Democracies do not collapse overnight. They erode one safeguard at a time — an inspector general here, a watchdog there, and finally the silencing of those who would sound the alarm.

The current controversy triggered by the Juneau Festival Association’s announced policy banning participants seeking to express “political opposition,” carrying “picket signs” or inciting “hateful language” reminds me of the quip that “nothing motivates an American more than being told there are things he can’t say or do.”

Ray Bradbury’s novel "Fahrenheit 451" is set in a near-future American city where mass entertainment, constant noise, and shallow media have replaced reading, reflection, and meaningful conversation, and where owning books is a serious crime.