Palin tries to ban books.

**Carôusoul** · 09-12-2008 08:14 PM

Nothing to say about this woman anymore. -_-

Originally Posted by Yahoo News

WASILLA, Alaska - The McCain campaign is defending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's much-criticized inquiry into banning books at her hometown library, saying her questions were only hypothetical.
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Shortly after taking office in 1996 as mayor of Wasilla, a city of about 7,000 people, Palin asked the city's head librarian about banning books. Later, the librarian was notified by Palin that she was being fired, although Palin backed off under pressure.

Palin's alleged attempt at book-banning has been a matter of intense interest since Republican presidential nominee John McCain named her as his running mate last month.

Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.

Records on the city's Web site, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.

Palin notified Emmons she would be fired in January 1997 because the mayor didn't feel she had the librarian's "full support." Emmons was reinstated the next day after public outcry, according to newspaper reports at the time.

Still, one longtime library staffer recalls that the run-in made everyone fear for their jobs.

"Mayor Palin gave us some terrible moments and some rather gut-wrenching moments, particularly when Mary Ellen said she was going to have to leave," said Cathy Petrie, who managed the children's collection at the time.

Recent outrage has been fueled by Wasilla housewife Anne Kilkenny, whose 2,400-word critique of Palin's legacy as mayor is widely posted on the Internet. Kilkenny described Palin's actions as "out-and-out censorship."

But the McCain campaign, in a statement, said the charge "is categorically false ... Governor Sarah Palin has never asked anyone to ban a book, period."

Emmons, a former Alaska Library Association president who now goes by Mary Ellen Baker, did not return calls seeking comment.

According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper, Emmons did not mince words when Palin asked her "how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library" on Oct. 28, 1996, in a week when the mayor had asked department heads for letters of resignation.

"She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup'," Emmons told a reporter. "And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union would get involved, too."

The Rev. Howard Bess, a liberal Christian preacher in the nearby town of Palmer, said the church Palin and her family attended until 2002, the Wasilla Assembly of God, was pushing to remove his book from local bookstores.

Emmons told him that year that several copies of "Pastor I Am Gay" had disappeared from the library shelves, Bess said.

"Sarah brought pressure on the library about things she didn't like," Bess said. "To believe that my book was not targeted in this is a joke."

Other locals said the dust-up had been blown out of proportion.

"That was many years ago and Sarah never had any intention to ban books," said David Chappel, who served as Palin's deputy mayor for three years. "There were some vocal people in the minority, and it looks like they're still out there."

Jim Rettig, a University of Richmond librarian who heads the Chicago-based American Library Association, suggested that lingering quarrel raises issues that are still relevant as librarians prepare to celebrate Banned Books Week later this month.

"Librarians are very committed to the principles of the First Amendment of the Constitution and that means we don't allow one individual or a group of people to dictate what people can or cannot read," he said. "Most librarians if they got that sort of a question would be curious as to what the intent of the questioner was."

**nitsuJ** · 09-12-2008 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by Omicron

Nothing to say about this woman anymore. -_-

The critique it speaks of by Anne Kilkenny is here.

Just a little peice of what you'll see.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop.

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

And just for a LOL.

She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming.

And one more jab.

•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents

**ninja9578** · 09-12-2008 11:40 PM

Intolerance and ignorance at its best!

**Brainchild** · 09-12-2008 11:53 PM

I'm just waiting for the lid to fly off of this Trig controversy. They can cry all day that it is not relevant but when you look into the Palins' lives over the past year and a half, you can't help but wonder what they're hiding.

**nitsuJ** · 09-13-2008 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by Brainchild

I'm just waiting for the lid to fly off of this Trig controversy. They can cry all day that it is not relevant but when you look into the Palins' lives over the past year and a half, you can't help but wonder what they're hiding.

I could see her strong stance on abstinence if it turns out Trig is actually her daughter's and she's ready to pop another out.

**StonedApe** · 09-13-2008 12:26 AM

Wow, the republicans really don't want to win this election. Anyone who tries to ban books should be barred from any position of leadership for life.

**Schmaven** · 09-13-2008 01:01 AM

If you're up for a good laugh, read the opposing views by frost and king.

**ninja9578** · 09-13-2008 02:39 AM

I just thought of this. Anyone else ever read Fahrenheit 451?

**Xox** · 09-13-2008 02:56 AM

UGH

I want to go to France ;_;

**Kushna Mufeed** · 09-13-2008 03:20 AM

I'd rather leave the planet.

I'm supreme commander, dictator and tyrant for life of Mars! Called it!

No call backs.

**Xox** · 09-13-2008 03:44 AM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

I'd rather leave the planet.

I'm supreme commander, dictator and tyrant for life of Mars! Called it!

No call backs.

Hey, I wouldn't mind that nearly as much as I mind Palin! 8D

**Half/Dreaming** · 09-13-2008 04:26 AM

You know, a lot of you disapprove of people who are not tolerant of other people's opinions. Before you judge other people on their tolerance, you need to ask yourself is you are tolerant.

I know that some of you are completely intolerant of conservatives, so don't expect conservatives to be tolerant of you.

**Schmaven** · 09-13-2008 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

You know, a lot of you disapprove of people who are not tolerant of other people's opinions. Before you judge other people on their tolerance, you need to ask yourself is you are tolerant.

