Sarah Palin’s Banned Book List
September 5, 2008
I’m no fan of Sarah Palin, but I’ve received numerous messages this morning purporting to contain a list of books Palin attempted to have banned from the Wasilla city library when she was elected mayor. This is clearly a myth.
First, this list has been circulating, in various incarnations, for ages and is just one of many lists of commonly banned books. Simple googling reviewed the most likely source.
Second, and most obvious even to the non-Internet user, some of these books weren’t yet published when Palin was elected mayor and inquired about the process for banning books (essentially firing and subsequently bowing to public pressure and relenting) the popular city librarian.
The list in question, one of books commonly objected to by Christian activist groups, might well represent books Palin would like to have banned… and it wouldn’t surprise me if she had used such a list when inquiring about banning books. But there is no evidence that she did so, nor any evidence that she ever actually banned a book.
I’m glad to see attention being paid to the scourge of book bannings (and don’t forget Banned Books Week at the end of this month), but it’s being overplayed here. Innocent until proven guilty. There are, however, plenty of other well-sourced facts about Palin demonstrating that she is a professionally unsuitable and personally and morally objectionable candidate…
Tags:
banned books, books, censorship, politics, sarah palin
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September 5th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Interesting stuff. I’d heard that rumor on the web and was taken aback, but then decided it may well be simply the same sort of quite inventive rumor-milling that we saw the first weekend after Palin was announced as McCain’s running mate. I will say, however, that I didn’t find much to object to on the Salon list, but then again I’m definitely a conservative.
September 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Beside my philosophical objections (I’m decidedly not a conservative
, I could go on and on with her lies, misrepresentations, and half-truths… but it seems pointless. She’s a politician and I don’t particularly like any of the choices!
September 6th, 2008 at 9:54 am
That the (self-styled) Pit-Bull-Bitch-With-Lipstick even inquired about banning books says all that needs to be said on that subject.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Though we would likely disagree on a lot politically (perhaps not so much philosophically), I agree that the misrepresentations and half-truths are most unbecoming, albeit apparently the standard for politicians nowadays. When I heard her acceptance speech in Ohio I was enthused. Now, after reading both sides of the stories, not so much. While some in the media and some on the left have gone to great lengths to besmirch Palin–particularly that first weekend–in retrospect there are still numerous other legitimate criticisms (some of which you cited in your latest post) that hit us conservative folks pretty close to home.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I’m less frustrated by Palin than I am the media that swing from unfairness to unfairness. At this particular point, when it comes to the campaigns, the idea that there is a liberal media is laughable. If I hear one more misrepresentation of the “lipstick on a pig” comment I may well go postal.
It doesn’t help that we in Alaska have been subjected to Palin for a bit longer. Palin’s success is primarily attributable to little that she has done (because she has done very little, though lately she has rolled out some exceptional lies) but a) to the disaster that preceded her– if the election year were later, Larry Craig could have come up here and won– and b) the currying of favor by our amazingly influential congressional representatives (Ted Stevens and Don Young) who she endorsed and was endorsed by until she was elected and no longer needed them and could suddenly become a “reformer” and denounce them (but that’s all, no material moves that could hurt her). It takes some awful flub by the Republican candidate close to the general election to give a Democrat any chance of winning in this state.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Chris..I would like to add that not all Alaskan’s have the same feelings that you do! As far as I am concerned Sarah Palin has done a lot for this state and it’s people. I bet you never turned down the rebate dividend that she got for each of us for high energy costs did you? It’s time people start realizing that nobody in this world or life is perfect and the way people pick her apart like vultures tells me that the character of the people that do is not all that hot either!! Especially the media! As far as Ted Stevens and Don Young my guess is they were doing some things that they should not have been doing along with how many other people in Congress. Sarah Palin is one who is not afraid to look somebody like that in the eye and let them know it’s over! I happen to think we will see a lot more of that in Congress when she gets in.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 am
sarah palin wants to ban books. nobody should want her as a vp that wants to prevent people from reading. that is just bad. she i possibly the worst politician ever. no more banned books.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
Carol- did you give back any money that you received as an Alaskan when Knowles was Governor? Didn’t think so. And remember that Palin was firmly in Stevens’ and Young’s camp before she was against him. More of her hypocrisy, along with “thanks, but no thanks” and other lies and half-truths.
It’s obvious that all Alaskans don’t feel the same way, isn’t it?
And note that I’m giving her a pretty strong benefit of the doubt here– surely more than Palin would give those who disagree with her– by saying that we can’t *know* she wanted to ban books based only on her requests for information on how to do so. I can’t think of many other credible reasons, but that’s fair.