Who Hasn't Rhetorically Asked About Banning Books?

I just had to write a post on my of my favorite of Sarah Palin's exploits, namely when during her tenure as mayor of Wasilla, she asked about banning books from the town's library.

While some may scoff that this is just a liberal smear and a conspiracy theory, to me this is a very serious issue that speaks deeply to Palin's character. Furthermore, it was one that was covered by the Wasilla newspaper during Palin's mayoralty, so it certainly is not the figment of my imagination. While I may seem overly-strong in my criticisms of Palin, I always attempt to foster serious and intelligent discussion of political issues here.

Anyway, here is a good deal of background on the story from a 1996 article in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman:

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. Besides heading the Wasilla City Library, Emmons is also president of the Alaska Library Association. The issue became public last Wednesday, when Palin brought it up during an interview about the now-defunct Liquor task Force. Palin used the library topic as an example of discussions with her department heads about understanding and following administration agendas. Palin said she asked Emmons how she would respond to censorship[...]

“I'm not trying to suppress anyone's views,” Emmons said. “But I told her (Palin) clearly, I will fight anyone who tries to dictate what books can go on the library shelves.”

Palin said Monday she had no particular books or other material in mind when she posed the questions to Emmons.

Emmons said in the first conversation, before being sworn in as mayor, Palin briefly touched on the subject of censorship.

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 [...]

Monday Palin said in a written statement she was only trying to get aquatinted with her staff at the time. “Many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature,” Palin added.

Emmons recalled that the Oct. 28 conversation she pulled no punches with her response to the mayor.

“She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied 'Yup',” Emmons recounted Saturday. “And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.”

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. “I told her it would definitely be a problem the ACLU would take on then,” Emmons said.

Asked who she thought might picket the library, Palin said Monday, “Had no one in mind ... again, the issue was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy.

"All questions posed to Wasilla's library director were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city. Obviously the issue of censorship is a library question... you ask a library director that type of question,” Palin said. [...]

Palin called Emmons into her office Monday to discuss the censorship questions again.

Notice that when confronted with accusations that she was trying to commit censorship -- a very serious charge, at least in my book -- she never expressly denied it. In my humble opinion, if any sane or educated person was accused of trying to impose censorship on a public library, they would likely strongly deny and rightly condemn any attempt to censor literature. I know I would.

I also love how at the time Palin defended herself by saying it was a "rhetorical" question. That's classic. In the wake of this story back then, Palin tried to have the town librarian removed from her position, but an outcry from Wasilla residents forced her to back off.

Naturally, since the story has gotten out, the McCain campaign has predicably gone ballistic, shooting at everyone and in all directions that this is a baseless smear orchestrated by sinister bloggers and the Obama campaign. The McCain campaign has further seized on blog postings which purport to list the books Palin had tried to ban. While the fabricated list was obviously created by some person with too much time on his hands, Team McCain has used it as a vehicle to prove that this entire story is wrong, and that anyone talking about it is liar.

Still, the best part of all of this is the McCain camp's official response:

When first elected, Mayor Palin asked a rhetorical question of the Wasilla Library Director about the library’s book-challenge policy. It was a rhetorical question—nothing more. As Mayor Palin said at the time, she was merely asking questions about administration policies (the book-challenge policy being pertinent because of the local debate at the time) and that she had no materials in mind when she asked the questions. After these rhetorical questions, no other action was ever taken by her office.

Yeah, I know if I just got elected into a podunk office, one of the first things I would ask would be how to go about censoring literature. What could be more important? Of course, the question would be entirely rhetorical!

Does this explanation make any sense? Granted, I have never been elected mayor in a tiny Alaska town, but I do not think it is standard for a new mayor, or any government official for that matter -- excepting a knuckle-dragging puritan -- to ask the town librarian about how to go about banning books. What precisely is the point of having multiple discussions about the subject? If the quesiton really was rhetorical -- yeah, right -- then why did Palin keep bringing up the issue with this poor librarian?

In terms of the McCain campaign's response, it is predictably bunk. They make a strong point right at the start of their statement that Palin never actually banned any books, nor were any books removed from the Wasilla town library during Palin's tenure. That isn't the point! The very fact that she pushed this issue says more than enough. The creation of a strawman here (that Palin never actually committed censorship), is a typical political move.

Maybe I am just missing something. If anyone has any suggestions why a person would repeatedly ask a rhetorical question about banning books, I am all ears.

And in the interest of pure speculation, you just know the books she had in mind were titles like

Animal Farm
As I Lay Dying
Brave New World
The Catcher in the Rye
The Color Purple
Lolita
Nineteen Eighty-Four
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Slaughterhouse-Five
Ulysses

In other words, the classics, books that promote free thought and enlightenment. (And just in case the newly-formed Palin truth squad finds this page, this list is NOT something I am purporting to be true. It is simply a list of books I created which I envision would offend the puritan sensibilities of Sarah Pain.)

In total seriousness, however, this story should genuinely scare people. At best, Palin showed herself to be an ignorant, naive, and power-hungry small town bureaucrat who expects to always get her way, and a person who will try to stamp out any one who disagrees with her.

At worst, Palin demonstrated that she does not value enlightenment, and that her views of proper government functions are poisoned by her rigid and extremist personal and religious beliefs.

Again, for those of you who think I am engaging in baseless speculation, just tell me why someone would repeatedly pursue a rhetorical question about banning books? I think however much one attempts to discredit to this librarian and the bloggers pushing this issue, this story remains a mackerel in the moonlight: it shines and stinks at the same time.

A few years back, former Attorney General John Ashcroft was so offended by the unclothed statue of the Spirit of Justice in the main Department of Justice Building that he had a drape put over it to cover her bare breasts. This seems like the type of thing Sarah Palin would do, given what we learned from this story. And that is not a compliment.