Seriously. Some of the things she has done or is on record for saying are jaw droppingly absurd. Like the book banning thing. What are we, a petty dictatorship now, that we have to restrict information in such an extreme way? We've fallen so far that we can no longer promote our beliefs with evidence and discourse and let them stand or fall on their own merit? We now have to suppress all knowledge of the opposition too? What the fuck has happened to this country?
When I found out Palin was for banning books, I didn't need to hear any more. Do I agree with anything else she stands for ... no, but banning books speaks to the very core of our freedoms here in America. The founding fathers would be shocked to see the state of this country. (Another one that got me was that Iraq war was a task from God. Wtf?)
Unfortunately, the book banning thing is rampant. Petty soccer (and hockey) moms all over the country with nothing better to do than ban books from the local library make me insane.
I have been a member of the American Library Association almost all my life and am an avid supporter of the freedom to read JD Salinger or Judy Blume or whatever the hell you want to read.
I read Elessa's entry when she posted it, and noticed that neither linked article at the end really talks about the letter, it just appears in the comments. If that letter were legitimate, I have to imagine there are enough Obama supporters/surrogates to have vetted it, identified the author and used it in a major news story by now. At this point, it's just an un-sourced comment-post.
It was run in the Anchorage Daily News. It is basically an op-ed, but Anne Kilkenney has admitted to writing it and is being pursued by national media (naturally) for interviews because of it. I don't know whether the information in the letter is factual, but the letter itself is genuine.
I don't think any of us ever said she banned books. She did discuss it with the librarian though, and thats bad enough to raise huge flashing neon warning signs for me. She also later asked the librarian to resign, though its not clear whether that was in response to her objection to the concept of banning books or a "loyalty test" as Palin claims. I imagine someone will arrange an interview with her eventually and find out.
The loyalty test thing was weird. Fact Check mentioned that, too, as Palin's story. I think they also said the librarian was hired back a day later, but still... asking your librarian how they'd respond if you asked them to ban a book is weird.
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Unfortunately, the book banning thing is rampant. Petty soccer (and hockey) moms all over the country with nothing better to do than ban books from the local library make me insane.
I have been a member of the American Library Association almost all my life and am an avid supporter of the freedom to read JD Salinger or Judy Blume or whatever the hell you want to read.
~steps off soapbox
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http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
(reportedly they're non-partisan, but who can tell these days.)
The short version: she never banned any books.
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http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp
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