The Washington Independent - Latest Comments in Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Anti-McCain/Palin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:41:40 -0000

Emperor Palin

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Toby — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:15:05 -0000

Do your best to do in Sarah....

I love it when the Left is afraid...very afraid!!!

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Robert — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:55:42 -0000

I wounder when the population who is of age to vote will get their head out of the sand. Do they not see what censorship has already done to our freedoms? We cannot protest without being isolated or brutalized. I've had enough of the Bush /Cheny era. We do not need more of the same.No matter who is elected will cave in to
coporate interests, and wage more wars to uphold Coporate interests. More young men will be sacrificed upon the Corporate altar. We are one people,one world. Nature works in harmony. Why don't we, as a people and as a world.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

kdid — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:27:21 -0000

I have just read all the information and all links and comments on this sight as well as have been watching all that the news has had and both conventions. I feel I have been as informed as anyone can be in this political fight. Putting all party politics on the side , I still want to hear about issues and what the canidates plan to try to institute for the benifit of the American people. Sadly meny seem to be leaning to the GOP over one issue and have used that sole issue as their soap box since Roe vs Wade. Abortion. Our need for a competant leadership far outweights this one issue and all the rehtortic that is given to it is unjust and unncessary. It is high time we American's demand to move on to issues that are prevelent to here and now such as the gobal warming, lack of jobs and our energy situation and elect people who have the forsightedness to bring us to those issues. Ignoring all the other personal issues Palin has going on and looking at just her attemps at governing, she does not display hope to me and as meny have stated the health of McCain leaves much to wonder and to seriously realize that she could be placed in the leadership role. This election is very important to the future of this country and those who take it lightly may be selling it down the drain. Thank You all for this forum and vote with caution.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Presidentless — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:14:43 -0000

Spoke to a man from Wasilla earlier tonight who said that Palin fired the entire city staff, which is within her power to do as executive however indiscriminately, and that the Library Director "refused" to go. He said she returned to graduate school, so there's another director there now. He also said that she had the new staff "swear loyalty oaths". Might be interesting to talk to get a few of these people who did swear oaths to her to corroborate.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Latina — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:08:06 -0000

McCain and Palin - Part of the Bush League.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

maryn — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:38:27 -0000

I would like to reiterate Budger083's questions. Where is the story? And yes, I did go back and look through the older postings. All I have been able to uncover is that Palin questioned the librarian about censorship. Were there certain titles she wanted removed? I want details. I've heard over and over that Palin promotes censorship, but I haven't found one piece of credible evidence that shows this to be true.

And the Constitution does allow us to question what we hear or read. Apparently you need a brush up of the Constitution.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Bev — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:09:55 -0000

Please get this info to Mary Ellen Emmons.

Dear Ms. Emmons,

I am always interested when I hear of books being censored from libraries. Please have the washington Independent get you my email address so we can communicate. Thanks. And do any of the commenters know which books Sarah wanted removed?

thanks

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

susanmarie8 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:07:01 -0000

For god's sake people!

I work in recruiting and I have to tell you. That *does* sound like a standard question that a responsible overseer would ask a librarian at a first interview. Did you know that there are list of standard questions to ask pertaining to profession that are developed by HR professionals??

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Heather — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:17:34 -0000

About Sarah Palin by Wasilla Resident
by jsfox, Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:28:03 PM EST

Full name and email address of writer withheld at writers request. However original can be seen in the comments section of this article:
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/367 1/the-reform-candidate

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out
there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's
surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys". Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal--loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State's top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's Police Chief because he "intimidated"
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't
fire her sister's ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn't
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club" when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to
nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects--which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance--but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork".

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State's
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior's decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there's a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
*"Hockey mom": true for a few years
*"PTA mom": true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
*"NRA supporter": absolutely true
*social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
*pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
*"Pro-life": mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
*"Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
*political maverick: not at all
*gutsy: absolutely!
*open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
*has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
*"a Greenie": no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
*fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
*pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
*pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
*pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla's history.
*pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne, last name redacted
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen
when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out
of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall--they are
swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000", up to 9,000. The
day Palin's selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90's.

Tags: Sarah Palin, VP, Wasilla, Mayor (all tags)

Display: ThreadedMinimalNestedFlatFlat Unthreaded

Permalink :: 29 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: About Sarah Palin by Wasilla Resident (2.00 / 5)

Tips and Recs for just the facts, which are damning enough

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:49:23 PM EST

Re: About Sarah Palin by Wasilla Resident (none / 0)

According the Coast To Coast AM, Palin fired her own chef, while stating, "we don't need a chef. My family can cook their own food."

by Check077 on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 02:59:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Good Piece BUT (none / 0)

the author's name appears in the body, contrary to the request at the top, so you may want to edit that out.

by JJE on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:53:03 PM EST

Re: Good Piece BUT (none / 0)

Thanks for the catch. Done.

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:58:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: About Sarah Palin by Wasilla Resident (none / 0)

Does anyone know what books she wanted removed from the libary?

Are we talking Harry Potter type of objection, cause of witchcraft?

That is probably good info to have, we can give up on trying to convince the Republic Base about Palin, they are positively orgasmic.

