A great reading list
A correspondent sends me a list of books people are claiming Sarah Palin tried to ban in her local library when she was mayor. It is plainly fake. Apart from anything, I doubt Wasilla library has the shelf space. Great list - someone who read them all would emerge more civilised than when they started...
A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle
Brave New World by Huxley
Catch 22 by Heller
Clockwork Orange by Burgess
As I lay Dying by Faulkner
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Confession by Rousseau
Death of a Salesman by Miller
Flowers for Algernon by Keyes
Lady Chatterleys Lover by Lawrence
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Little Red Riding Hood by the Grimm Brothers
Lord of the Flies by Golding
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Lee
One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Kesey
The Chocolate War by Cormier
Pigman by Zindel
I do hope that when the first interviews are given the curse of access journalism (mustn't upset her as we need to get to McCain) does not stop someone asking about Lady Chatterley's Lover. What has she got against lusty working-class English folk!
I suspect she would laugh and be perfectly charming about it all. And that, My Friends, is a problem for the Democrats: cheap smears on the internet do not add up to an anti-Palin policy. Obama knows this...
Hello, I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~18~RS~)
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I don't doubt there are fake lists out there, but the mere fact, which seems reasonably well established, that Palin brought the issue up with the librarian is ominous.
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You are correct Obama knows it but his surogates and his celebrity foolowers don't.
A good example is your countryman from the MTV awards
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If the list of books is "plainly fake" by your own admission - what was the point of putting it in your column?
I though "news", especially the BBC news tried to be honest.
Now I'm no McCain / Palin supporter but I think helping to spread dirt on any candidate is hitting below the belt.
How about some "real" news from now on?
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In any case, Palin is not the main problem - McCain is. He is one of the "Keating Five" (which Google for more information). He is one of the principal players in the Senate whose policies led to the destruction of the Savings and Loan industry, the "mortgage meltdown," and the recent takeovers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The whole mess is Reaganomics coming home to roost.
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Strongly agree that "cheap smears on the internet" against any candidate are bad form, although it's an often-used chapter in the Karl Rove playbook. There are enough documented, factual missteps by Ms. Palin that the Democrats don't need to resort to making stuff up. Unfortunately, many U.S. voters aren't willing to do the work of researching their choice of candidate, depending instead on media soundbites, blogs, and emails to form their opinions. That's why we so often get the leaders that we deserve, instead of the leaders that we need.
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mikecwm (#3), you repeat a mistake made again and again by a few people who post here. This forum is not news! It's a blog! Why do some people not get it?
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Perhaps she should consider banning Dilbert comics. I came across this one the other day and couldn't help but think of the GOP VP vetting interview....
BBC doesn't seem to like my link ( I probably need some of Ed's html magic).....if you want to see it for a laugh then please google
dilbert + "ha ha I want your office"
to find the page in "Positive Attitude" on google books. It's the middle strip.
You're all doing very well !!
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I doubt Gov. Sarah Palin will embark in any Inquisitorial ploys if she ends up in the Oval Office, but she will definitely nominate Justices to the Supreme Court that share her religious and social values and, like Sen. Obama, she will expand the Faith Based Initiative program initiated by President Bush.
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3.'If the list of books is "plainly fake" by your own admission - what was the point of putting it in your column?'
He is recommending the books to his readers.
'I though "news", especially the BBC news tried to be honest.'
This is not a news page. The blog was set up so Webb could discuss the election, or any other topic he chooses, in a more informal matter. Actual news articles will appear on the front page of BBC world news or on the 'Americas' page.
And of course the list is fake, Origin of Species isn't even on it! (That was a joke, conservatives)
Here is the full email at the Urban Legends Reference Pages (also known as Snopes), along with an explanation of its origin. According to them,
'In fact, versions of this list have been circulating since at least as far back as 1998, and is actually a catch-all collection of titles said to be "books banned at one time or another in the United States."'
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It must be fake. Why else isn't Peyton Place, the archetype American novel of small-town scandals, on the list?
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Hmmm. This is the reading list (minus Clockwork Orange, Lady Chatterly's Lover, The Chocolate War and Little Red Riding Hood) that was taught to me in public school from the seventh thru the twelfth grade.
The only novels missing (that we read) were 1984, A Separate Peace, Animal Farm, Candide, The Great Gatsby, The Sound and the Fury, The Grapes of Wrath and, of course, Homer (both the Iliad and the Odyssey) and Vergil (The Aeneid.) Yes, I think that is it. Think they forgot about those, or would the list have been too long?
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Regardless of any list, fake or not, the fact that Mrs Palin ever asked about removing objectionable books is cause for concern. And that is clearly the case as Mary Ellen Emmons (Baker) can attest. Does America need its own Fahrenheit 451?
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As the article in salon.com states, while the list is fake, it is a documented fact that the former mayor did discuss with the librarian the general possibility of banning books.
When the librarian had the canniness to explain that banning books tends to anger the ACLU, the mayor backed down and explained publicly that her question was "rhetorical". Now for a real rhetorical question: what kind of social-conservative mayor asks rhetorical questions about banning books?
Not surprisingly, the librarian was fired soon after this incident, although she was reinstated in her position, by popular demand.
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Ooops. I did forget one. We also read Sartre's No Exit. That, I am sure, would certainly be banned ...
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I think that the phrase "cheap smears on the internet" is a bit trite (forgive me, Mr. Webb). Sarah Palin literally burst onto the political scene in a flurry of hairdo, spectacles, amazing baby stories, rumoured hardline views - and a declared readiness to be Vice President of the US of A.
Yet we knew nothing about her - still don't.
She embodies the concept of more questions than answers than the most mysterious of movie actors.
It wasn't just the bloggers that took off at her arrival on the scene. She opened the floodgates to every ambitious young investigative mainstream journalist out there wanting to make a name for themselves (and to find a story before it is uncovered by the internet).
So we have a three car collision : the first election with the internet up and running, a hungry and combative mainstream press and a totally unexpected candidate who scarcely anybody knows announced just two months before the election.
That, folks, as Graham Greene might have said, is 'The Heart of the Matter".
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What is even more ominous is that, when the librarian refused to play ball, she tried to fire her! To the credit of the good people of Wasilla, they objected to this brazen abuse of authority.
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#15, Wandering
By the time all is said and done, we will have a 40 car pileup on the Interstate.
