Thanks to auntiezel fior putting me onto this.
In any modern political campaign, candidates have to expect that every single skeleton in their closets is going to be taken out and given a good shake. This is especially true of the vice presidency; anyone who aspires that high should be prepared to have all their secrets revealed.
Thus do we come to something from Sarah Palin’s past, something that I’m sure she’s not ashamed of and that wouldn’t hurt her with Republican voters, but at which I for one am appalled.
Sarah Palin tried to ban books from the public library.
This may not seem like much to you, but it’s a big deal to me. Banning books is downright un-American and this small part of her past is enough to disqualify her from high office. In my book, anyway.
In an article in Time magazine, the previous mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, John Stein, is quoted thus:
"Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. ‘She asked the library how she could go about banning books,’ he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. ‘The librarian was aghast.’ That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving ‘full support’ to the mayor." (Read the full article here.)
I’d love to provide a list of the books she allegedly wanted banned, but there doesn’t seem to be one. At least, not a real one; a list was published on librarian.net, but it appears to be bogus; not only does it include books that hadn’t even been published at the time, but as one commentator on another site pointed out "...that's a list of every book ever banned in the U.S" (his italics)
I was, however, able to find some confirmation of the Time story in an article in the Anchorage Daily News. (Read the whole article.) In it, it says: "Back in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so." The article goes on to document Sarah Palin’s attempt (and failure, due to the public response) to have the librarian fired.
As I said, I find banning books to be un-American. If Sarah Palin tried to have books banned, then she is un-American; too un-American for me to consider her for the job of Vice President. But notice I said "if." Since I was unable to find a true list of the books involved, if indeed such a list exists, I can’t say whether or not there were any "extenuating circumstances" in this case; certainly, there would be a vast difference between banning, say, The Anarchist’s Cookbook and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But without such details I have to judge the story on what we actually know: that Sarah Palin wanted to ban books.
Bad, bad Sarah.
The Blues Viking
The opinions here expressed are mine and if you don’t like them you can get your own damn blog.
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3 comments:
A bit of clarification...
In my post "Sarah Palin vs. the Librarian" I said something that, I think, requires a bit of clarification. Wghat I said was:
"Since I was unable to find a true list of the books involved, if indeed such a list exists, I can’t say whether or not there were any "extenuating circumstances" in this case; certainly, there would be a vast difference between banning, say, The Anarchist’s Cookbook and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But without such details I have to judge the story on what we actually know: that Sarah Palin wanted to ban books.
I wasn't saying that I thought that some books are OK to ban and others aren't. I pulled both of those out of my memory.
The Anarchist's Cookbook, a "radical field manual" from the early 70's and still in print, is as notorious as the Harry Potter books are innocuous. One gives formulas and directiions for making modified handguns, illegal drugs, bombs and the like, while the other is a harmless fantasy about wizards and magical beings that the religiious right somehow finds dangerous.
But aside from the obvious diffenenves in content, there's a big difference in why someone might want each book banned; and trying to ban a bomb making guide is a different kettle of fish fromm trying to ban a children's fantasy because it's got elves in it.
What I did not say, and did not mean to imply, was that I would find either book an acceptable book for banning. I wouldn't. Banning books from a public library is unconscionable. But the fact is that I don't know if either of these books would have beden on Governor (then Mayor) Palin's list.
Again, one book was chosen by me for its notorius content and one for its utter lack of offensive material (unless, of course, you're a religious fanatic or scared of wands). I was not saying that I would be OK with banning either.
The Blues Viking
These thoughts are mine. Go get your own.
I own two copies of all of the Harry Potter books, both the British and the American editions. I also own a copy of the Anarchist's Cookbook. Ain't America grand.
I need to make a bit of a correctionn here.
It appears that claims regarding Sarah Palin trying to ban books are somewhat untrue; true enough, perhaps, but not entirely. Look at the links below for more information.
http://thebluesvikingonline.blogspot.com/2008/09/lighter-side-ofsarah-palin.html
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
The Blues Viking
These thoughts are mine. Get your own.
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