As mayor, Sarah Palin "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." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor.
--Nathan Thornburgh, Mayor Palin: A Rough Record
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A bang, not a whimper
Two months into L.'s retirement, and I'm finished with the stockpiling of books. No more book purchases! Or at least, no purcha...
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(See also Musee des Beaux Arts ) As far as mental anguish goes, the old painters were no fools. They understood how the mind, the freakiest ...
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When I finished Kevin Brockmeier's A Brief History of the Dead last spring I immediately did a search to see if the Coca-Cola Corp. had...
The news coming out on Gov. Palin just keeps getting better and better. If I didn't already have my reasons for not voting for her ticket, this would probably seal the deal.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I've never thought of myself as a one issue voter, but then, who'd have thought banning books would ever BE an issue.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying not too laugh too hard since she was chosen, though, because I'm afraid all that horrifies us about her will intensify the religious right's desire to get to the polls in November. Pre-Palin, they seemed an apathetic bunch.
What on earth?! She seems really SMRT.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she is smart. But I've got a lot of doubt that Sarah Palin has much judgement.
ReplyDeleteI can't decide whether this surprises me or not...
ReplyDeleteEek! This woman terrifies me. McCain terrifies me. All these republicans currently running around my beautiful Twin Cities terrify me. I can't wait until they leave!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. 100 years of war abroad, theocracy at home. If they get elected... nightmare.
ReplyDeleteIs it really more inappropriate, though, than a presidential candidate who has associated with a domestic terrorist who brags about bombing the capitol and regrets that he didn't do more?
ReplyDeleteFrankly, Obama scares the heck out of me. I wish he were the number two guy on the ticket.
Yes, it is more inappropriate to desire to ban books than it is to have served on a charity board with a distinguished professor of education who was a radical in his youth. There is not a doubt in my mind that serving on a charity board is a more worthy use of one's time than firing librarians because they don't appear as loyal to you as they should because they don't want to ban books. She's Monica Gooding squared.
ReplyDeleteMcCain scares ~me~, Sam. I rather liked him when he ran eight years ago, but as John Kerry said last week, Candidate McCain is a far cry from Senator McCain.
He was much more than a radical in his youth, I'm afraid. He has shown no remorse and still gloats about the bombing he did, only regretting that he stopped when he did. I'm not defending the library story about Palin because I do find that reprehensible. But if you're willing to give a domestic terrorist the benefit of the doubt, saying that he's matured past that, maybe we could do the same for Palin?
ReplyDeleteAyers isn't running for the highest office in the land.
ReplyDeleteI don't think when the nation is just beginning to know an unvetted candidate that we should be saying cut her some slack. Let Palin address these issues. Until she does, and convinces me she's telling the truth (she seems to be quite the liar, actually), I will continue to be appalled. (And I still won't agree with her ideology even then.)
Here's Ayers' response to the article that said he had "no regrets":
http://billayers.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/clarifying-the-facts-a-letter-to-the-new-york-times-9-15-2001/
Sorry, I don't see the equivalency of blowing up a federal facility (and putting lives in danger) and foolishly trying to ban a library book.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with much of Palin's ideology, myself, but what associating with Ayers says about Obama's ideology and judgment is damning, IMO.
I'm still trying to decide on my vote because I don't see anything that inspires much confidence in either party. It's the same old thing from both...promises with no real plan to make things happen. I'm hoping that changes before November.
How does one go about banning Sarah Palin?
ReplyDeleteBut who is saying they're equivalent?
ReplyDeleteHow far do we take this taint of association? Do you question the judgment of students who take Ayers' education classes, do you hold accountable fellow faculty members in the education department? How about the entire university? All the others on the charity board? Should any of their accomplishments now or later be diminished because they know William Ayers?
Obama said Ayers' actions while a Weatherman were detestable and that he deplored them. I see no reason not to believe that he is telling the truth.
But enought about all that--it's almost time for Banned Books Week. Was Sarah Palin just testing the librarian's personal loyalty to herself or did she have actual books in mind? I'd like to know.
I would also like to know which books Ms. Palin tried to ban. Would she have banned historical fiction about prophet's wives for example.
ReplyDeleteI get the impression that Palin was probably more intent on the librarian's loyalty to herself than anything else, which in a way is even worse, putting one person before the rights of others. Whether she'd have actually named some books for her to censor if Emmons hadn't responded so strongly, I don't know.
ReplyDelete