But, if we can paint her as just another Right Wing religous nut in a attractive package, that can hurt her with independents.

"Well the danger on the rocks is surely past... Still I remain tied to the mast"...Don Fagen, Poet and Piano Player
by WashStateBlue on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:58:44 PM EST

Re: About Sarah Palin by Wasilla Resident (2.00 / 1)

Time Mag has tried to talk to the Liberian, but so far she's not responded.

However, I agree what books did she tried to have removed would be a bit telling.

Frankly anybody who tries to get books banned scares the hell out of me.

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
by jsfox on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 01:05:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The more I hear (2.00 / 1)

the more I agree with the tag line, "More of the Same." She fits rights in with the Bush/Cheney mentality, even moreso than McCain.

by Lolis on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 12:59:00 PM EST

Re: The more I hear (2.00 / 1)

We should refer to them as McCainlin.

"In the primary you should vote with your heart, but in the general, you should vote with your head" Hillary's husband
by venician on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 02:06:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

She sounds like (none / 0)

george bush!

Washington Woman
theocracywatch.org
EENR Blog
by kevin22262 on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 02:11:35 PM EST

This matches a pattern (none / 0)

and Anne does turn up in Alaska in just the context she states, so I believe this is 100% authentic.

The entire narrative of this matches the bits and pieces that have been coming together over the past few days. The McCain team missed all these details because the super-secret vetting process involved only talking to Palin and a tiny number of her loyalists, who not surprisingly supported her own personal perspective.

Interesting, indeed.

-chris

"Because after an eight-year hiatus it is vital to have a president who leads the country instead of lassoing, roping and branding it." Shaun Appleby
by chrisblask on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 02:14:24 PM EST

from Politico (none / 0)

I am copying this comment that tickled me

*******
8 scandles in 24 hours!

The news that Palin once backed the Bridge to Nowhere went national.

It emerged that Palin has links to the bizarro Alaska Independence Party, which harbors the goal of seceding from the union that McCain and Palin seek to lead.

The news broke that as governor, Palin relied on an earmark system she now opposes. Taken along with the Bridge to Nowhere stuff, this threatens to undercut her reformist image, something that was key to her selection as McCain's Veep candidate.

The news broke that Palin's 17-year-old daughter became pregnant out of wedlock at a time when the conservative base had finally started rallying behind McCain's candidacy.

Barely moments after McCain advisers put out word that McCain had known of Bristol Palin's pregnancy, the Anchorage Daily News revealed that Palin's own spokesperson hadn't known about it only two days ago.

A senior McCain adviser at the Republican convention was forced into the rather embarrassing position of arguing that McCain had known about the pregnancy "last week" -- without saying what day last week he knew about it.

It came out that Republican lawyers are up in Alaska vetting Palin -- now, more than 72 hours after it was announced that she'd been picked.

Palin lawyered up in relation to the trooper-gate probe in Alaska -- a move that ensures far more serious attention to the story from the major news orgs.

PUMA: Particularly Undeveloped Mental Ability
by wellinformed on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 03:47:20 PM EST

Re: from Politico (none / 0)

ok they spelled scandal wrong

PUMA: Particularly Undeveloped Mental Ability
by wellinformed on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 03:48:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: from Politico (2.00 / 2)

Oh, I thought maybe it was some ceremonial fire stick you light to celebrate the scandals?

You know, one "Scandle" lit for each scandal noted!

"Well the danger on the rocks is surely past... Still I remain tied to the mast"...Don Fagen, Poet and Piano Player
by WashStateBlue on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 04:47:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: from Politico (none / 0)

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

"In the primary you should vote with your heart, but in the general, you should vote with your head" Hillary's husband
by venician on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 05:59:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I see my other skeptical comment was troll-rated. (1.00 / 1)

Try this one. Anne describes herself this way:
"...it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable."

Anne feels as if this public figure hates her - in particular - and is out to 'cost her..in the future.' Good description of an enemy.

Anne states she personally is a target who is 'vulnerable' to ... something. Seems to me she could be making more out of her position in little Wasilla to gain 15 mins of fame. Maybe a bit paranoid, to boot.

Can somebody bring in a grain of salt, please?

by lizpolaris on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 05:44:13 PM EST

What's odd... (2.00 / 1)

After all of these so-called "facts", the author says Palin is "immensely popular here". Let's see, she has supposedly bitten every hand that's fed her, and other than being "gutsy" and smart, I'm hard-pressed to find why anyone there would be enamored with her, given what the author has said. It really doesn't wash. Something's missing. Good looks only take you so far, so I'm not buying that.

Obviously this person has their own view of Palin. I think it's a real stretch to say these things are all "facts", though. Until corroborated, it's just heresay.

I know that's not what people here want to hear, but hey, I actually care about facts. There's enough smearing going on in politics (on both sides) to be very skeptical of the latest info coming down the pike.

by DaTruth on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 05:50:54 PM EST

The Anne in question (none / 0)

who is named elsewhere, shows up in as a witness in Alaskan legislature here, is searchable near Wasilla AK in whitepages, shows up discussing school funding here and in other places.

