Here's the story about Palin's book-banning try as mayor »
Posted By Wil 1 year, 3 months ago in NewsBack in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so.
According to news coverage at the time, the librarian said she would definitely not be all right with it. A few months later, the librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, got a letter from Palin telling her she was going to be fired. The censorship issue was not mentioned as a reason for the firing. The letter just said the new mayor felt Emmons didn't fully support her and had to go.
Emmons had been city librarian for seven years and was well liked. After a wave of public support for her, Palin relented and let Emmons keep her job.
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Wil
I was a Propeller Scout, and I ran the Geeks Group. AOL sent me to the land of Wind and Ghosts, though, so I don ...
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Trey1 year, 3 months ago
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UnusualSuspect1 year, 3 months ago
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Ok...she's conservative. But ban books, books that are OK'd by the Alaskan Library Association? Why do that? What was she afraid of? Her children reading these books? If so, all Palin had to do was restrict what her children read, if that was her concern.
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And then to send out resignation letters as a test of loyalty? This Palin is shaping up to be quite a piece of work.
Hopefully more people will read about this experience, and learn a lot about this governor from Alaska. The more they learn, the less likely she'll end up being a VP... -
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ClockworkorangeComment removed: Abusive2 Replies
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mntnman444Comment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned6 Replies
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Fedquip1 year, 3 months ago
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fta: Four days before the exchange at the City Council, Emmons got a letter from Palin asking for her resignation. Similar letters went to police chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton and finance director Duane Dvorak. John Cooper, a fifth director, resigned after Palin eliminated his job overseeing the city museum.
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Candida1 year, 2 months ago
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This is funny. I've copied the same section from the article,but now I don't have to post it. I just want to add one more line:
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"Palin told the Anchorage Daily News then that the letters were just a test of loyalty"
Asking for someone's resignation as a test of loyalty???? Loyal librarians and public works directors? Politicized public servants in a town of 5,000? That town must be on the other side of the looking glass.
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AbuAmirahComment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned
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TimALoftis1 year, 3 months ago
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This is the kind of thing that the McCain supporters should be very worried about. I still contend that Gov.Palin did not get the kind of vetting from the McCain camp as she should have. Once they saw a possible opportunity to go after the Clinton voters they fell in love with Palin and perhaps a little to quick
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Censoring Books? That is something I have strong views on.-
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chuck-the-canuck1 year, 3 months ago
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“This is the kind of thing that the McCain supporters should be very worried about.”
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Isn’t it completely obvious to everyone by now, that the republicans are completely delusional? McCain could have selected a blow up sheep to be his running mate and the party faithful would be crowing its praises.
Do you want to know what worries me?
The idea that very large numbers of people are completely delusional.
The idea that a significant number of these delusional people hold the reigns of power.
The idea that a significant number of these delusional people believe that their particular delusion is the correct delusion and they are willing to kill you to make their point. -
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PainGoddess1 year, 3 months ago
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Nobody has the right to ban books. The citizen has the right to pick or not pick what they read. Freedom of speech covers all forms of print even if it is distasteful or considered "sinful." It is all about the abuse of position and power.
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AbuAmirahComment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned
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miklkit1 year, 2 months ago
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Palin herself, questioned at the time, called her inquiries rhetorical and simply part of a policy discussion with a department head "about understanding and following administration agendas," according to the Frontiersman article.
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Ok. So just what is this fundies agenda? Banning books is un -American.-
doggammitComment removed: Retracted by user
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Tcaros1 year, 2 months ago
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Thanks for the post. I knew Palin's views were exteme and out of the mainstream.
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People need to "get rid" of folks like Palin at election time. In PA we successfully booted the kook Republican Rick Santorum. This guy ****** off so many people with his hypocritical purported religious values. -
ClockworkorangeComment removed: Abusive4 Replies
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Jimjn21 year, 2 months ago
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This lets find people that don't like Sarah Palin (or don't know anything about the real her) and then we can make believe we are being 100% truthful or are non-biased reporters doing a serious article reporting "real" news is already failing.
