The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman has republished the BEST article we have about Palin’s conversations with Mary Ellen Baker (Emmonds) regarding censorship of library materials! Local reporting, at the time, including quotes from both Mary Ellen and Sarah Palin.
The Whole Article can be found here: Palin: Library Censorship Inquiries ‘Rhetorical’ by Paul Stuart.
Here are some interesting snippets. It is ALL interesting, and I hope that the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman doesn’t mind my liberal quoting:
WASILLA — In the wake of strong reactions from the city’s library director to inquiries about censorship, Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin on Monday was taking pains to explain her questions about censoring library material were “rhetorical.”
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Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons last week said Palin broached the subject with her on two occasions in October – once Palin was elected mayor Oct. 1 but before she took office on Oct. 14, and again in more detail on Monday, Oct. 28.
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Palin said Monday she had no particular books or other material in mind when she posed the questions to Emmons.
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But on Monday, Oct. 28, Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. This was during a weak when Palin was requesting resignations from all the city’s department heads as a way of expressing loyalty.
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Emmons said Palin asked her on Oct. 28 if she would object to censorship, even if people were circling the library in protest about a book.
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Palin called Emmons into her office Monday [12/14/1996] to discuss the censorship questions again.
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Emmons said the current Wasilla policy, which she described as written in more general terms than the borough’s, also worked procedurally in a book-challenge case last year. Emmons said then-council-woman Palin was distressed about the issue when it came up, indicating she was aware of the city’s book-challenge policy.
Emmons said in the conversations with now-Mayor Palin in October, she reminded her again that the city has a policy in place. “But it seamed clear to me that wasn’t really what she was talking about anyhow,” Emmons added. “I just hope it doesn’t come up again.”
Wow. It seems that Palin was VERY pre-occupied with censorship & the library challenge policy. I cannot believe that this was just Palin studying library policy. Palin questioned Emmonds Three Times, and seemed to force the issue. ‘What if people were picketing…’ ‘Could you live with books being censored…’
I would love to know what the meeting on 12/14/96 was like.
Mary-Ellen, if you’re reading, you seem like a very strong and proud librarian, standing up for the rights of ALL community members against censorship. I understand your present dilemma – If Palin isn’t elected Vice President of the United States of America, she is still in the powerful position of Governor of Alaska. I would imagine that for your well-being, and the well-being of your library and community, you would be very careful to speak out against her. Nevertheless, your aplomb and defense of ‘freedom to read’ presented in this article are laudable, and we appreciate the stand you took in 1996.
Finally : Thank you to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. I have been trying to access this article for days.
September 7, 2008 at 12:51 am
Sorry – I have read the article and I see absolutely nothing Sarah Palin did to warrant the charge of “censorship”. Did she ever actually prohibit a book from being available in the library? If so, what book? You are throwing around some serious allegations without any proof whatsoever. As a librarian, you should be ashamed of yourself.
September 7, 2008 at 2:25 am
I also don’t see a thing that suggests Palin wanted to censor. A manager inquiring about policies on potentially significant and controversial issues sounds appropriate to me, an almost retired library manager for the last 40 years. She didn’t say she wanted to censor anything in particular, and could just as well seeing how well prepared for some potential challenge that she’d heard about from constituents. If she knew that someone was going to go after “Heather has two mommies” or some other contentious book, she should be prepared. I know that when I came in as a library director one of the first things I asked about was collection and challenge policies. I also discussed such things with both staff and the person who would be above me during the interview.
September 7, 2008 at 5:18 am
“Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin’s first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. “They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her,” Ms. Kilkenny said.”
