Calling All English Majors

I came across this editorial by Garrison Keillor in today's Chicago Tribune. In it, Keillor skewers political pork and Republican self-dealing, and defines "the English major community" as a special interest group that has yet to flex its political muscle. He suggests we go ahead and flex, proposing "public libraries as a tool in the war against terror." Here's my favorite passage:

How many readers of Edith Wharton have engaged in terroristic acts? I challenge you to name one. Therefore, the reading of Edith Wharton is a proven deterrent to terror. Do we need to wait until our cities lie in smoking ruins before we wake up to the fact that a first-class public library is a vital link in national defense?

This is what I love about Garrison: folksy and ridiculous, yet absolutely correct.

Filed in: Politics