Palin and library books-more than one apparently
davidebernstein at aol.com
davidebernstein at aol.com
Sun Sep 14 19:15:29 PDT 2008
You can "search inside" this book on Amazon. From the pages I can see,
it's about a boy whose parents got divorced last year, and whose father
now has a roommate, with whom he eats, works, and sleeps (with a
picture of them in bed together). Readers are later told that Daddy
and his roommate Frank are gay and that "being gay is just one more
kind of love."
I don't know how accurate the story is, or whether Palin ever actually
read the book or not. And, for the record, the book doesn't offend me,
and indeed, I'd probably endorse its sentiments (I'd know better if I
could read the whole thing).
But the Times is being a bit disingenuous in merely quoting Ms. Chase
is saying the book is "inoffensive" and "helps children understand
homosexuality" (the latter implying that the book doesn't take a
positon on the matter). It would quite obviously be offensive to many
parents who have traditional religious/moral views about sexual
matters, as well as to parents who think that such mature content
shouldn't be on the shelves for children to discover without parental
permission/guidance. (Remember the controversy in New York over
"Heather Has Two Mommies"?)
And Ms. Chase implicitly acknowledges that parents would a legitimate
gripe if the book was "offensive." But, to reiterate an earlier
question, why is Ms. Chase in a better position than local residents
represented by their elected representativ
es to determine whether a
book is too "offensive" to be on the children's shelves? I think it's
problematic to have public libraries that have to make such decisions,
but once they do, I don't see why the town librarian is in a better
position, consitutionally or otherwise, to make such determinations
than other actors.
-----Original Message-----
From: curtism at bellsouth.net
To: Volokh, Eugene <VOLOKH at law.ucla.edu>; CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu
Sent: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 7:07 pm
Subject: RE: Palin and library books-more than one apparently
Here is what the NY Times story today says:
"Witnesses and contemprary news accounts state that Ms. Palin asked the
librarian to take books [plural] off the shelves. The McCain-Palin
presidential campaign says Ms Palin never advocated censorship. But in
1995, Ms. Palin, then a a council woman, told colleagues that she had
noticed the book "Daddy's Roomate" on the shelves and that it did not
belong there, according to Ms Chase, then on the council and then-Mayor
Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps chidlren understnd
homosexuality and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin
read it. 'Sarah said she didn't need to read that stuff,' recalls Ms.
Chas who has become disenchanged with Ms. Palin. 'It was distrubing
that someone would be willing to remove a book from the libarary and
she didn't even read it.'"
-------------- Original message from "Volokh, Eugen
e"
<VOLOKH at law.ucla.edu>: --------------
> Indeed, she apparently groused about that book when she was a
> councilwoman, and talked about the possibility of removing books
when
> she was a mayor, but as I mentioned apparently she never demanded
that
> any books be removed when she was mayor (though, as I said, she
> apparently contemplated it).
>
> Eugene
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Michael Froomkin - U.Miami School of Law
> > [mailto:froomkin at law.miami.edu]
> > Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 2:17 PM
> > To: Volokh, Eugene
> > Cc: CONLAWPROF at lists.ucla.edu
> > Subject: RE: mayors and purging books
> >
> > For the record, the New York Times suggests that there was a
> > particular book at issue, at least at one point:
> >
> > ++start quote++
> >
> > in 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues
> > that she had noticed the book "Daddy's Roommate" on the
> > shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms.
> > Chase and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps
> > children understand homosexuality, and said it was
> > inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.
> >
> > "Sarah said she didn't need to read that stuff," Ms. Chase
> > said. "It was disturbing that someone would be willing to
> > remove a b
ook from the library and she didn't even read it."
> >
> > "I'm still proud of Sarah," she added, "but she scares the
> > bejeebers out of me.'"
> >
> > ++end quote++
> >
> > source: NYT, Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed
> > Foes,
> >
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?par
> > tner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
> >
> > It's quite plausible that memory of this 1995 controversy
> > carried over to 1996, when she became Mayor.
> >
> > On Sat, 13 Sep 2008, Volokh, Eugene wrote (responding to
> > Michael Curtis):
> >
> > > I agree with Michael that, depending on the facts, a
> > demand that a
> > > book be removed from the library shelf (something that
> > Palin as mayor
> > > never did, though she apparently contemplated it) may
merit
> > > condemnation.
> >
> > [snip]
> > --
> > http://www.icannwatch.org Personal Blog:
http://www.discourse.net
> > A. Michael Froomkin | Professor of Law | froomkin at law.tm
> > U. Miami School of Law, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL
33124 USA
> > +1 (305) 284-4285 | +1 (305) 284-6506 (fax) |
http://www.law.tm
> > -->It's warm here.<--
> >
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