Glenn Harlan Reynolds linked to a post at the law professors group blog known as The Volokh Conspiracy. Jim Lindgren, a law professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, wrote a post discussing a purported list of books that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska sought the banning of during her tenure as Mayor of Wasilla. One place this was posted was at Jessamyn West’s blog in a comments section as well as on a USENET group known as alt.gossip.celebrities.
Lindgren raised a serious question about the list by noting timings. At the time of the inquiries by Palin, none of the Harry Potter books listed had yet been printed in the United States let alone the United Kingdom. Jessamyn’s original post has been updated to note that there is no supporting documentation for the list at all thus produced. One possible source for the list’s origins can be found at one library’s page on its Banned Books display. The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom refers to the Harry Potter books collectively as a series as seen here.
Unless there is a TARDIS involved, something may be amiss with this.
Fabrication
Palin must be a really good candidate for the left to feel the need to fabricate things to make her look bad.
Yes indeed
There is no list of books, nor could there be a list of books because Governor Palin when Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska never asked for any books to be removed from the library, nor has she ever asked from any book to be removed from any library.
To address some of the other posts at West’s site, the Mayor did not try to fire the librarian, the Mayor requested resignations from the previous administration’s appointed department heads – a group which included the librarian.
If asking for resignations when setting up a new administration prehaps someone should ask Gavin Newsome the Democrat from San Francisco, the new Democratic mayor of Fall River, Mass and the Democratic mayor of Pittsburgh why they recently did the same thing.
Governor Palin banned no books; Governor Palin did not single out a librarian and fire her. They are simply lies.
But she tried
According to the Boston Herald report, Palin did send a letter stating that she was going to fire the librarian. Public support kept her from doing so. So she would have fired her if the community hadn’t stepped in. Technically you’re correct, however the intent and willingness to do so was definitely there.
Simply breathtaking
What can I say? Do we know fully the sins and/or evil that lurks in the hearts of human beings? No, no we do not. We cannot. None of us here are omnipotent.
Everybody screws stuff up. Just as much as John McCain or Sarah Palin might have so have I. This is called being imperfect human beings. No perfect human being has walked the earth in roughly two thousand years.
Frankly, this is presumably why we even have an ALA Washington Office. There will not likely be any sort of great cataclysm if Governor Palin becomes Vice President. Now, if that happens, a well-planned lobbying effort might actually do some good. It is not enough for librarians to know why book banning is bad if none of the laity understand. This is what lobbyists are supposed to be there for after all.
While we can preach to our own choir, are we actually preaching this to the masses?
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Stephen Michael Kellat, Host, LISTen
PGP KeyID: 899C131F
Not just the libraian
Palin requested the resignation of 5 top staffers when she set up her administrtion after being elected.
If this is an issue, why was Gavin Newsom not hung out to dry when he did it, or the Democrat mayor of Philadelphia, or any other executive who wants to bring in his own team.
This is commonplace, and an excellent way to start off a new administration on the right foot.
Volokh
Background information on Volokh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Volokh
Some books that Volokh has written:
First Amendment and Related Statutes: Problems, Cases and Policy Arguments (University Casebook)
Scholarly Writing for Law Students: Seminar Papers, Law Review Notes and Law Review Competition Papers (American Casebook Series)