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And once again Justin Webb throws an Axelrod/Daily Kos talking point into the mix while affecting his own distance from the gutter.
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Obama only needs an anti-Palin strategy (not policy, I think) if Palin is the focus of the media. For example, when people pay attention to trivial internet memes rather than, say, the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In that sense, it's better for Obama when people focus on his supposed admission of 'muslim faith'. It means he's the story, not her.
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If we were trying to get away from the theme of competitive patriotism in this election (as in "I am more religious than you therefore I am more patriotic than you") we might consider Evelyn Waugh's "Put Out More Flags" for the banned list.
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4, Gary_A_Hill,
Let me see... At the risk of offending Jack for telling the truth again.
Sherman, set the wayback machine to 1989...
Keating would be McCain's Rezco. Friends with a man who does some wrong things.
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I'm sure the list is fake - its just too good, but am I right in thinking that Sarah Palin has actually discussed banning books with her local librarian?
If so we should all be very scared - baning (and eventually burning) books is a sure sign of a totalitarian mindset which is a scary thing in any government!
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However the same article does say:
"Now, it is true that Palin brought up the possibility of banning books from Wasilla's library on three occasions, and got a negative reaction from the city librarian. "
Thayt seems to indicate a minor obsession. And itr is interesting to note that rather than get books for the library she wanted to ban them.
And such smears can be very effective as a dripping cumulative effect.
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The story of the plight of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (not to mention Bush's abandonment of his laissex-faire policies to the sort of nationalism which was more familiar to Josef Stalin) is not a million miles
from Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities".
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wanderingangus (#15), your reference to the internet is not accurate. The foundations of the internet were laid in the 1960s, and developed in the 1970s.
"Thus, by 1985, Internet was already well established as a technology supporting a broad community of researchers and developers, and was beginning to be used by other communities for daily computer communications. Electronic mail was being used broadly across several communities, often with different systems, but interconnection between different mail systems was demonstrating the utility of broad based electronic communications between people." (quote from following link)
http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml
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Justin:
All good books to read....
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The list must be fake. Origin of Species by Charles Darwin isn't even on the list!
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Gary - thank you for the history lesson.
I still hold that this is the first election where the internet is up and running. It is true that Howard Dean made serious use of it in 2004, but this is the first time that it has been the prime driver in an election.
Some words may be for the chop, too .... pedant, palindrome and palaeonology .......
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wanderingangus (#24), good point! Bonfire of the Vanities is, of course, an allegory of the excesses of the "go=go" 1980s.
Here's a quote from The New York Times's review of the film:
"The heart of the story unfolds when Sherman picks Maria up from JFK airport, takes a wrong exit into “Fort Apache” Bronx instead of Manhattan, and ventures through the borough that proves to be his heart of darkness." (quote from following link)
http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/wolfe0408.htm
What I don't understand is how one can get from JFK to The Bronx and miss Manhattan. I guess It's time for me to read this.
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Wanderingangus-
I'll have to disagree with you there. The internet is young, but it isn't THAT young. It becomes more prevalant/sophisticated daily, but by that logic, this is also the first election where cars are 'up and running.'
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Justin, you could have changed the bloody record!
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Wanderingangus-
One further note, the 2004 election was determined in large part to the 'swiftboat' allegations online against Kerry. Dan Rather was also pushed out at CBS News when his Bush-National Guard story was put to fire by bloggers before that election.
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When we read today's news that this year's Fed budget deficit is $407 billion (likely to rise to $438billion next year BEFORE the impact of Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae) we may safely assume that although the next President may come in with Great Expectations, he will actually be heading for Hard Times
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Knowledge broadens the mind. Reading widely and keeping an open mind are essential qualities of a future aspiring Vice President. So however conservative she actually is she cannot and should not shut herself from great books of literature. For America's sake let us hope she is not narrow-minded as there is a real possibility that she could be America's next VP and even President. The race to the White House is far too close to call. The Democrat contenders are more genuinely open to real change. But America's future will be determined by American voters. There lies the heart of the matter! The world looks on with abated breath!
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''It doesn't look like Palin had any specific books in mind; instead, it seems as if Palin just liked the idea of banning books generally.''
This is really scary. Banning books is a crime against free speach and should never be permitted. Sometimes the mentality of the Evangelicals is very similar to that of the Taliban. Very scary.
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Justin, TAKE DOWN THIS POST!!
Your link to prove it false doesn't even work and gives doubleclick ads with a tracking cookie
It's been proven fake and the "Librarian" has even said so.
This post should be moderated as the disclaimer isn't suficent
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#25. Gary_A_Hill: "wanderingangus (#15), your reference to the internet is not accurate. The foundations of the internet were laid in the 1960s, and developed in the 1970s."
But the World Wide Web, which civilians use today, was not invented until 1990. The two are used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Ask Sir Tim Berner's-Lee!
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#27
A Brief History of Time appears to be missing as well...
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'(C)heap smears on the internet do not add up to an anti-Palin policy. Obama knows this...'
I keep noticing, and I'm certain there will be cries of 'foul', and multiple examples to the contrary--but in general, conservatives seem to talk about ideas, and libs tend to respond with personal vitriol. Why does this happen?
I can't be the only person who notices this, can I?
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What I find objectionable is not Gov. Palin's beliefs - so long as she doesn't try to impose them on me - but the fact that any questions regarding her persona and professional record are immediately labeled as libelous and vicious, in contrast to what Sen. Obama has been subjected to during the past year.
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at least thatcher could claim she lowered inflation in 8 years. what have the GOP done to you lately.
check palin sitting on maggies left
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Sarah Palin tried to fire the librarian, and did fire her legislative director who'd had an affair. The more these episodes bubble to the surface and paint a picture, the better. A headlong attack by the Dems would only meet with sympathy. She already has a gaffe under her belt about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so it's a waiting game until the next one.
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I suspect she would laugh and be perfectly charming about it all. And that, My Friends, is a problem for the Democrats: cheap smears on the internet do not add up to an anti-Palin policy. Obama knows this...
. . . And the equally-cheap and persistent smears against Obama aren't just as unfair as anti-Palin rumors?
"He's a 'Secret Muslim'!"
"He's friendly with terrorists!"
"He's a product of the corrupt Chicago political system!"