– NY Times, 9/2/08, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
September 7, 2008 at 11:17 am
Believe me, in Alaska, Palin’s taking time to meet again and again with Mary Ellen to press her on censorship issues is very, very weird. We have library directors who serve for DECADES and are among the most popular people in their communities from Barrow to Ketchikan. I know most of them. For Palin to try to force Mary Ellen out on day one and then to continue to harass her about theoretical issues of her job is even weirder and 100 plus people reminder the mayor of that and got Mary Ellen her job back. That would have been 5 percent of the entire population of Wasilla coming to Mary Ellen’s defense…no small number. Remember, no member of the public wanted a book reconsidered. It was all Palin and there are other eyewitnesses such as Ms. Kilkenny who said the same thing. I will try to find the link, but there is an excellent piece of reporting by the New York Times this past week about the political climate in Wasilla before Palin and people in the community say she took a friendly race for small town mayor that was previously just a popularity contest and introduced all her pet issues such as gun control, pro-life, etc. I have many friends and family in local Alaskan politics and that too is just weird and inappropriate. Mostly local candidates show up at a few Rotary meetings or the Chamber of Commerce and talk about how they run meetings or how they would get funding for pool repairs, or what they are going to do about dog poop on the sidewalk. No one, and I mean no one, in Alaska talks big moral or hot button issues in local office. The towns are too small for that. Remember, Wasilla had 5000 people when Palin was mayor…the size of some High Schools down south. We don’t talk religion or polarize the public in our tiny towns because we ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER.
September 7, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I am an Australian librarian, and am very interested in this issue. I believe our political system works quite differently to yours, and for that I am grateful, as elected officials do not have the ability to hire and fire public servants at will. I am glad that this issue is getting press and such good attention from librarians such as yourself, because what happens in the US does eventually seem to spread to other parts of the world. If the people of the States elect a team that includes a conservative who is in favour of censorship in libraries, then this kind of thinking may indeed spread to both countries that gain aid from your country, and those like mine who seek favour with your country. I am proud that librarians in the US stand up against these issues, and proud to be one of your number. Please keep up the good work, and I’m even considering buying a bumper sticker.
September 7, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Were any books banned? What books did Palin want banned? What direct evidence is there that the librarian was fired for not banning books? Where is this information? Does Kilkenny or Emmons know?
Kilkenny, a Democratic activist with an understandable dislike for someone who has succeeded in politics with the other party, is a central figure in this ‘controversy’. What she says, without apparent documentary evidence, should be taken with a grain of salt. People are basically taking what this politically motivated person said and slandering another person.
My question is that if Emmons was so professionally offended by Palin’s alleged attempt to ban books, fire her for not banning books, or whatever why did she keep working for the Mayor for 2 years? That fact says volumes if you can excuse the pun.
September 7, 2008 at 5:00 pm
To me I’m found it hard to choose on the side. Thats why I choose to be on the fence on this since have no clue where I stand on this or etc. To me rather be informed then ill informed. That goes for my future boyfriend, fiance, husband, kids as well.
September 7, 2008 at 8:47 pm
MariontheLibrarian: it’s a fine line between “rhetorical” banning and actual banning. Sorry, but the charge of censorship works pretty well in this context. No shame here.
MadJayhawk: why did she continue to work for the mayor for another two years? Why shouldn’t she continue to work in the job in which she believed, and was apparently successful as well. You don’t just throw up your hands and say “oh well” and move along. Librarianship is a real vocation and this shows she was dedicated to her job and her beliefs.
Jessica: what? what is the point of what you wrote?
September 7, 2008 at 9:01 pm
None of you have ever lived in small town Alaska. If you are a professional librarian, you have one, maybe two jobs available to you in school or public libraries…if there are even openings. If you quit your job or are fired, you have to MOVE. Mary Ellen had a home, a life, friends, and a career in Wasilla. She did not want to give them up without a fight. When the time came to go, she had to move hundreds of miles away to find a job. If you have a bad boss, you keep trying to find a way to work together and sometimes it just gets to be too hard. If I were to quit my job in my small town, it might be YEARS before another job in my field would be open in the same community. Again, many Alaskan librarians stay in the same town for DECADES. On my staff the three MLS librarians have almost sixty five years of experience working in our library when added together! Many of our library subs even wait YEARS to get on our library staff at any level. If you want to stay in Alaska, you would likely have to have to wait months or years for a position to open up the matches your qualifications. Who’s to say that Mary Ellen wasn’t looking for a way out of a bad situation and waiting for a job to open?
