Can We Be Judged by What We Read?

Recently Bob Gale, the chair of the Niagara Regional government, suddenly resigned after becoming embroiled in a bit of controversy.  His faux-pas?  Owning a copy of Mein Kampf, the book which Adolf Hitler wrote as he languished in Landsberg Prison, having been convicted of high treason, and which laid out his political ideology and his plans for assuming power within the German political system of the time.  To make matters worse, this particular copy of the book was apparently signed by "Der Führer" himself.

A lot of people were, no doubt, shocked and appalled to learn that an apparent Nazi sympathizer had somehow managed to get appointed to the position of regional chair.  Good thing he was found out before he had the chance to do any serious damage.  Dodged a bullet there!

Or did we?  Just because a man owns a book doesn't necessarily mean that he sympathizes with its author or its contents.  Perhaps he was simply intellectually curious to read about how a megalomaniac thinks and reasons.  Or perhaps he wanted to know just how accurately Hitler's plans reflected his actual rise to power.  Perhaps he wanted to compare Hitler's ramblings with those of Donald Trump.  Or perhaps Gale is just a collector.  A signed copy of Mein Kampf would certainly be something of a rarity, and likely valuable as well.  If the book was signed by Hitler, it was likely printed in German.  Can Bob Gale even read German?

The Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association and Justice 4 Black Lives Niagara condemned Gale for owning the book, demanding that he provide both a public explanation and an apology.  For what?  As far as I've been able to determine, Bob Gale has never made any racist or anti-semetic remarks, nor has he belonged to or sympathized with any racist, fascist or anti-semetic persons or organizations. He just owns a book whose author isn't well liked.

Gale did offer a statement without either confirming or denying that he owns a copy of Mein Kampf.  He wrote, "As everyone knows, I am a passionate historian with a broad collection of historical art and artifacts.  My collection includes an 1859 letter from anti-slavery advocate John Brown, a letter from George Washington, a letter from Winston Churchill and Vatican archives.  I also have a signed copy of the first book in 1685 about Niagara Falls by Father Hennepin."  

Okay, so Bob Gale seemingly has a lot more money than I do to put toward his collection of written works, but his statement does seem to support my argument.  He went on to say that "Today, a member of the communist party circulated a dated document that listed my name as the owner of a historical book found in many libraries."  He makes a valid point.  Mein Kampf can be found in many libraries and book collections.  There's no law against owning a copy.

To me, this is a clear example of how quick people can be to judge others based on appearances without really understanding the situation or their motives.   We start down a slippery and dangerous slope when we begin to judge people based on what they read or collect.  Bob Gale's collection of historical books and documents has nothing to do with his public service as regional chair of Niagara and he should not have had to resign because of it. As the old adage says, judge not lest ye be judged.