"He's elitist/uppity!" (an American racial slur, meaning 'a Black person aspiring to be something above his/her supposed station in life)
I lost the link to the article, but recently Joe Biden was in Virginia talking to an elderly lady (85 years old), and she told him point-blank that she refused to vote for Obama because (not exact quote, but close) "He's a Muslim, and the thought of him in the White House is disgusting."
These persistent but untrue rumors have been circulating on the Internet about Obama for at least 16 months, if not 2 years. Palin should be thankful that she hasn't been in the public eye that long to have to fight against such rumors. Her complaining about sexist treatment or bias for Obama is like comparing a first-grader's backpack of books to a University student's suitcase full of heavy tomes.
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The Palin Firestorm By Patrick Buchanan
Thinking that a little bias from the other side.
Justin, the link don't work, this is something glocoo would quote, a known untruth and this looks and is really bad on you and the BBC. Spreading lies is against the House rules,.. but you are the house.
Sign me,
Really disappointed
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wanderingangus (#53), yes, and we've been heading that way for quite awhile now. The linked graph shows the US National Debt by administration. My interpretation is that the mortgage crisis is the hangover from the Reaganomics binge.
http://zfacts.com/p/318.html
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DT (#36), does Justin work for you?
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David_Cunard (#37), exactly my point. It is the web people usually mean they refer to the internet. And it is the web browser which turns the web into a research tool for the masses. (Google is ten years old this month, by the way.)
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As an American who lives in Europe, Mr. Webb's 'so called list', which was provided by an 'as usual' unnamed correspondent is so typical of the rags that call themselves providers of news. With the BBC and most of America's left wing editors, we can not expect to hear the truth when rumor and innuendo will suffice. Where does one go to get a journalistic license? From what I have read lately, you have nothing on Pravda. Take more lessons from them and soon you will learn how to really control the masses.
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Fluffy and dom
thanks fro mentioning that Obama has faced more.
this is all more GOP smoke .
Palin has faced nothing and Mc Comeoffit has faced nothing, except cheers because he was in vietnam.
I'm going down the street corner to find me a president.
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OS (#39), you are mistaken, because liberals see it the other way round. My neutral observation is that there is plenty of vitriol from the fringes on both ends of the spectrum.
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palin's problem
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Oh ed
:) :) :) :) :)
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DV (#40), yes. Here's an op-ed piece from the Washington Post via the San Francisco Chronicle on that subject:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/08/ED7Q12Q81S.DTL
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To #36Dougtexan
Click the far right corner of the link to enter.
It is not all bogus. The woman questioned if it was possible to ban books from the library.
Very Scary, as far as I am concerned.
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Why all the ripping on Justin for the post? He made it quite obvious that the list isn't true. I'm assuming it was posted merely for discussion's sake, seeing as how we haven't had a new post for a few days.
It's pretty funny when the right tries to paint itself as the injured party whenever their candidate gets attacked. Meanwhile, they ignore the fact that Obama is continuously referred to as a muslim. Even his slip on sunday created a flurry of additional postings all over the web. The main point is that Palin TRIED to ban some books. She tried to do so on mulitple occasions and attempted to fire the librarian. That's plain scary.
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It is unfortunate that there are people on both the left and the right who are willing to fabricate lies in order to achieve victory. This is the single greatest danger to democracy. Hopefully, these fools will someday wake up to the fact.
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dtedford (#48), in the words of that well-known Republican president, Ronald Reagan, "there you go again."
This forum is not news, it is a blog. Get it?
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Dougtexan
This is Justin Webb's blog. He may post anything he chooses to say. After all, there is free speech here, as much as the moderators allow. He did not personally vilify anyone nor use offensive vocabulary.
This is an open forum and you also are free to state your opinions.
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#48Dtedford
This is a forum for discussion. You are free to seek your 'news' wherever you wish. I doubt that you will find everything you are seeking on Justin Webb's blog but your views have been duly noted.
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Does it seem to anyone else that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy here? Practically anything and everything has been said about Obama on this blog and other places but Ms Palin, her experience, life style, beliefs, education etc are off limits. Not in my book!
I think everything about her is fair game. She put her hat into the ring, as it were, and must expect it to get it stomped and stomped hard!
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#48. dtedford: "As an American who lives in Europe, Mr. Webb's 'so called list', which was provided by an 'as usual' unnamed correspondent is so typical of the rags that call themselves providers of news." But this isn't a news column, it's a 'blog' as others have (on more than one occasion) pointed out. Quite clearly the list was shown to be spurious, or is it that you just 'happened' to ignore the words "plainly fake"?
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60 et al AQUA GIRL to the rescue .
Love your soul girl. you tell the half wits out there where' it's at.
Mc Cain actually thought they were talking michel palin and rightly thought "there's a nice guy well travelled.OK put palin up for the nomination"
He didn't even know she was a she from alaska
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DC repards sorry republicans are really bad at reading.
day ar fick.
Not one of them has been able to read any plans on the obama site cause they are fick.
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Found it!
Correction: It wasn't in Virginia, it was in Philadelphia. And here is the exact quote:
"I told him I'm not going to vote for him," Bauer said. "Anybody who runs with a guy with a name like that is not going to get my vote. It'd be disgusting to get a man named Barack Obama as president of the United States. No way. I mean it . . . I'm going to vote for McCain and the lady."
"[Obama's] a Muslim," Bauer added. "He pretends to be a Christian, and he isn't, he's a Muslim."
When Sarah Palin has to CONSISTENTLY clean up rumors about her (not her family, which is off-limits) that are on the level of ugliness as what this lady said about Obama, then I'll start feeling sympathy.
Maybe.
Until then, she hasn't a leg to stand on.
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the alleged banning of books is nothing compared to her indiscreet (pro-life) and backward (creationist) views
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I thought journalists knew to check with FactCheck.org before getting duped on lies by and about politicians. And, they might also do a quick check with Snopestoo.
The library book banning story has been discussed here for five days, but still people get hooked by the spin. I feel there might be an argument for censorship, if materials violated the community standards for what is considered offensive. Like, pornography. These are the types of issues that belong at the PTA, and mayor level.
Who knows what Sarah was fishing for? It might have been just a test of the librarian to see where she stood between doing nothing, and doing something reasonable. There are also threads of small town political infighting in this story. The librarian was also dating the fired chief of police.
Some of the libraries around large cities are no longer child friendly, because libraries are loathe to implement filters (censorship) that would prevent adults from using them as free porn booths. Adults are regularly arrested for indecent exposure, and for committing sexual acts in libraries.