September 8, 2008 at 1:53 am
The fact that no particular books were singled out for censorship is irrelevant. That a mayor, governor or anyone else in a position of power, would attempt to bully a librarian into allowing for future censorship of unspecified materials is outrageous. Also, the argument that Palin was trying to prepare for future challenges doesn’t stand up. Anyone can organise a protest outside a library and you don’t just give into the demands of an angry crowd. Palin should have supported the staff working uner her, instead she fired them.
September 8, 2008 at 2:21 pm
This was the exact article I was looking for – one that states the real facts. I was a bit disappointed that the writer of this article does not know the difference between the day of the “week” and “weak” a typo in the article. Nonetheless, Sarah Palin is a scary neo-con. To think of her as President is outrageous. What’s wrong with all these people who are so smitten with her? She’s absouletly the wrong person for the job in so many ways and on so many levels. Wake up America and do your own research instead of letting Fox News tell you what and how to think. Look around on the internet for articles like this one and see who Sarah Palin really is. She is only against corruption if it doesn’t personally benefit her or her town or state.
September 8, 2008 at 3:23 pm
The list of books that was circulated over the weekend has now been found to be false. See Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp
September 8, 2008 at 5:46 pm
As a response to your comment on my page…
No, you look. I sat here and played around, trying to get you to think rationally about this. I tried to give you another avenue of retreat, allow you to rephrase your argument, try and sound balanced at least, but no, you refused.
You refused to look at one important fact, that this whole story is FAKE
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/06/the-bogus-sarah-palin-banned-books-list/
“The person who first spread the Palin smear is identified as “Andrew Aucoin,” a commenter on the blog of librarian Jessamyn West. West has done the right thing in keeping the bogus comment up and pointing out in her main post that “there appears to be no truth to the claim made by the commenter, and no further documentation or support for this has turned up.””
Get your facts straight before you come after me for bending the truth.
September 8, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I think the issue isn’t whether a specific book was banned – no evidence (yet) that any book was – but what can only be a “chilling effect” on the library and the librarian.
September 8, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I think it’s really important that Mary-Ellen receive a lot of support for saying anything about this. I am not a librarian but an academic, and I am shocked and dismayed at what was clearly a case of intimidation — barracuda style. I wish Mary-Ellen would come out and speak about it more in a national forum, assured that her guild (and other concerned citizens) will rally around her and protect her from retaliation and any threatening of her job. Mary-Ellen, if you are reading this, you are a brave brave woman and I commend you. This is what it truly means to be a great patriot. Good people must speak up or our country is sunk. In the darkest times of our nation, librarians have repeatedly stood against theocratic rule, censorship, and authoritarian intimidation. Is there anything else we can do to support Mary-Ellen and let her know how much we honor her for this act of courage? Can we make it safe for her to say more about this? If she did get fired for talking more in detail about what happened, is there a fund to help librarians who have taken a stand against censorship and been fired for it? And shouldn’t it be against the law to do something like fire a public servant who is defending books from being banned? If there were retaliation, I would think there would be a case for a suit. How might we best rally around Mary-Ellen and others like her so they are not afraid to speak the truth about unfair govt influence and intimidation?
September 8, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Pathetic… Sarah Keller, you need to ACTUALLY read what people write. This isn’t intimidation, but fact checking. There isn’t anything brave about attacking a public figure from afar with such fiction, no matter what you believe.
Also, do a little research…
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/06/the-bogus-sarah-palin-banned-books-list/
September 8, 2008 at 9:21 pm
clancop, the list is beside the point, its a distraction, as far as I can see you’re the only one talking about it here.
