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Monday, September 15, 2008

More on Palin censorship

Today, the New York Times is running a lengthy study by Jo Becker, Peter S. Goodman and Michael Powell, "Once elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes," which brings up that censorship issue yet again.

"For years, social conservatives had pressed the library director to remove books they considered immoral," the story runs, and goes on to quote former Wasilla mayor John Stein, Palin's rival and predecessor.

"People would bring books back censored," he recalled. "Pages would get marked up or torn out."

"Witnesses and contemporary news accounts say Ms. Palin asked the librarian about removing books from the shelves," the article continues, adding, "The McCain-Palin presidential campaign says Ms. Palin never advocated censorship."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

So, a flat denial. But it seems that back in 1995 Palin told colleagues in the city council she had noticed a picture book called Daddy's Roommate on the library shelves, and she did not believe it belonged there. So we have another title.

Daddy's Roommate, by Michael Willhoite (Alyson books, 1994), is a simple picture book for small children which depicts a two-father family. "Daddy" has divorced, and moved in with a male roommate. The two men cook, clean house, argue, make up, and go to family-type outings, like an afternoon at the zoo. According to reviews of the book, though rather obvious in its message, it provides reassurance and understanding. It is also one of the most banned books in the United States, being number two in the American Library Association's Most Challenged List, 1994-2000.

Go Ask Alice, described in an earlier post, is now standing at 1,462 in the amazon.com ratings. The Barack Obama campaign has just announced that August was its most successful month for fundraising. The front page of the WORLD section of Wellington's Dominion Post today (16 September) has the banner headline: The $66m man.

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