I know that some of you are completely intolerant of conservatives, so don't expect conservatives to be tolerant of you.

What defines someone as a conservative?

**Sisyphus50** · 09-13-2008 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

I know that some of you are completely intolerant of conservatives, so don't expect conservatives to be tolerant of you.

Should it be a hallmark of integrity to be tolerant of censoring, racist, homophobic bigots?

I'm not implying that all conservatives are - but she definitely is.

**Bearsy** · 09-13-2008 06:10 AM

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

You know, a lot of you disapprove of people who are not tolerant of other people's opinions. Before you judge other people on their tolerance, you need to ask yourself is you are tolerant.

I know that some of you are completely intolerant of conservatives, so don't expect conservatives to be tolerant of you.

I know we have had our disagreements H/D, but you've got to admit that there's a marked difference between being a conservative and being a proponent of censorship. And you being a libertarian I thought you'd agree that that is a heinous act. Censorship is an appalling form of social control.

If someone doesn't want their kids reading a book they should tell their child not to read it, not force everyone to miss out on a potentially amazing book because there's a swear word or a hint of premarital sex or something considered "offensive".

Censorship offends me, should we then ban censorship because it causes me offense?

**♥Mark** · 09-13-2008 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

I'd rather leave the planet.

I'm supreme commander, dictator and tyrant for life of Mars! Called it!

No call backs.

And Mars will be yours. That is, until it becomes profitable to travel there.

**Schmaven** · 09-13-2008 06:31 AM

Earlier today I was taking a shit, and noticed a newspaper article on the toilet paper dispenser next to me. It had an article about how McCain picked Palin solely to try to win the election. That makes me question why he wants to be president so badly.

I think our entire political system is fundamentally flawed. We have too many politicians. And many of the politicians no longer represent the people. Once someone makes the career politician move, they are basically removing themselves from the reality of the world they're trying to run. I see nothing wrong with normal random people being elected into office, in fact, I think we'd be better off.

Originally Posted by Elis D.

Censorship offends me, should we then ban censorship because it causes me offense?

Yes, we should. I too am offended by censorship. It's not society's responsibility to raise children, it's the parents'. Someone pro-censorship may argue that offensive stuff is everywhere and is too easily accessible. But one man's trash is another man's treasure, what someone finds morally repulsive, another may enjoy greatly. Censorship is always bad. I think that only lazy parents need things censored, to do their job for them.

Also, I find legal age restrictions for many things to be just plain silly. In a way, that is a form of censorship as well. It is censoring people from certain activities, because the earth has not gone around the sun enough times yet. Bullshit if you ask me.

**Jeff777** · 09-13-2008 08:32 AM

Palin is trying to ban books? That bush doctrine ignorant bitch.

**tkdyo** · 09-13-2008 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by Xox

UGH

I want to go to France ;_;

UGH, France? At least go somewhere sweet like Switzerland or Ireland.

edit: oops, forgot my on topic post. Well, people like to exaggerate things always in polotics, but if she tried to ban even one its no surprise to me, remember the Harry Potter scare?

**Half/Dreaming** · 09-13-2008 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Elis D.

I know we have had our disagreements H/D, but you've got to admit that there's a marked difference between being a conservative and being a proponent of censorship. And you being a libertarian I thought you'd agree that that is a heinous act. Censorship is an appalling form of social control.

If someone doesn't want their kids reading a book they should tell their child not to read it, not force everyone to miss out on a potentially amazing book because there's a swear word or a hint of premarital sex or something considered "offensive".

Censorship offends me, should we then ban censorship because it causes me offense?

I do agree with you on this subject. But at the expense of this little stupid internet image I have, I had to bring up the point of tolerance. Mostly becuase of ninja's post earlier in this thread. I believe he said "Intolerance and ignorance at its best", which is ironic because ninja is one of the most intolerant and ignorant people I have ever met.....on the internet.

**Xox** · 09-13-2008 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by tkdyo

UGH, France? At least go somewhere sweet like Switzerland or Ireland.

edit: oops, forgot my on topic post. Well, people like to exaggerate things always in polotics, but if she tried to ban even one its no surprise to me, remember the Harry Potter scare?

u - u

What's wrong with France?

**nitsuJ** · 09-13-2008 10:41 PM

Fuck moving from the country, I'll go kick it with my homies in the sewer.

**Original Poster** · 09-13-2008 11:58 PM

I'd go to Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Holland or Finland if I went to Europe.

But I wouldn't go to Europe.

**Xaqaria** · 09-14-2008 12:55 AM

Originally Posted by Xox

u - u

What's wrong with France?

Their women are too sexy.

Originally Posted by Half/Dreaming

I do agree with you on this subject. But at the expense of this little stupid internet image I have, I had to bring up the point of tolerance. Mostly becuase of ninja's post earlier in this thread. I believe he said "Intolerance and ignorance at its best", which is ironic because ninja is one of the most intolerant and ignorant people I have ever met.....on the internet.

Do you realize what you sound like? You make a point to argue against everyone in the thread despite that fact that you admittedly agree with them. This is intolerance. You can not find in yourself the ability to tolerate someone who you have had disagreed with in the past even when you actually agree with what they are saying. Do you see how ridiculous that is?