September 8, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Palin doesn’t believe in evolution, despite millions of books, articles, scientists and data supporting it. She is an ignorant extremist. We do NOT need her as VP
September 8, 2008 at 9:39 pm
This strikes me as a case of “recall bias.” The librarian remembers one facet of a conversation and harps on it while ignoring the other things that were discussed. I bet if we had a full transcript of their talk, you’d see that Palin probably asked about other procedures, such as “What if a staff member acts inappropriately?” and “How are you handling disabled patrons?”
The fact that no books were banned or even attempted to be banned shows Palin’s intent was information collection and not to actually ban things.
And let’s not forget that Palin has political enemies in Wasilla, so the word of others in this matter is not a reliable source due to bias.
September 8, 2008 at 9:41 pm
clancop… you have pretty much run the gauntlet with your aggressively narrow point of view here and other blogs. there seems to be a movement to simply ignore you. i would suggest to everyone here to do the same.
September 8, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Furthermore, her “executive experience” consists of work in the PTA, a mayor position of a town of a couple thousand people, and a 2 year stint as govenor of a state with less people than most large cities. During her tenure she earmarked $27 million for a town of about 6000. Fiscal conservative? NO! Conservative extremist? YES!
September 8, 2008 at 9:43 pm
John–then you are guilty of the same thing. there is no record of a “transcript” with other contextual questions. it is fine to remain neutral till facts are known–but you are creating your own version of events, which you tried to denounce.
September 8, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Shane and others who don’t think she listed “specific books to ban” Here you go:
Apparently, Palin went to the library and made inquiries about the procedure for banning certain books, claiming that some voters thought they had “inappropriate language” in them.
“The librarian was aghast,” claims the article. The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn’t be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving “full support” to the mayor.
A contributor to http://www.librarian.net/ (scan the comments to the announcement of the TIME story) names the books Palin tried to ban from the library.
The list includes:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
Confession, by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman
Little Red Riding Hood, by the Grimm Brothers
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Lysistrata, by Aristophanes
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Pigman, by Paul Zindel
Plus:
Anything by Stephen King, everything by J.K. Rowling, just about everything by Roald Dahl, both of Mark Twain’s major works, most of Judy Blume, most of William Shakespeare, and (this is truly mind-boggling) Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff.
Mary Ellen Baker resigned from her library director’s job in 1999.
September 9, 2008 at 1:01 am
This neutral political site discusses this topic:
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
I work in a library, though I am not a librarian at this point. Personally, this doesn’t bother me so much because nothing was actually banned. I would be more concerned if she was one of those mayors/governors who claimed that the library wasn’t important, wanted to close the library, cut library funding significantly, or something similar. There are some important government officials who have said or done all of the above things with regard to library systems – big and small – around the country. That would worry me a lot more. Just my two cents.
September 9, 2008 at 2:40 am
JM: Yeah, I guess just TRYING to get rid of literary classics and attempting censorship isn’t tooo bad. (Sarcasm) Do you really want this monster in office?
September 9, 2008 at 3:02 am
Even though Palin was not successful at banning books (thanks to Mary Ellen’s quick and emphatic response that she was not “okay” with it), I respectfully think there is cause for concern in terms of what has been related. I don’t think this is something to be swept under the rug. Back in the McCarthy era, librarians were accused of being Communists if they purchased certain books or even allowed certain books to be checked out of the library. Many lost their jobs or were threatened with termination if they did not comply with the lists they were given of suspect books that were to be eliminated. Some librarians actually allowed books to be burned because they were under extreme government pressure to “prove” that they were not Communists. So, if there was any sort of intimidation and Mary Ellen was threatened with termination, this is a very serious thing. It goes beyond cutting library funds that J.M. spoke of above. Forbidding access to certain kinds of thought and information is a powerful form of cultural control and is characteristic of totalitarian regimes. Only four and a half months after coming into power, Hitler sponsored a book burning of 20,000 books. The only form of thought permitted was the form of thought that the Reich sanctioned. Obviously, that is an extreme example, but book burnings and book bannings have certainly taken place in our country and in our times. Such steps toward totalitarian repression of free speech (and this includes print) are frequently incremental and seemingly harmless until they aren’t. This was definitely not a “non-issue” in the town and there were those who have written about their efforts to stand up for Mary Ellen so she would not be fired. In the light of this movement to defend Mary Ellen’s job which was at the time in jeopardy, it seems there was some sort of intimidation. I think it’s important that librarians be supported when they stand up for our rights and protect our access to information. In effect, they are our first line of defense against the encroachment of censorship and the assertion of cultural controls on public thought. As an educator, I am incredibly thankful for the vital role that heroic librarians have played in our society. I hope Mary Ellen feels that she can come forth and speak more about this in a wider forum. This is an incredibly important civic conversation for us as a nation to be having.