Obviously it was not the intention of public libraries to become peep shows and tea houses.
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The efforts being put forward to smear Sarah Palin and John McCain are pitiful. From Russell Brand, the official spokesman of the British Empire, (now four counties south of the Tweed), who insulted the American President and the American People, suggesting that we are racists, we conclude that the Brits have become a crude and stupid people. At least the aforementioned Mr. Brand is.
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#65Parrisa
In my opinion, the banning of books will foster backward views of the world. If we are not free to read anything and everything that we choose to read we are no longer free.
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To#64Fluffybunny
It is very sad but there are closed minds everywhere. Your link just illustrates how a pernicious rumor can find fertile soil to grow in even the most stony ground.
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Obviously, Palin would make some adjustments
to the list. For example, "Little Red Riding Hood,"
that cautionary tale about creeping communism
(she was red, after all) would be replaced by
"Grimm Economic Fairy Tales," which outlines
the probable effects of her economic policies.
A "must read" while still available. Don't
forget to pick up a copy of "The Republic"
while you're at it.
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68, aquarizonagal:
At what age would you let your son or daughter read Lie With Me by Tamara Faith Berger? Would you think that it should be generally available for any grade school child?
There might need to be an NC17 section in the library. I don't have a problem with the books being available, but there needs to be some way to protect children.
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I was appalled when I heard the story and did some fact-checking. CBS reports that she not only brought up the issue of book banning with the librarian, as Jake says, but then went on to fire the librarian for not being supportive enough of her. She had to reinstate her only after an uproar was raised. So, no lists, but the reality seems to at least as bad.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Palin wants to ban Books?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Does she know about this document called Bill of Rights and its 1st Amendment. So much for a freedom loving people. But what the heck. Redneck America can only go in one direction: backward to primitive days.
And those of you who mentions polls and the American men who support Palin. Men in America always think with the wrong head.
Obama maybe should have chosen Jena Jameson for VP if he wanted to have the male votes.
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This is perfect-
A reference to a porn star doesn’t get referred to the moderators and makes it to the board with no problem, but a comment about Webb’s command of the English language and the generally sneering tone adopted by BBC media types does.
Just helping me prove my point.
Respectfully,
Q
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RealFrigid,
are you afraid that a 12year old kid will go to the public library to read about sex?
but hey why shouldn't he or she? in 5yrs time he or she will have a kid...may as well start early educating yourself about it...isn't that the Palin way?
Man, get real... kids don't even think reading about sex, let alone walking to the library to pick up the book. have you totally lost your mind? The more rules you put, the more curious people become and the more they will be tempted to break them.
or are you talking about 17yr olds? Latest fashion in America is that 17yrs old girls have babies. What do you have against it, EH?
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To Fluffybunny
There is really no accounting for how people make their choices in an election. I live in a VERY conservative community. Most people have been voting Republican since god was created. This past weekend, while in town, I visited the local diner where everything important in our little world is discussed and decided.
The male consensus is that Palin is "cute" (these old boys DO like a pretty woman) but they are not sure if she can be trusted because she is pretty. As one man put it: "My first wife was a looker but she ran off with that insurance guy and left me alone with the boys to raise. I hear she (Palin) cheated on her husband." This is the catch 22 to good looks.
Another questioned her sportsmanship. He though that shooting wolves from an airplane was: "What city folk do. That's shooting fish in a barrel. I'd kill a wolf messing with my cows but I'd shoot it fair and square. That old boy (McCain) is losing it. I guess I got to vote for that Obama."
The women were even more interesting, questioning her family values and several said "She's no Hillary!" One mother of six actually said that Palin should not have had so many children if she wanted to be in politics.
I could go on. It was very interesting. Most will probably vote for McCain just because they have always voted Republican and because they do not really look where their bread is buttered.
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qcicero
oooo...are you upset because the English don't want to accept your criticism addressed to their use of their own language?
Oooo...Pumpkin!
your truly,
Bond (007)
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72. At 9:00pm on 09 Sep 2008, scorpioquestionall wrote:
I was appalled when I heard the story and did some fact-checking. CBS reports that she not only brought up the issue of book banning with the librarian, as Jake says, but then went on to fire the librarian for not being supportive enough of her. She had to reinstate her only after an uproar was raised. So, no lists, but the reality seems to at least as bad."
indeed and given she also admits openly laughing at a cancer victim (another woman) she is emerging as a pretty standard, vicious bully.
However it is noticeable that since the drip feed of scandal began, she has run off like a poodle.
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aquaarizona,
thanks for the example of how unintelligent the common American's are when it comes issues that matter....
Just like Georgie talking about economics and switching to "oh look at the kitty"...
McCain clever...wot better way to take away the attention of a country that suffers from ADD. Perfect ploy to move the people's minds from the issues that threaten the future of America by introducing a loud female that would increse the hormones of the male audience and spark a revolution among women for making history by going to the white house
PATHETIC!
p.s. yes I got your comment on the other forum. I am glad you approve of it. Cheers
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To#71Realfrigid
It is parents' responsibility to protect their children, not a librarian's nor the government.
My parents encouraged me to read anything that I chose to read in order to improve my English and I was free to discuss my reading with them or ask questions at any time.
I, in turn, encouraged my children to read and discuss their reading with me, as well. You can get more trash from the internet than in any library and many parents allow children unlimited access...Don't start citing books for me to prove or disprove. I say read ANYTHING YOU CHOOSE.
The first thing that any despot does is limit information and censer learning.
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Aquarizonalgal, I am with you on censorship, particularly when it imposes or restricts beliefs on others. I see this as no different to shouting down and chasing off others on blogs who disagree with you.
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To#79Simon21
Drip feeding, as well as, drip irrigation are very effective. By poodle, I am assuming you are referring to the corrupted mutants of a once valiant and intelligent breed. Is it not interesting how often this woman and (sorry to say other women) have been compared to some breed of dog?
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This is disappointing.
It looks like my little rant piece about Mr. Webb and the BBC isn't going to make the cut.
I think it is because I put a link in there to commercial website that sells books. Sorry about that.
My post was probably a bit over the top anyway; these comment boards rarely bring the best out of people.
I am not an experienced blog-commentator.
It is ironic though - a comment responding to a blog about a censorship accusation got censored.