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As time goes on and we learn more of the "real truth and full story" of Sarah Pailn, the less innuendo, half truths, negative spin and one sided views work. -
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not2needy1 year, 2 months ago
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Per the article, since Emmons didn't support Palin's desire to censor, she was asked to resign. She also asked Emmons for her resignation basically because she had supported Stein, the former Mayor, and it was a test of loyalty. Put nicely, that's was a complete abuse of power.
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FTA: Emmons got a letter from Palin asking for her resignation. Similar letters went to police chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton and finance director Duane Dvorak. John Cooper, a fifth director, resigned after Palin eliminated his job overseeing the city museum.)) Yet more abuse of power.
Do we really want anyone who is so capable of abusing the postition of VP after having been subjected to the likes of **** Cheney? In all honesty, i think Sarah Palin has all the potential of being worse than Cheney, and may take over.. She pretty much did at the RNC, and it wouldn't take much to push old McCain into the background and let her have her way.
Is that a finger you would want on the most important buttons in the United States? NO! -
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benighse1 year, 2 months ago
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Palin must have also banned the MATH book that shows August 29, 1988 to April 20, 1989 is 7 months 22 days for her first born----My Dad always said the first one can come anytime but the second takes at least NINE MONTHS---She certainly proves he was right! No problem with this LIFE HAPPENS event, but don't be so Hypocritical in calling for ABSTINENCE ONLY when you didn't follow it YOURSELF!!!
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LchangComment removed: Spammer
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not2needy1 year, 2 months ago
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Will all Americans be tested for our loyalty to Sarah Palin if she becomes our VP? What if we fail the test, will our Social Security be cut off, will we be fired from our jobs, will she demand our heads on a platter? She's a scary b.
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david_nwpa1 year, 2 months ago
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Consider a number of people were subjected to a variety of loyalty tests in Nazi Germany. Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels wanted to prove that certain people within the party were truly loyal to der Fuehrer. We do NOT need this kind of leadership in Washington.
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Sarah Palin is the governor of a state in which reindeer outnumber people. She was angered by the Bush administration's decision to put the polar bear on the endangered species list. Meanwhile, she is willing to put literature on a sort of endangered species list. Why stop at banning books? Why not burn them? Sounds like the Nazi party to me.
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Poulenc1 year, 2 months ago
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The right-wing mindset resists diversity.
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That's because it requires CERTAINTY--as in moral absolutism. Differing viewpoints can thus cause conflict , even fear among those for whom things must be right or wrong, good or bad, pure or impure, godly or not, etc..
Books are thus dangerous to the degree that they espouse viewpoints contrary to one's "convictions," and/or or use language that might threaten (rigid) ideas about sexual morality.
Ergo, the need to ban books.
The irony is of course that life has a way of messing up the best laid authoritarian plans. I'm talking about Bristol Palin's pregnancy.
How quickly, though, one can do a bit of mental jujitsu to accommodate this moral "lapse" that, if written about in a book, especially one aimed at teenagers, might otherwise "demand" censorship.-
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jcmcamis1 year, 2 months ago
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Congratulations Poulenc, you capture the prize for the most convoluted rhetoric on this thread. There is absolutely no way you can prove any of what you wrote. The fact of the matter is that you can find entrenched minds on both sides of the isle. Personally, I have gotten more "talk to the hand" responses from the left than from the right. It's also been documented that the right is far more liberal with it's contributions to charity, even though the left overtook them in sheer numbers of the rich.
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Why don't you try being honest and forthright, instead of being clever and cute. People are people, prone to taking the path of least resistance. Corruption exists in the hearts of men and women on both sides of the political spectrum. It's disingenuous to try and portray a particular political leaning with a moral fault. That's called bigotry.
As for Gov. Palin, the unabashed attacks from the left are cynical and inappropriate. I find it interesting that questioning the value of a book rates better than questionable associations when it comes to vetting the backgrounds of certain politicians. I for one have big questions about past and current associates of Sen. Obama. None of which is being talked about in the press. Biased? You decide.
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