And I just spoke to her on the phone (on another call, asked to call her back in a few but she did get my email).

Real person, real persepctive.

"Because after an eight-year hiatus it is vital to have a president who leads the country instead of lassoing, roping and branding it." Shaun Appleby
by chrisblask on Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 06:04:14 PM EST
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Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

John Q. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:54:05 -0000

You've never worked in a library, have you? There's plenty of "trash" on the shelves, most of which would never even realize is more offensive than what you claim to be porn. Fortunately, in the US, we don't stock the library shelves with just what meets your approval, thank goodness!

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Tihamer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:27:38 -0000

Didn't Craig Ferguson think that Palin was a Naughty Alaskan Librarian?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh-lW2opLyQ
:-)

Seriously, does a democratic society require the existence of pornography, which degrades both the person in the photos/video as well as the viewer? The First Amendment is about protecting political criticism, not about allowing the degradation of (mostly) women and children. Perhaps we need a better version of democracy.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinion/Why-we-ne...

I don't know the details of the discussions between Palin and Emmons, nor do I know what either was thinking. But it seems clear to me that a public library should not only adhere to community standards, it should be a beacon to objective truth. It should NOT be an "adult" bookstore.

Laura, you're a good looking woman - I'm sure that you would be paid well to have sex with a stranger in front of a camera. Would you do it? (hopefully your answer is no). Why not?

I'll tell you why--it's because you are a person, whose purpose in life is to love and be loved. You are not an object to be used. Nor will you be happy if you use other people as objects.

So why are you attacking Palin?

I've seen some purported lists of books that Palin supposedly did not want in the library. Some of them are destructive in the same way that pornography is destructive; the same way that fraud and yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater are destructive, only in more subtle ways.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

qerg — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:14:57 -0000

A letter from someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992

Anne is from Wasilla, Alaska.

I found this on the Washington Post comment board and have posted it exactly as I found it.

Amazing Letter From a Local Wasillian Who Knows Sarah Palin Well.

From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-r...
Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008

A note to all by {the Author}

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

[ This was already posted on Washington Independent comments area,
with a controllable hotmail account, and was obviously meant by the
author to be read. ]

Thanks,

Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

August 31, 2008

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

bookburningiscool — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:02:34 -0000

how do we find out which books she wanted to ban from the library? seems like it should be easy if someone contacts the librarian.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

DHamon — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:19:01 -0000

So,
Strong Anti-choice + Pro-censorship + Loyalty Test -> Sarah Palin = Monica Goodling II ?

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Moad Dib — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:11:49 -0000

If you bothered to keep up with the story, you would know that most people involved in Palin's character assassinations prefer not to discuss their run ins with her in fear of further retributions...she'll still governor and can make their lives miserable

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

jessamyn — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:51:18 -0000

Could you upload a copy of the article for us to read?Thanks for this.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Maria — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:21:20 -0000

"LIbrarians are on the front lines of our First Amendment Rights..."

Well said! Thanks!

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Fireshadow — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:39:24 -0000

Great confirmation!!
Keep vetting!
and in the meantime..
Now..... go find Emmons!!!

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

furysmom — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:29:50 -0000

Are you the same individual as yesterday posting under a different name? If not, please go back and read Laura McGann's older posts. You can see she is a true journalist with educated readers following her investigations. You can pull this crap but it isn't working. Why don't you spend your time reading the constitution and making up for the Civics class you obviously slept through or didn't get thanks to George Bush.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Budger083 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:03:16 -0000

Where is the story?? What day in December of 1996?? Any quotes from the article?? Any quotes from the library director?? Have not seen one quote from the librarian in the news. Not a very believable article!!!! How about a link so we can see for ourselves??

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

MrBlifil — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:45:02 -0000

Where is Sarah? Has she been seen anywhere near the convention floor? Will she and McCain spend the rest of the campaign in self imposed cones of silence, only raising their heads when they are sure of being in a controlled environment peopled with their friends? What happened to the "town hall" dare to Obama? Why can't McCain even agree to go on Larry King Live? When has Larry King been known to ask tough questions? Wasn't Palin tapped for her skills as a salesperson and marketer? Is she even out there selling? If not, what exactly was the point of her nomination, especially since the campaign is telling us that they knew about her family situation and not only were fine with it, they imagined the American public would find it uncontroversial as well.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

Tom Parks — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:39:04 -0000

You can ascribe all the virtues you wish to this woman ("take-charge, strong, courageous," etc.), but the fact is that, as an American, she is dangerous and her short career is filled with the kind of red flags that should make that clear to any thinking American.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

ExurbanMom — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:38:36 -0000

If we've learned anything over the years, it's this: do not anger the librarians. You think I'm kidding? Librarians are on the front lines of our First Amendment rights, and they take this role very seriously. When librarians found out that Michael Moore's publisher was sitting on one of his early books, they lobbied the publisher and forced the book to be released. That's just one small example of their strength.

If the librarians find out about this, she will be in trouble.

Re: Palin to Wasilla Librarian: Are You OK With Censorship?

KSC — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:02:47 -0000

*Toe* the line, as in put your toe on the line I have drawn.