With Respects,
Q
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#81, aquarizonagal :
Obviously, I don't agree. There is a difference between art and pornography. I have no problem taking my children through the Louvre, but I won't give them porn magazines. All things in print are not equal. My censorship would be then to ban my children from a place where profanity is freely available.
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#84 .
experienced blog commentator? oh wow...is that going into your resume if you write a few more times?
It disappoints you eh to have your comment censored. Good...now you know the feeling of it, and hope Palin doesn't get anywhere close to that white house, else you will experience that feeling very very very often.
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To82Seanspa
Thanks! It seems to me that there are too many people in this world right now who want to tell others what to think, what to believe and how to live. Can we not live and let live. Can we not discuss, agree, disagree with some amiability and respect for each other. I do not ask anyone to believe as I do or to live as I do but I would like to have my choices respected.
I am not very good with quotes and history but I remember some historical figure in the distant past of my schooling saying something like this:
'I do not agree with what you say, sir, but I will defend to the death your right to say it'
I am sure there are posters who can give me the source.
My point is that this is where I stand. I may disagree with you, and state my own opinion. Your opinion is valuable to you, my opinion is valuable to me but we should defend each other vigorously against anyone who would deprive us of our right to speak out.
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To add to #85, RealFrigid:
So you don't believe in "age appropriate" applying to children? There is learning, and there is education. I wouldn't want my children exposed to learning that is not age appropriate.
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To#84Qcicero
As may posters here have said, the "mods are as gods" or I call them PTBs (Powers That Be).
If you used any ampersands in your post that can also get you rejected. I had that frustration when I first posted. Do not take it personally.
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Realfrigid
Monitor your children's access. That is your responsibility as a parent. No one that I can see wishes to force you to give your children books, publications or access to internet sites that you find unacceptable.
My point is, that this is a parental responsibility. I am speaking as a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent and also I am raising an orphaned grandchild.
One of the problems that I have seen in my nearly eight decades is that more and more people want to abdicate responsibility for their own lives and actions. Take responsibility. That is your job as a parent.
You will get no more from me on this subject.
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TO#88Realfrigid
There is always home schooling as an option.
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Uh, RealFrigid,
In your earlier comments, you said,
"Some of the libraries around large cities are no longer child friendly, because libraries are loathe to implement filters (censorship) that would prevent adults from using them as free porn booths. Adults are regularly arrested for indecent exposure, and for committing sexual acts in libraries."
First, Wasilla is NOT a large city. Since it's rather small, the budget would be limited, hence the selection would be limited as well. It's HIGHLY unlikely that pornographic material would be found there.
Second, the internet filters used by many libraries often block out significant information. From my personal experience, a few years ago, a library I visited blocked out Salon Magazine. Why? It had a section marked "Sex". One can cite numerous examples, including filters blocking out chicken recipes, breast cancer sites, and the Starr report.
Finally, adults are arrested for indecent exposure in parks as well. Should we then close the parks?
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#75 - qcicero wrote:
"This is perfect-
A reference to a porn star doesn?t get referred to the moderators and makes it to the board with no problem..."
What exactly is wrong with porn stars ?
At least they don't get rewarded with college scholarships just for showing their bodies.
If you get my drift.
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- aquarizonagal -
Thanks,
I think the moderators are right on this though, if it is the link to a book seller's site that caught me out.
I just wanted to point out that Mr. Webb's list has 'Lady Chatterleys [sic] Lover' cited. It should be 'Lady Chatterley’s Lover.'
I know, that’s very pedantic.
My justification is that I think Mr. Webb's tone about America and Americans tends to be a bit condescending, which is fine, and can even be entertaining, but in taking a condensing attitude toward the Wasilla Public Library – from shelf-space, or the lack there of, to the alleged censorship of books – I think he should put his own house in order first.
Seeing that I goofed up on the House Rules though… a wider lesson about stones and glass houses might be in order.
And so humbled, I bid all a good night.
Cheers,
Q
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To#80Goleooo
My post was very short compared to the actual discussion. Some of these very staunch Republicans will vote for Obama because they think McCain is not "up to the job" and because they are not happy with the last eight years. Many have family members in the National Guard.
Immigration is a huge issue here and was vigorously discussed, also water use and the CAP, which McCain stated he wanted to change. This has not been as extensively reported as it should be. These people are not unintelligent, they are just very focused on their own daily lives. Some are confused and do not have the leisure to learn as much as they would like. My original post was to show that what the pols think is not necessarily what many Americans think.
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#91, aquarizonagal :
I don't need to cloister my children to keep them safe. The fact remains that many libraries have become unsafe places for people who go there to check out books to read.
I'm trying to discuss the responsibility of people to build the society in which they would like to live. Trust me, I believe in freedom. And, the freedom for adults to partake of whatever they like, as long as it harms no one else.
Governments frequently condemn properties, or use eminent domain to take over areas that have been over run with the sex trade, tear them down and rebuild something more socially redeeming. Not all things should be defended in the name of freedom. It is a fine line that needs to be carefully tread, but there are those things that are "harmful" for children. We should be willing to defend children from harm, and creating a separation is not censorship if those adults who seek it, can find it.
The European Union has a law that forbids holocaust denial. Here is an example of censorship that has been determined to be in the community interest.
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#92, Orvillethird:
"First, Wasilla is NOT a large city. Since it's rather small, the budget would be limited, hence the selection would be limited as well. It's HIGHLY unlikely that pornographic material would be found there.
Second, the internet filters used by many libraries often block out significant information. "
I agree. It is hard to speculate on what they were thinking without knowing of which types of books they objected. I was shocked recently to find neo-nazi material in a small town high school library. I might be prejudiced against nazism, but it would make me uncomfortable for a school library to distribute that material.
"From my personal experience, a few years ago, a library I visited blocked out Salon Magazine. Why? It had a section marked "Sex". One can cite numerous examples, including filters blocking out chicken recipes, breast cancer sites, and the Starr report."
The filters are better than they used to be. Also, if there is a site you would like white listed, you only need to ask and someone will review it and add the url to the list.
"Finally, adults are arrested for indecent exposure in parks as well. Should we then close the parks?"
Right, but the city doesn't display pornographic material on billboards which might encourage sexual behavior.
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Haven't you got any real reporting to do, Mr Webb ?
Like reporting on the opinion poll the BBC itself has just produced on Obama v McCain ?
Your recent blogs seem to focus on rumours about Palin. First Eagleton (dead in the water, totally false), now this rubbish.
