An ugly albatross has stolen our once dignified county library facade. The garish placement of our national patriotic colors upon this building do not hint of the reverence one can bestow upon one’s self of the innards of this once majestic structure. Never before in my lifetime in Urbana have I seen such a travesty of our patriotic colors put to such a shameful use.
For days on end, I have watched careful painters transform a jewel of Urbana and Champaign County into a cheap mockery of patriotic spirit. Could not a huge flag have been purchased and draped across the archway of the entrance? Could not there surely have been a better way to display patriotism than to deface a public building?
I am saddened and shamed that this grand building with its volumes of knowledge has been reduced to little more than a tacky billboard to display the Champaign County Library’s patriotism. Champaign County is quite patriotic. However, there is no need to paint our homes, buildings, and public places with red, white, and blue. Our patriotism stands untarnished. It has never faltered.
I do not believe we have supported and funded our library for this long to have it take this dramatic hand in how it represents itself. Our library, our source of written knowledge should at the very least hold itself in a distinguished manner. Our library need not stand for our patriotism. We do that in every field plowed, every American product we buy or sell, and every day we chose to remain here, and fight if necessary.
I urge the residents of Champaign County to demand the Champaign County Library revert back to natural aesthetic colors, and not use our source of written knowledge for a cheap propaganda. We do not and have not needed to prove Champaign County bleeds Red, White and Blue.
Dottie B. McFarland
Urbana