September 9, 2008 at 3:13 am
I thought it had been established that the list had nothing to do with Palin. The website you quoted (librarian.net) even points out that there is no evidence to connect the list with her. What would worry me is the evidence that she tried unfairly to manipulate or push people from their jobs for selfish reasons. That is an issue that should be of concern not just to librarians and police officers but to anyone who might have cause to do business with her (as goveror, VP or whatever else).
September 9, 2008 at 3:42 am
antineocons – I’m sorry, Palin is a monster? I prefer using that term for people who are true monsters, like people who molest children, commit heinous crimes, murder people… I would hardly call Palin a monster. That’s all I have to say – I will leave all of you alone.
September 9, 2008 at 7:44 am
Wasilla has a process in place for book challenges. It’s been the same for years. There was no reason for Palin to ask multiple times about book controversy when there is clearly a procedure in the town’s laws for dealing with such issues. (If you’re interested, the details are on the Wasilla government website.)
J.M., I think anyone who is opposed to the first amendment is a monster, at least in the context of where we live–America–and the values that we COLLECTIVELY hold, whether “conservative,” “liberal,” “red state,” “blue state,” or whathaveyou. I think this issue is an extremely important one, as being part of the FIRST of the Bill of Rights. There is nothing more significant to our nation’s doctrine than the freedom of ideas.
Here is my question. Why exactly did Palin write a letter of termination to this librarian? What possible reason could she have had for firing a LIBRARIAN? Sleeping on the job? Missing work? What? I don’t see a lot of small town mayors firing their city librarians. It’s extremely odd. Librarian’s aren’t political. They don’t have agendas.
Until Palin actually faces a real interviewer and answers these questions, I don’t see any way to logically connect the facts of the events that we know except for one. 1) Palin is elected mayor; asks librarian how she feels about censoring books. 2) Palin becomes mayor; terminates everyone who supported her precedessor. Asks librarian again about censoring books. 3) Palin attends library staff meeting. 4) Palin writes letter of termination to librarian.
It sounds an awful lot to me like Palin wanted to have future control over what books were kept/accepted into the library, and when the librarian didn’t kowtow to her, she fired her (or tried to). I just don’t see a lot of other explanations for firing a long-serving librarian.
But again, until she’s willing to actually be interviewed, we won’t know.
September 9, 2008 at 11:01 am
Thank you for creating this blog where we can sort truth from disinformation (the bogus e-mail list of books). I notice that FactCheck.org has chosen to dismiss the issue as a routine mayoral policy review of city departments. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html. Scroll to the discussion notes below the “Summary,” to the “Analysis” and read the section entitled “No Book Burner,” five paragraphs of rationalization for Palin’s behavior. In short, they find no alarm in Palin’s repeated probing regarding the librarian’s commitment to the censorship policy. The “researchers” at Fact Check detect no worrisome pattern — even while acknowledging the librarian was notified of termination along with other key community figures, and then rehired, as part of a “loyalty purge”? This may not signal anything dissonant to those unfamiliar with the mission of public libraries, but for me this was a red flag. I will be following the posts here. By the way, didn’t Palin earn her degree in journalism?