It is like a gossip-monger saying "I don;t think thia is true - but I have heard that ...."
The BBC sure gives every sign it is in the tank for Obama. Americans who visit this blog have no idea how biased the BBC's coverage in the UK has been. But think MSNBC, you'll get the picture.
I wish we still had Alastair Cooke instead of this sort of nonsense.
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Young Mr Grace,
Your link had a lot of ampersands in it, and works better if converted to a tiny url, which gives http://tinyurl.com/6fzmr9...
The links tutorial is here, and includes how to deal with ampersands (&) by adding amp;, thus: &
You're doing very well yourself
;-)
ed
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Cool One,
1.) Not EU-wide, I think. Only in some countries, notably Austria.2.) There should also be a law forbidding Nakba denial, and especially in Israel (fat chance!)
Salaam, etc.
ed
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By way of full disclosure: 1. I support neither McCain/Palin nor Obama/Biden. 2. I believe the government should have no say on what anyone reads.
I am appalled at the sanctimony and utter hypocrisy of many of our British friends on this issue.
Even if one takes the report of Palin's inquiry into restricting the selections in a town library at face value, it pales into insignificance when compared to the status of Great Britain.
In Great Britain, books and articles are banned and their authors can be jailed and/or fined because their opinions do not conform to officially approved history of the 1933-1945 period. The Racial and Religious Hatred Act makes certain expressed opinions illegal (even heresy). Further, the Official Secrets Act criminalizes publication of many materials which most reasonable persons would agree have nothing to do with national security related matters.
We in the US have no such restrictions on publications of this type, no matter how outrageous the opinions expressed, and the potential removal of books that some find controversial from a taxpayer funded library will not result in the inability of anyone to access them if they wish. Under no circumstances could Palin have made it illegal to possess, read, or publish any material, even if she wanted to.
I will grant that Palin is a polarizing figure, but the hypocrisy of some of the comments on this blog is astounding.
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and the rest of the civilized world has given its vote to Obama over McCain 4:1.
Can we Americans be so far behind not to see the great peril we are in and that we cannot afford to have another war president in McCain, and a mad dog who knows nothing of the international world and is a stuck up ideologist who believes the world was created in 7 days?
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The way the media are so in the tank for Obama and are spreading false stories about Palin - the net effect is to drive many ordinary people to McCain :
http://tinyurl.com/5llsj3
At least some inthe UK media - unlike the BBC - are capable of taking a balanced view of Palin, avoiding the tittle-tattle and looking at the broader picture :
http://tinyurl.com/6f82ke
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And one more thing all you war lovers out there and supporters of the idea that we should send our citizens to fight wars for oil so some old idiots can be proud of them at home....READ THE MAIN NEWS ON CNN....
Let's see if you are proud of that...both you and Mr. McCain.
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Ed, RF, wikipedia (I know, the usual pinch of salt) claims the following countries have denial legislation.
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland.
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Goleooo, OK, I looked. What's Lance Armstrong got to do with this?
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Thanks Seanspa. As I thought, not all EU.
Salaam, etc.
ed
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JohnAAA
"The media are in the tank for Obama"
Can you really be serious about that? This man has suffered more personal attacks than McCain. Palin is too 'delicate' for any real vetting. Anything said against her will probably be interpreted as sexist.
Get real, as my grandchildren say, Obama has had to defend himself against some very vicious scandal mongering. Ms Sarah is being protected from all of that.
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To#104Goleooo
YOU GO, GO, GO!!!
I lost my youngest child in this most recent war for oil. I have nothing but contempt for those who celebrate war and those who urge us on to more conflict. Our precious blood has been shed so someone here can drive a gas guzzling vehicle. Many of our politicians are so holy, only mealy mouthed evangelists for RIGHT. Most are beneath contempt. I am one mother for peace!
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seanspa,
I am glad you have your priorities right...But since you brought Lance up...He is more qualified to be VP than Palin is, as he is well traveled and has a good view of what happens outside these borders. Besides he is one of those few Americans the world truly appreciates and values.
Are you happy now
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#83. aquarizonagal wrote: "Is it not interesting how often this woman and (sorry to say other women) have been compared to some breed of dog?" Not to mention the female of the same animal, which in Mrs Palin's case appears to be accurate; Leona Helmsley would have loved her.
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109 aquarizonagal
80% or more of US journalists and editors are Democrat supporters. Are you seriously suggesting that a lot of the leaders like the Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, MSNBC, CNN, Newsweek are not slanted ? Come on, be real. MSNBC has just had to shuffle its team because the bias was so blatant. Even Bill Maher, hardly a rightwinger said the MSNBC duo seemed to want to have sex with Obama, they were fawning so much.
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aquarizonagal,
my condolences. I am only too sorry that the rest of these people refuse to acknowledge your pain and your loss for some crocked ideals, that some call democracy, some call freedom, and the worst of them all call christianity. Talk about a major bull....scam.
And JohnAAA...i don't know what to make of your stupidity and indifference. Watch Jon Stewarts daily show of Sep. 3 and see what sort of people support your choices...I have a feeling you are a Janus yourself. Msnbc wants sex with Obama eh...well how far up the scale has your hormone level gone up since you saw Palin is the American Pandora. Nothing like an Alaskan Milf to appeal to rednecks eh...you're pathetic accusing the media for supporting Obama. And why shouldn't they anyways...they supported McCain's party and look where they country is. You really think of the old man as the Mesiah don't you...primitivo
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#112. JohnAAA: "Are you seriously suggesting that a lot of the leaders like the Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, MSNBC, CNN, Newsweek are not slanted?" That's really rich coming from someone living in the UK. Can you say that The Sun, The Mirror, The Telegraph and Daily Express are not "slanted"? The Sun even claimed to have brought Tony Blair and "New Labour" to power. It's a time-honoured tradition for the print media to have a political bias. Fleet Street (as it was) always had it, why not American publications? Certainly contemporary media does, web sites in particular. I see nothing wrong with it.
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To#112JohnAAA
your reply to my #109 was off target. Please reread!
Sir, I will not respond to you in the future because you do not seem capable of seeing anyone's ideas but your own. You are free to state whatever you choose without challenge from me.
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Goleoo, I looked up CNN news as soon as you posted. As you were not specific about what you were talking about (not for the first time, much better to just slag off others than say what you mean) I picked the top story. If you wanted us to look at something specific, you have the ability - don't you?
