Palin -- Censor in chief

[Nono]

It's tough being a small-town mayor, since in addition to all your other duties (cutting ribbons, whatever) you find yourself -- at least if you're Sarah Palin -- with the onerous duty of censoring the books in the municipal library.

When she became mayor of Wasilla Back in the 1990s, Palin seems to have fired the local librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, for not falling into line.

Here are some excerpts from an article published in December 1996 by The Frontiersman, the local paper:

Palin: Library censorship inquiries 'Rhetorical' - Frontiersman

(...) Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons last week said Palin broached the subject with her on two occasions in October - once Palin was elected mayor Oct. 1 but before she took office on Oct. 14, and again in more detail on Monday, Oct. 28. Besides heading the Wasilla City Library, Emmons is also president of the Alaska Library Association. (...) Emmons recalled that the Oct. 28 conversation she pulled no punches with her response to the mayor. “She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup',” Emmons recounted Saturday. “And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.” Emmons said Palin asked her on Oct. 28 if she would object to censorship, even if people were circling the library in protest about a book. “I told her it would definitely be a problem the ACLU would take on then,” Emmons said Asked who she thought might picket the library, Palin said Monday, “Had no one in mind ... again, the issue was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy. (...)

According to this article in the International Herald Tribune (Palin's start in Alaska: Not politics as usual - International Herald Tribune) "Palin fired Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support."

I wonder whether this story is getting any media play in the US.

And ask yourself this: If the shoe had been on the Democratic foot, would it be getting media play.
Three guesses.

Anyway, once she's VP she can go to work on the Library of Congress. That'll keep her busy.

[SamD69]

The bottom line is
SARAH PALIN is FIT!

[Nono]

What? She eats her wheaties? What the hell do you mean by "fit"?

She's fit to get the apeman Right on board so it will go out and actually vote for McCain. But if he skids on a banana peel, then you'll have a simplistic, two-dimensional ideologue running your country.

Then you'll see what this particular bottom line feels like. (Under George Bush you've had a foretaste. Things are just hunky, eh?)

[Sweet Katie]

Quote by: Nono It's tough being a small-town mayor, since in addition to all your other duties (cutting ribbons, whatever) you find yourself -- at least if you're Sarah Palin -- with the onerous duty of censoring the books in the municipal library. When she became mayor of Wasilla Back in the 1990s, Palin seems to have fired the local librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, for not falling into line. Here are some excerpts from an article published in December 1996 by The Frontiersman, the local paper: Palin: Library censorship inquiries 'Rhetorical' - Frontiersman According to this article in the International Herald Tribune (Palin's start in Alaska: Not politics as usual - International Herald Tribune) "Palin fired Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support." I wonder whether this story is getting any media play in the US. And ask yourself this: If the shoe had been on the Democratic foot, would it be getting media play. Three guesses. Anyway, once she's VP she can go to work on the Library of Congress. That'll keep her busy.

Oh, Nono, you are so delusional!

If Palin had been a Democrat, would this story have more media attention? Well, let's see . . . Which newspaper broke the story about Edwards' affair . . . Oh, that's right . . . The National Inquirier . . . The National Inquirer because the American media is so wrought with liberal bias that Edwards having an affair on his dying wife was broke by a TABLOID Magazine! The MSNBC commentators are so sick of their own Obama media bias that the network is imploding!

Kudos to Palin for being tough. She never followed through with censorship, never stated what she thought was offensive. The libarian quit on her own.

Re-read the article!

[Jinei]

Quote by: Sweet Katie Oh, Nono, you are so delusional! If Palin had been a Democrat, would this story have more media attention? Well, let's see . . . Which newspaper broke the story about Edwards' affair . . . Oh, that's right . . . The National Inquirier . . . The National Inquirer because the American media is so wrought with liberal bias that Edwards having an affair on his dying wife was broke by a TABLOID Magazine! The MSNBC commentators are so sick of their own Obama media bias that the network is imploding! Kudos to Palin for being tough. She never followed through with censorship, never stated what she thought was offensive. The libarian quit on her own. Re-read the article!

These are the books she tried to have banned. It's not hard to tell why she chose these. They're not just some random books she chose arbitrarily:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain*
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Lord of the Flies by William Golding*
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck*
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Bastard by John Jakes
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger*
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck*
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Living Bible by William C. Bower
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare*
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff**


* These are classics. No one should be denied the luxury of finding them in a public library.

**You know something has gone terribly wrong when someone tries to ban a Webster's Dictionary.

[??!]

Quote by: Nono I wonder whether this story is getting any media play in the US.

Actually in an interview with Larry King, Michael Moore mentioned it. He's about the only one I've heard jump on it. But he's not the media.

[Matt W]

Quote by: SamD69 The bottom line is SARAH PALIN is FIT!

This isn't a chat room. Debate, or don't post.

DO NOT RESPOND IN THIS THREAD TO THE PRECEDING MESSAGE. Please contact a member of the staff privately if you have any questions.

[barts]

Quote by: Jinei These are the books she tried to have banned. It's not hard to tell why she chose these. They're not just some random books she chose arbitrarily: My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara

What's wrong with My Friend Flicka? Maybe the L and I in Flicka looked like a U. You know F LI C K A.