Also, I want to express respect and support for the librarian. I realize that public attention can be intimidating. To show my support, I’ve included my name rather than writing anonymously. We need to stand up, people. We were given a Bill of Rights, a strong tradition of free press, and a legacy of public libraries. We’ve seen severe erosion of our rights the last eight years.
Gwen Kraft
Reference Librarian
September 9, 2008 at 11:58 am
Additional articles:
Daily Sitka Sentinel (1996-10-28).
http://www.mceades.com/graphics/palin_article1.jpg
CNN Reports McCain/Pail Fire Back…Book Ban Rumor
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/08/mccain-palin-fires-back-over-book-ban-rumor/
Huffington Post Questions WHY
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/well-why-then-did-sarah-p_b_124962.html
DC News Updates
http://www.dcnewsupdates.com/sarah-palin/an-alaskan-from-wasilla-talks-about-the-sarah-palin-he-knows
September 9, 2008 at 12:14 pm
The “list” of banned books has been proven false by Snopes.com and I have said repeatedly in other forums that it is false. For one, the Harry Potter books did not get published in the US until after Palin took office and I can guarantee you she has not heard of half the books on that list! She is not enough of a reader. She is a self proclaimed jock/outdoor enthusiast who would rather fish than read. Nothing wrong with that, but she isn’t exactly checking the great books for quotes. Journalists in Alaska and Seattle are checking the primary source material as we type- the Wasilla City Council minutes and the newspaper articles…remember, this is tedious work because our newspapers are not INDEXED in small towns. Still, we have Anne Killkenny’s amazing letter supporting the newspaper articles saying that Palin discussed censoring books with Mary Ellen more than once , June Pinnell-Stephens (nationally known intellectual freedom expert and librarian) on record in Alaska saying Emmons was forced out of her job and my own memories of that time supported by other library directors in the state who knew Mary Ellen. Check out the article in the Seattle Times this weekend called “Palin had turbulent first year as Mayor” to see the research that is currently being done. There is no doubt in my mind that Palin is a poorly educated, small minded individual who will stop at nothing to get rid of people who disagree with her. She left Wasilla a load of debt (over 20 million from zero debt when she took office) and an expensive sports complex that is still in litigation, is lying about the “bridge to nowhere” (she supported the bridge to Ketchikan’s airport, took $220 million from the Feds and then spent a bunch of in on a freeway interchange in Wasilla- Ketchikan has not seen a dime and their mayor is all over the press this week talking about her lies) is lying about being a “reformer.” Read the archives in the Anchorage Daily News…there are plenty of other “firings” on record to support my opinion. Use the original sources if you don’t agree!!!
September 9, 2008 at 4:44 pm
While no books were banned, it is clear that Ms. Emmons was politically intimidated to make hypothetical decisions that are against basic library principles; all in the name of loyalty. What do these intimidation tatics say about Ms. Palin and her staff? “If I ask you to ban book A and book B, how would you respond? No you won’t ban them, then you must not be loyal and now I’m going to fire you so I can find someone else who will ban books without a fuss.” I’m sorry, librarians and Americans in general should be terrified. Those are Bush/Cheney/Gonzales tatics and anyone who denies that is living in la la land.
There was no list, there were no books banned but to question a librarian’s loyalty through these means is bizarre and twisted. She DID inform Ms. Emmons that she would be fired AFTER the censorship discussions. This reminds me so much of the Gonzales/judge scandal, it is mind boggling to me.
September 9, 2008 at 5:45 pm
It’s important to keep up the drumbeat against Palin, but it’s even more important to tie those same pro-censorship policies to John McCain. We have to keep hammering home the idea that McCain is no change at all.
Vote Barack Obama 2008.
September 9, 2008 at 8:03 pm
The price of liberty is continual vigilence. We need a lot of vigilence right now.
