liability. Not that anyone should expect that readers might want to sue anyone over these 200-year-old documents and other, older ideologies, but, I guess you never know these days.
Still, the FoxNews report quoted constitutional attorney Noel Francisco to good effect proving his high level of common sense.
"By putting on the warning, you're making controversial something that's not controversial: our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence," Francisco said. And to that one can only give hearty agreement.
In fact, I'd go further and say that putting on these idiotic and insulting warning labels on new printings of our founding documents actually invites the stupidity that it seeks to prevent. In our overly litigious society one might not be surprised if some halfwit might get it into his tiny little mind to sue someone over the Constitution or the Federalist Papers and these labels certainly encourage that sort of hackneyed thinking. And who could doubt that there'd be some anti-American ACLU lawyer-type out there to take on this foolish case?
Still it is outrageous that this little publishing company would chose to put warning labels on our founding documents.
If you wish to contact Wilder Publications:
A & D Publishing
PO Box 3005
Radford, VA 24143-3005
www.wilderpublications.com
Wilder Publications also has a few listings of its founding documents on Amazon.com. You might enjoy reading the comments excoriating this company for its decision to add the warning label. You may even feel disposed to add you own to the mix, too.
Here is the Wilder Publications Amazon Listing for its volume of The Federalist Papers.
And here is its Amazon listing for its copy of The Constitution.
© Warner Todd Huston
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
