Sarah Palin and the Book Burning Snit

There has been so much said about Sarah Palin these last few weeks, but there are some "scandals" that have really gotten under my skin. First and foremost, it was discovered that Sarah Palin asked about whether or not books could legally be banned. All she did was ASK (as Alaska governor, it was her JOB to know whether or not it was legally possible). Note: During Sarah Palin's entire career, she has not once tried to ban any books. This is an important distinction.

In light of this non-controversy, I soon learned that the reported "list" of books that Sarah Palin "tried" to ban actually has been cirulating online for years. It is a list of all of the books that have been banned (or people have tried to ban) across the United States. In fact, several of the books on the list weren't even published at the time that Sarah Palin sent the e-mail.

Included on the list were several books books that caught my attention. In fact, several works by Roald Dahl were mentioned. Many of his books were read aloud by my teachers during my elementary school days, and I consider them among my favorite children's books. When you add books by Mark Twain and Harper Lee, a significant part of my early education would have been banned by certain people.

If there was one thing that would cause me to lose respect for Sarah Palin, this would be it. Quite simply, there is no evidence that she ever tried to ban books. However, as a bibliophile, my right to read what I want is sacred. I will not tolerate people trying to ban books. Recently, this issue was broached on LibraryThing. I wanted to respond badly, but was unsure of how to do so. Those who believe such things about Sarah Palin can't be reasoned with at all; they will deny everything even in the face of hard evidence. It is truly disgusting.

Lindsey Russell

My Library Thing