[??!]

Quote by: Jinei Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain*

Wow. Is this because of the excessive use of the N word? Does Palin know what historical context is?

[Nono]

Quote by: Katie Which newspaper broke the story about Edwards' affair . . .

Do you really care who John Edwards goes to bed with? If so, have fun.

What counts, in my view, is the candidate's adherence to the values he espouses. If Palin wants to campaign on book-banning as a matter of public policy, fine. At least then you'd know what you were in for.

The rightwing bent of the US media doesn't manifest itself in private scandal, but in its discussion (actually lack of discussion) of policies and their alternatives -- real alternatives.

Politics doesn't have to be all marching-bands, balloons and militarism y'know. But by narrowing the focus of the campaign down to such garbage, the media will help McCain get elected.

[Sweet Katie]

Please state source for your list of books, Nono (and I sincerely HOPE that it isn't Michael Moore)

[Deadeye]

Today this story of book censorship by Sarah has been proven false. Some of the books mentioned in the parent story weren't printed until after she left.

The censorship and banning of books story is bogus.

Typical of the left......stories like this just make Sarah's postion stronger. So please keep it up.

[Failed Design]

This is A Palin.

[Failed Design]

Quote by: Deadeye Today this story of book censorship by Sarah has been proven false. Some of the books mentioned in the parent story weren't printed until after she left. The censorship and banning of books story is bogus. Typical of the left......stories like this just make Sarah's postion stronger. So please keep it up.

Source?

[Sweet Katie]

Quote by: Nono Do you really care who John Edwards goes to bed with? If so, have fun. What counts, in my view, is the candidate's adherence to the values he espouses. If Palin wants to campaign on book-banning as a matter of public policy, fine. At least then you'd know what you were in for. The rightwing bent of the US media doesn't manifest itself in private scandal, but in its discussion (actually lack of discussion) of policies and their alternatives -- real alternatives. Politics doesn't have to be all marching-bands, balloons and militarism y'know. But by narrowing the focus of the campaign down to such garbage, the media will help McCain get elected.

The point isn't whether I personally care where John Edwards sticks his dick; but rather the hypocrisy that his Barack Obama endorsement received full news coverage, but his affair was shoved under the rug to the point where The National Equirer -- -- became a more credible news source by breaking the story!

Also, regarding the book banning, I repeat that the story is empty insofaras being newsworthy because no books were banned. And the librarian in question was not fired. When an occurence that accounts to absolutely nothing actually happening becomes the "best mud" that can be thrown at a candidate, it's a good indicator that there aren't many skeletons in the closet.

[Sweet Katie]

Quote by: Failed Design Source?

Are you looking for sources that Palin DIDN'T actually ban any books? Or do you want sources that Palin DIDN'T actually fire the librarian?

[Nono]

Quote by: Katie Please state source for your list of books, Nono.

Now move up nice'n'close to the screen. And squint. The list was from Jinei, not from me.

Actually, I was also wondering about the provenance of Jinei's list.

The librarian in question was not fired.

According to my source, the International Herald Tribune, she was indeed fired.
Are you saying the IHL is mistaken in its facts?

And, Katie, that's source (S-O-U-R-C-E). You oughta try citing one some time. I mean, just for a change.

[Sweet Katie]

Quote by: Nono Now move up nice'n'close to the screen. And squint. The list was from Jinei, not from me. Actually, I was also wondering about the provenance of Jinei's list. According to my source, the International Herald Tribune, she was indeed fired. Are you saying the IHL is mistaken in its facts? And, Katie, that's source (S-O-U-R-C-E). You oughta try citing one some time. I mean, just for a change.

Nono,

Your article uses the word "fire" incorrectly.

Sources:

Politics - Book-ban question returns for Palin - sacbee.com

According to news coverage at the time, the librarian said she would definitely not be all right with it. A few months later, the librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, got a letter from Palin telling her she was going to be fired. The censorship issue was not mentioned as a reason for the firing. The letter said the new mayor felt Emmons didn't fully support her and had to go.

The librarian was not actually fired by Palin. Do you need more links? The librarian ACTUALLY left by her own free will

Also, the article has the following:

Palin, questioned at the time, called her inquiries rhetorical and simply part of a policy discussion with a department head "about understanding and following administration agendas," according to the Frontiersman article.

Regarding the second quote, I'm not buying it; but, I'm also not drinking the Kool Aid that she fired the librarian either. She didn't.

[Sweet Katie]

Michelle Malkin » The bogus Sarah Palin Banned Books List

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - McCain Palin fires back over book ban rumor « - Blogs from CNN.com

Noteable: Some of book in the list provided in above reference weren't published yet.

[Jinei]

Quote by: barts What's wrong with My Friend Flicka? Maybe the L and I in Flicka looked like a U. You know F LI C K A.

lol, I didn't see that. I haven't read some of the books on that list but I'm especially outraged at The Catcher In The Rye's inclusion. Wth? That's one of the greatest American works. No one should graduate without reading at least two of the asterisked books on the list.

Quote by: ??! Wow. Is this because of the excessive use of the N word? Does Palin know what historical context is?

That's probably why