Posted by
Ron Devito on Friday, October 23, 2009 12:22:20 AM
By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com
Last Friday, I posted "
Update to Public School Library Propagates Falsehood that Governor Palin Banned Books."
I went step by step and day by day through my battle to correct the
record and emphatically declare that Sarah Palin never, ever banned any
books. At that point, I was turning it over to the public who had
voiced a desire to step in and hold the school accountable. No longer
was I going to stand between anyone and their efforts to see this wrong
corrected, which I had done while I attempted to right this wrong.
I
am not sure who, if anyone, actually contacted the school to voice
their concerns. However, I do know that after fighting this battle
since late September and receiving no responses at all last week, I
received an email Monday afternoon from the high school principal
asking me to call his assistant to set up yet another meeting.
We
met yesterday, and I was asked again what I was seeking. I expressed
that I had not changed my mind; I wanted the retraction. I was told
that the library display window is seasonal, and something else is
already occupying the space. I was also told that if Governor Palin
were a current candidate, they would seek to correct the wrong. Since
she's not, basically it's no big deal. I don't know about you, but
common sense tells me that most of us will never be candidates for
anything. Does that mean people can lie about us without repercussions,
simply because our names are not on a ballot? That makes no sense, and
I expressed as much.
Finally, without a word, the principal went
to his computer, began typing, and printed out a piece of paper with
the retraction. He was going to run it by the superintendent, and if
approved, it would be posted.
Today it was posted.
Perhaps I should feel a sense of victory, but I feel a gnawing annoyance. Why is that?
First, only the superintendent seemed to
get the
fact that displaying the original poster was the wrong move and that it
should have come down the first time I asked. It was indeed a lie
designed to express a political agenda at the expense of the truth that
we should be providing our students. Even yesterday, when he asked to
see the truthful articles that I had with me, the principal tried to
defend the original display's content.
Some kind of
acknowledgement that this kind of thing was ill-willed, unacceptable,
and would never happen again was in order--if for no other reason than
in a school truth ought to count. Instead, I sensed a desire to simply
shut me up somehow because it had become painfully clear that the issue
was not going away. It was sort of a "Will this make you happy?" kind
of move.
Second, he printed the retraction on a little piece
of paper posted in the lower right-hand corner of the small library
window--not the main display section where the incorrect information
had been displayed. The paper can barely be spotted and is in front of
some ghost cut-outs that had, I assume, been previously hung up. (This
is part of the seasonal display?) There is no article posted, only a
note at the bottom of the sheet that directs people to the library desk
if they want to pick up an article about what the paper says: "SARAH
PALIN NEVER BANNED BOOKS." Of course, they'd have to first spot the
paper before they can actually inquire about it.
I don't like
how it all unfolded. However, I know I should see the miniature
retraction as some sort of small victory. While it is a pitiful attempt
to rectify the situation, it does do
something. If nothing
else, I know I held people accountable to the truth, I looked out for
our students' best interest, and I defended Governor Palin, who
deserves to be defended against malicious smears. The smears of the
mainstream media and anklebiters are bad enough, but a public school is
certainly a place where her record--and everyone else's--ought to be
safe from lies.
To Kill a Mockingbird, in my opinion,
is the greatest piece of literature ever written, and I was reminded of
this masterpiece today. I take some comfort in the words of Maudie
Atkinson who tells Jem, after Atticus defends Tom Robinson in court,
"And I said to myself, 'it's a step. It's just a baby-step, but it's
step.'"
Below are pictures. The last one is the main window,
where the original misinformation was posted, and where the truth ought
to hang:
