Posted by
Ron Devito on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:59:03 PM
By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com
How ironic it is that
when news emerges of Governor Palin's book becoming available prior to
its expected date, she shows up in my school's library. No, she didn't
show up in person and no, there was no announcement to inform
interested students about her book, which reportedly is already number
one on the Barnes and Noble list.
She showed up in the center of a display highlighting
Banned Books Week.
I
was walking on my way to the weight room this evening when I stopped
dead in my tracks after taking a few steps past the library. I backed
up and took in the display in the window, which includes various books,
quotes, and poetry about reading and book banning. Only one person's
picture is a part of the display--and that person is Governor Palin. It
was included in an old article called "Sarah Palin, aspiring book
banner?" which was published in the LA Times a year ago. That article
makes up a homemade poster that says, "Sarah Palin + Banned Books =
Censorship."
Listen, I'm not talking about a local area library. I'm talking about a
public school library, where they use this week to demonize Palin as
the enemy
of free thought, reading, and exploration. Nevermind the plethora of
information out there that she never sought to ban books but had asked
a general question of a librarian to discover how she would deal with
censorship. Nevermind the numerous times Governor Palin has herself
stated she never sought to ban books. And nevermind the fact that some
of the books on the list, like
Harry Potter, hadn't even been published yet! No, facts aren't important.
What's
important is the growing determination to further a Left-wing agenda to
destroy Governor Palin. What's important is the attempt to indoctrinate
our children. I say
indoctrinate because that is exactly what
this is. As if it weren't bad enough that some schools are singing the
"Mmm Mmm Mmm" praises of President Obama, chanting "Change Has Come,"
and changing the "Jesus" in the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children"
to include Obama, now I walk past the high school library in the
district where I teach, and there are falsehoods about the former vice
presidential candidate. There is a clear attempt to lead our children
down a particular road, and somebody has to be the road block. That
somebody will be me...tomorrow when I walk back in that building and
address this issue.
That
article in the school library window states in part:
Librarian
Jessamyn West, who blogs at librarian.net, writes, "Usually I’m just
happy to see libraries even mentioned in national level politics, but
not like this."
This seems like a good time to mention Banned
Books Week, beginning Sept. 27, which celebrates the freedom to read.
2007's most challenged book was "And Tango Makes Three," a children's
book about a penguin with two dads; books by Mark Twain and Alice
Walker appear, again, on the list. Exactly what books Palin might have
wanted to ban have not been identified (other than some unsupported
rumors), but it's safe to assume that she won't be joining in to
celebrate the idea that no books should be banned at all.
I
find it interesting that this particular article states that those
books weren't identified. Another falsehood. Perhaps they left that out
because the truth was embarrassing. Yes, it's embarrassing to list
books that didn't exist when she supposedly tried to rid the world of
them.
On the left and right of the display in the library window
is the poem "Manifesto" by author, Ellen Hopkins. In the poem, Hopkins
blasts "zealots, biggots, and false patriots," for their desire to
censor. This poem is the official poem of this year's Banned Books
Week--and Governor Palin's picture is the centerpiece!
What
gives them the right to place this attack in the library window? Who
approved the display--or who overlooked it? Am I the only person who
walked by and saw it? What impression does it give our children? What
impact will this have on their vote in a few years? I am livid, as I
should be. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior.
Anyone
who hasn't been hiding under a rock in the past year ought to know the
truth about the book banning issue, but in case someone has just
slithered out, here are some facts about Palin and the so-called book
banning issue.
In an article called "Palin did not ban books in Wasilla as mayor," the USA Today
reported
Taylor
Griffin, a McCain spokesman, said Palin raised the issue of the
library's policy because there had been widespread discussion in
Wasilla at that time about banning books. She was trying to understand
the city's policy, he said.
"Sarah Palin has never asked
anyone to ban a book," Griffin said. "It shouldn't be surprising that
the new mayor of a city that had seen recent protests over books and
was in the process of re-evaluating the book-challenge policies at its
library would ask the librarian what those policies were."
Michelle Malkin submitted in "The bogus Sarah Palin Banned Books List" this P.D.S. Alert:
Palin
Derangement Syndrome strikes again. This time it’s hysterical
librarians and their readers on the Internet disseminating a bogus list
of books Gov. Sarah Palin supposedly banned in 1996. Looks like some of
these library people failed reading comprehension. Take a look at the
list below and you’ll find books Gov. Palin supposedly tried to
ban…that hadn’t even been published yet. Example: The Harry Potter
books, the first of which wasn’t published until 1998.
The smear
merchants who continue to circulate the list also failed to do a simple
Google search, which would have showed them that the bogus Sarah Palin
Banned Book List is almost an exact copy-and-paste reproduction of a
generic list of “Books Banned at One Time or Another in the United
States” that has been floating around the Internet for years. STACLU
notes that the official Obama campaign website is also perpetuating the
fraud. And it’s spread to craigslist, where some unhinged user is
posting images likening Palin to Hitler. Here it is again.
[...]
It’s a fake. Not true. Total B.S. A lie.
If it gets sent to you by a moonbat friend or family member, set ‘em all straight. Fight the smears. They’ve only just begun.
Malkin hit the nail on the head. They had only just begun last year, and they still exist--in our
public school libraries, of all places. Read her entire article
here, which includes the bogus list of books.
FactCheck.org
reported:
She
did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of
the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the
time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the
librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
[...]
One
accusation claims then-Mayor Palin threatened to fire Wasilla’s
librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some
versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin
allegedly attempted to ban. Actually, Palin never asked that books be
banned; no books were actually banned; and many of the books on the
list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren't even in print at
the time, proving that the list is a fabrication.
I
could go on and on, but it's not necessary. As stated, anyone who cared
to know, who actually did a little fact checking of their own, already
got the 411 on the deal. However, I am addressing it again because
obviously some who are supposed to be in the business of educating,
have not been informed or are ignoring the information, and their
ignorance is impacting--shall I say
infecting--our children. This cannot go unchallenged--and it won't.
My
approach tomorrow? I will go into the library with the facts and
present them respectfully. I will ask that Governor Palin's picture and
the article be removed. If that is denied, I will request they hang
another article next to it--which I will graciously provide--that
refutes the falsehoods. If I do not get anywhere with the librarian,
well, I'll go to the next level. It is my hope that my talk with the
librarian will suffice, but we'll see what happens.
No doubt as
Governor Palin's book continues to sell, even before it hits the
shelves, those with an agenda will beef up their attacks to
misrepresent her as uninformed, anti-intellectual, and unworthy of
paying attention to. I have some serious problems with that, but as a
teacher, my main problem is that their misrepresentation hurts our
children. So let the truth be told.
Below are pictures of the high school library display.