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112, JohnAAA.
Are you a McCain plant?
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I am surprised nobody mentioned the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the list of books banned by the Catholic church.
Darwin's grandfather is mentioned on it but not the great man himself.
It was only abolished in 1966. Isn't one of the four P/VP candidates a catholic ?
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#109 aquarizonagal
I don't know whether you saw my post on a previous thread but Justin Webb accepted on NewsWatch on BBC News 24 that the BBC gave much more coverage to Barack Obama.
He said it was because Obama 'was the news'.
Incidentally the 'war for oil' appears to have been won by the Chinese.
They got the first oil contract from Iraq.
How inept of the USA with 146,000 soldiers there you would think they would be able to grab a little oil.
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118, 119, chill
I think Biden is a Catholic, but most Catholics are pretty easy-going. All the prohibitions are so extreme that most people solve the problem by not obeying any of them.
As to oil, I think we get only five per cent from the Middle East. Our biggest supplier is Canada and, after that, Mexico (I think). The Mexican fields are drying up.
Since Bush isn't getting the oil, I guess he will have to settle for power.
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114 David_Cunard
I know the press is usually slanted. You miss the point - in the US the media are mostly slanted one way. Right now they are in the tank for Obama.
The one outlet that should not be slanted is the BBC. It has a Royal Charter duty to be impartial. That is part of the bargain under which the BBC licence fee is required from every TV household - under de facto pain of imprisonment.
The BBC is breaking their side of the bargain. They are in the tank for Obama too.
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Justin. You are abusing your position as a senior BBC reporter to spread, by your own admission, lies about Sarah Palin. If this book list is fake why publish this list? By mearly writing this blog you plant the seed of doubt in people's mind. Have you interviewed the librarian concerned? I doubt it. Have you interviewed any other person who has interviewed the librarian directly? I doubt it. You have picked up on journo tittle tattle and turned it into a story about nothing. If you write a blog about attempts of anyone to ban books, get the facts not the dirt. Sarah Palin has come from nowhere. She has enemies and they will throw stories you journalists will love printing - whether true or not. We all know she isn't your cup of tea but we expect you to report fairly. Stick to truth Justin.
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123 wiz
Exactly. The BBC is in the tank for Obama.
USA Today - "Palin did not ban books in Wasilla as mayor"
http://tinyurl.com/6pcs5l
The big story is Palin, and a lot of it is focussing on her record in Alaska. I don't see or hear the BBC telling its audience anything substantial about that rcord - warts and all. It is just the drip-drip-drip of tittle-tattle and condescension.
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Speaking of reading lists, Making Money
Monday: Greed
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles
The Moneymaker by Janet Gleeson
Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
Metamorphoses XI by Ovid
Tuesday: Opportunity
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
The Moneymaker by Janet Gleeson
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
Tulipmania by Anne Goldgar
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Wednesday: Bandwagon
The Reformation of Manners by Daniel Defoe
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith
The South Sea Bubble by John Carswell
Tulipmania by Anne Goldgar
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
Thursday: Crash
The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith
Tulipmania by Anne Goldgar
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
The South Sea Bubble by John Carswell
Extraordinary Popular Delusions by Charles Mackay
The Moneymaker by Janet Gleeson
Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens
Friday: Recovery
Metamorphoses XI by Ovid
The Moneymaker by Janet Gleeson
The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan
The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
A Short History of Financial Euphoria by John Kenneth Galbraith
The South Sea Bubble by John Carswell
Great reading list! Especially considering the inauspicious 79th anniversaries this month and next month... Follow the link to listen in...
Enjoy the roller-coaster! ;-)
ed
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Ms Marbles,
Self-sown, I fear. ;-)ed
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
49. jacksforge wrote:
Fluffy and dom
thanks fro mentioning that Obama has faced more.
this is all more GOP smoke .
While there have been questions of Obama from the GOP and even uncommitted voters who have questions about his past utterances and voting records when compared to his present speeches, the press has been notably lacking in questioning his beliefs.
In fact, it has rather highlighted the liberal leanings of many reporters/editors. It is natural that as individuals they may have such predilections so long as they remember to conduct their work professionally and supply balance.
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I wonder if Jack London's classic, The call of the Wild, is on the list?
;-)
ed
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#107, ed;
BBC- Push for EU Holocaust denial ban
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Cool One,
Thanks for that. It seems such a provision would allow prosecution for denying (or "trivialising") the Turkish slaughter of Armenians, and presumably Rwanda, etc., but what can be done to stop Nakba Denial?
Salaam/Shalom
ed
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127. At 11:52am on 10 Sep 2008, Schwerpunkt wrote:
49. jacksforge wrote:
In fact, it has rather highlighted the liberal leanings of many reporters/editors. It is natural that as individuals they may have such predilections so long as they remember to conduct their work professionally and supply balance."
No the press is not obliged to supply "balance" that is a spurious concept in journalism.
The press is not a branch of the civil service. It is not required to publish a balance of white and black/ hispanic stories, rich, middle class and poor, East coast and West coast, give every nation of the world equal billing.
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to SeanSpa
"Goleoo, I looked up CNN news as soon as you posted. As you were not specific about what you were talking about (not for the first time, much better to just slag off others than say what you mean) I picked the top story. If you wanted us to look at something specific, you have the ability - don't you?"
Well i am sorry I was not specific enough for you. I assumed you are intelligent enough to filter out what is irrelevant to this forum, but I overestimated the "nobamas" again. I really should stop doing that, as time and time again the rednecks prove me wrong. All in good spirit....
BIG BANG!!!! BIG BANGGGGGGGG!
I wonder what Palin has go to say to Europe's historical scientific achievement of trying to reproduce a mini BIG BANG.......if only someone could ask her that question. God must be really angry with the Europeans right now for attempting to create a universe in "seven days maybe" I have a feeling she would call them heretics and that all these crazy scientist should burn in hell.
Cheers to knowledge!
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Did it never occur to anyone that there might have been another, perfectly harmless explanation at base for this story that has been making the rounds?
As a newly elected mayor with no prior librarianship experience, she now had the public library within her portfolio. She begins getting inquiries from some members of the public about removing certain books from the library's collection. She calls in the head librarian to discuss policy so that she will be informed and know how to respond to the public.