September 9, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Lucy: I was not sure if your response (under my posts) was to me? I’m not disagreeing, but rather I fully support the investigation of this serious matter. And I have read your statements in several places regarding the e-mail list of banned books. I oppose FactCheck.org latching onto some of the mistaken information (disinformation?) and have asked them to investigate more rigorously.
September 9, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I know censorship is a hyper-sensitive issue and our supreme command the ALA would love to have defended the American citizens from this or any 1st Amendment infringement but you’re really grasping at straws with this one. In a way it’s embarrassing. But then I’m just a podunk librarian from a small town who refuses to join the ALA.
September 9, 2008 at 11:12 pm
People who are defending Ms. Palin on this issue are doing so because no books were actually banned. I am a librarian and am obviously Vehemently opposed to all censorship, especially banning of books. I don’t see this as an issue of her testing library policies. She specifically chose banning books, and apparently pressed Ms. Emmons three times about it. It is reprehensible to me, as it should be to all free people and Americans, librarians or not.
But almost as bad to me is her using this issue (and others for the other directors) as a “test of loyalty”. We do not live in Nazi Germany where loyalty to the Fuhrer was mandatory. I know that McCain is the candidate, not Palin, but let’s face it, she’s only a heartbeat away. Can we afford that!?
September 9, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Librarians are not stupid. In my very long library career (40+ years) I met maybe a handful of bad/stupid/moronic librarians. Believe me, I met far more bad/stupid/moronic corporate types when I was a corporate librarian!
So, we are not stupid. We know when someone is trying to intimidate us. We know from implied threats. This Governor — a charmless redneck, from all I have read and seen — was, in my opinion, trying to intimidate Mary Ellen Emmons. This was a dumb question to ask, otherwise.
I join with those who implore Ms. Emmons (now Mrs. Baker, is that right?) to come out and clarify what happened between her and Governor Palin. Surely, the rank-and-file library community will support her, even if the wussies at the American Library Association will not.
September 10, 2008 at 3:08 am
I also applaud Ms. Emmons who refused to be intimidated. As a member of the rank-and-file library community, I would be honored to support her in all ways possible.
The actions of Governor Palin as reflected in source documents are questionable. I would be happy to listen to her side if she would consent to interviews. I just want to understand her position in her words. Why won’t she talk to the press? Controlling information seems to be a pattern here.
A registered independent and librarian who won’t vote for McCain after this VP selection
September 10, 2008 at 4:40 am
“John–then you are guilty of the same thing. there is no record of a “transcript” with other contextual questions. it is fine to remain neutral till facts are known–but you are creating your own version of events, which you tried to denounce.”
Actually, it turns out I was right. In an interview I was watching, a Factcheck.org rep confirmed that the conversations where Palin asked about the censoring were part of a longer dialogue that concerned many topics of inquiry into the library system. It was done as part of Palin’s efforts to determine which public officials to keep and which to fire. In other words, this really IS a case of “recall bias” with undo attention paid to a single part of several long conversations.
Palin’s request for the librarian’s letter of resignation was unrelated – she requested them from every public official on the first day, then accepted them on those found not doing their job, such as the police chief. The librarian was fired, as well, but rehired at the request of the community. Her statements after the fact are clearly the result of hurt feelings and should not be believed at face value.
And now we know the rest of the story…
September 10, 2008 at 5:13 am
Gwen, no worries, I wasn’t responding to you..just to some of the insistance that there was a list of books Ms. Palin banned. John, you need to know that the reason some department heads in Wasilla were initially fired was because they gave campaign contributions to Palin’s opponent. She is one vindictive **&^%%. Hurt feelings? You think this is a joke? You lose your job because you wrote the current mayor who was running for re-election a check? In a small town in Alaska, losing your job could be the end of life as you know it. Read Anne Kilkenny’s letter about the 100 plus people who protested Mary Ellen’s firing and don’t you DARE suggest that she wasn’t “doing her job.” You don’t know her and you don’t know our libraries. What Palin did was horrifying to say the least. Several credible Alaskan’s are now on record as saying that Palin continued to press Mary Ellen to censor books until she finally resigned. Yes, on it’s own this may be read as a personality clash or disagreement, but it turned Wasilla inside out, and began a pattern of behavior that Palin continues to this day of firing (or getting someone else to fire) people who disagree with her.