What, pray tell, is so sinister about that? It is exactly how any and every politician in a position of authority would act - even Obama and Biden, should they actually ever find themselves in the novel experience of executive responsibility.
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I think that the reference to Catch-22 is especially ironic, given that Heller was, like McCain, a bombardier, seeing action in WW2 rather than Vietnam.
There is, incidentally, an excellent BBC news story about the significance of the book:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1868619.stm
Good old Beeb!
I especially liked Heller's question: "What does a sane man do in an insane society?"
Obama, dear brother, "I'm dependin' on you to tell us the truth" - and preserve us from the politics of Ken and Barbie.
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aquarizonagal (post 82)
The quote is usually attributed to Voltaire.
For all those treating the banned book list as a good reading guide Votaires' Candide should probably be added.
Candide was first banned shortly after publication and has periodically been banned at various times in several countries. It is also considered one of the most important books of its age, which probably tells you all you need to know about banning books :-)
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"Barack Obama's running mate sunk to a new low today, launching an offensive debate over who cares more about special needs children" the republicans say....
truly republicans are primitive. Palin has only been mother to a child with dissabilities and she knows all about it? WOW....than the families who have raised them for many years, who have cried and prayed that a miracle might happen one day (that miracle inspired by God is delivered by Science) don't know anything about it.
And than republicans call Obama desperate. better desperate with hopes and goals than primitive with nothing but a bible in one hand a gun in the other. Oh yes...lipstick too. Don't forget that one. It might be the new symbol of being American. Palin's glasses and hairdo have already become.
You know what else, I never understood the point of having a primitive man in a geico advertisement until recently. I always thought of it as stupid and insulting, but now i see it is a compliment to many in this country. The primitive man is the redneck against progress, against science, against evolution and change.
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Stepheninch,
Seconded! And it can be read in an afternoon, even by most Republicans...;-)
ed
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JohnAAA (#121), I have just read the entire BBC Charter, and I cannot find any requirement of "impartiality." It does say that the BBC must be "open" and "transparent."
Perhaps you meant to refer to the Framework Agreement.
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Here is the BBC Framework Agreement.
It seems that "impartiality" is required only for "news" and matters of "public policy." Furthermore, impartiality may be satisfied across a group of sources; it is not required that a single source be impartial.
The meaning of "public policy" is not clear, but I doubt if where the agreement refers to "political parties" it means to include any political party anywhere in the world.
I think all of the complaints about a supposed lack of "impartiality" in this blog are merely whistling in the wind.
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I accept that this is a blog led by a BBC reporter rather than an official BBC news outlet. My own concern about some of the items Justin has referred to, though, is that it opens him up to doubt on his impartiality when reporting the news.
I would certainly read from what he says here that he is a supporter of Obama. Nothing wrong with that in itself, it's just that he needs to be even-handed in his official capacity, else the BBC is seen as being part of the Obama PR machine. That would be wrong, as it departs from reporting the news.
Goleooo, I understand that ABC's Charles Gibson is to interview Mrs Palin. A less bigoted man would wait to see was she has to say for herself rather than project what he wants her to say and then rubbish her in advance. All prejudice is wrong. Preconception leads not to knowledge but to foolishness - I made that up. Perhaps you can guess who was my inspiration!
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BBC please get your facts straight. The fact that Palin tried to remove books from the town library has been confirmed TRUE - not false.
The list you provided is fake, no such lists exists. But Palin tried to fire the librarian who would not cooperate with her plan to remove books and had to back off when the public rallied behind the librarian. She never got the chance to submit a list of books. All this is public knowledge and has been confirmed by the residents of the town.
The original source of this story was Palin's fellow town-mate Anne Kilkenny. She wrote an email to her family and friends explaining all this. The letter was forwarded to others and quickly became an internet sensation. She has written a few clarifications about it in a new article she wrote entitled "Letters from Wasilla".
I strongly recommend people read the letter/article first-hand to get the facts straight, rather having the facts recycled through the mainstream media.
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The same thing happened with Obama. For some reason, this practice seems to be a "christening". However, it is good of Justin to point it out. I do not see it as slander, but rather I see it as a myth-buster. Now you know...
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To#135AdrianEvitts
It seems to me that the inmates have been running our asylum for way too long!
Also: Loved the "Ken and Barbie" reference!
And to#137Goleooo
I am raising a grandchild with special needs whose life has been more complicated due to the loss of her parents. The No Child Left Behind Act is leaving her behind because there has been lack of sufficient funds provided to actually put some money where Bush put his mouth. Education has been so cheated in this country by the Republicans that even I, a very independent voter, have come to think that that I would never vote Republican for any office again!
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To #136Stepheninch
Thanks for giving me the reference!
I am getting old (just like McCain) and my memory is not as good as it used to be. I have not read Candide in over 60 years. Cheers to you and Edinglehart, I will now reread. I am not a Republican but I am slow so it may take me more than a day.
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A general comment:
Justin Webb has moved on to the Gordon Brown endorsement but it seems to me that this particular thread touches on some of the fundamental freedoms we have enjoyed in this country that are now being threatened in a variety of insidious ways.
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We are moving on.
The latest blog is now addressing 'Lipsticking.'
Stick a fork in me because I am so done!
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SeanSpa, with your brains I wouldn't even find my way to the loo!
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yea yea yea...i know call me what you want...
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Wow, 10Micha, you found me out. I bow before your superior intellect.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
You're right about McCain's real issues.
They're gonna need alot of lipgloss
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Another cheap, snide sneer by Webb. You really are an utter disgrace to journalism. You don't even bother to hide your agenda.
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#153:
I disagree wholeheartedly with your criticism of Justin - his coverage of American politics is evenhanded and easily the most interesting to read, hear and watch that I've found - although Matt Frei has his moments too (albeit not quite so frequent!)
Perhaps you don't get tongue-in-cheek (British) humour ...
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Don't let the glasses fool you. She is George Bush with lipstick.
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She seems very stern to me, a true Republican that could possibly be George Bush in drag.
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It does not surprise me that, Palin is in the habit of banning books in her time; in office!
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It a ridicules list of books. What is wrong with a Death of a Salesman by Miller or To Kill a Mocking Bird by Lee? They are in our school programme for GCSE. Where else this freaking control will take her? We soon will not be able to move without authoritarian approval. Perhaps we shouldn’t be allowed to call a mortgage for rental property buy to let mortgage as it is a bit more risky than residential. What to expect next?
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