September 10, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hi, all–I write the library web comic “Shelf Check” and today’s strip covers “Librarians Against Palin” and the above article. Thought you might like:
http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com/2008/09/shelf-check-266.html
September 10, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Mary Ellen — I know all of this must be extremely difficult for you. But please consider stepping forth and granting a public national interview about what happened. The future of our democratic free society is at stake. In dark times especially, good people must speak up about abuses in power. This is what it means to be a true patriot. As far as I can tell, you have a great swell of support from colleagues and other civic-minded Americans who will support you and work to protect you from any retribution. You are not alone. And you have already been courageous in the past and that alone has been an incredible act, but I hope that you might bring forth that courage once again.
September 18, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I was a professional librarian for 30 years, and it sounds to me that Palin was in fact, attempting to censor. Its not uncommon. In fact it is the most common problem a library director has to deal with. No other single factor causes more headaches for librarians.
This does seem to fit Palin’s historical profile of hiring friends rather than qualified professional. The Palin sort of elected official tends to believe that they know better than the professionals in any particular field.
Most professional librarians have to deal with issues of censorship on a regular basis. There are many members of the public who beleive that some materials are not appropriate for the local libraries, and there is not a library in the United States that does not take such requests seriously. Most have committees, made up of both professional librarians as well as members of the community, who take such written requests. All of the committee members then read the materials being objected to, then come back and discuss whether those materials in any way fall into any sort of classification by which materials can be censored, according to law. This has been clearly defined by the Supreme Court, and in fact an extremely conservative court. Materials can be censored, but only if they fall into a category that local community standards would describe as obscene, and then only if that obscenity can be shown to have no artistic or cultural merits making it necessary for the purposes intended by the author or artist.
The librarian probably had a better grasp on issues of censorship than the mayor.
Palin also seemed to wish to go against the wishes of the community in which she was elected, because as usual, the librarian seemed to have a lot of public support. In a case like this it would behoove the mayor to have acted in the interests of the public, or at least to have abided by what appeared to be the will of the public, which seems to have supported the librarians position and not the mayors.
Every community that I worked in, every library system in every community I have lived in has had to deal with issues of censorship, often started by small and vocal members of the community, as well as by newly elected government officials. I currently live in a community where the issue of censorship reached a level of national attention, the director was also “forced to resign” and in cases like this, a new job invariably means picking up your entire family and moving to a new community, from one that has been your home for years.
The issue of a bogus list of books is not so bogus. What seems to have occured, is as usual, the national press made an error and published the most current list of books recommended for small libraries, rather than the one that existed in 1996. This is not unusual. Mosat publishers and professional library organizations publish lists of books recommended for various kinds of libraries.
Simply put, if the situation resulted in the librarian “resigning” there was pressure from higher ups that made this resignation necessary.
Again, this situation apparently caused an uproar in this tiny community, but in fact it is another case in which an elected official intended on forcing her particular ideas onto parts of the community that didnt agree with her or elect her. When in fact, once she took her oath of office, she was swearing to not only uphold the rights of the people who voted her, but those who didnt. At this point the mayor was not doing her job, but trying to change it.
October 10, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Obama and Biden are bad news for future library patrons because they support the killing of babies (even if they survive the abortion)! Obama has voted against “Born Alive” bills.
Vote pro-life… vote Palin
October 18, 2008 at 1:15 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwcoAhn-n70&feature=email
Sometimes outrage is best expressed through comedy.
November 20, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Cool post, maybe you dream fof writters?
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