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Banning of books is never okay. Read them or don't. That solves the moral problem right there. Seriously, why would you check out a book that was offensive to you or try to control anothers actions? Baffling.
It may not be commonly known, but the qualification to be a library director requires a MASTER'S DEGREE in library and information services--so I assume the library director had a master's in her field and is well versed in how to operate a library.
Therefore, she does not need the mayor, of all people, butting into her professional business, telling her how to do her job.
Freedom of speech, freedom on the press -- a professional librarian is trained to defend these freedoms. You would be amazed at how much great literature has been BANNED in the past just because someone was offended. A naughty word or a thought that someone did not agree with -- so they banned the book. I think just about anyone can find something in a book that would offend them but that doesn't mean that we should prevent other people from reading that book.
I'll try to find a list of books that have been banned from libraries in the past to prove my point. This is scary stuff -- "When books burn, people will burn." I heard that statement regarding Nazi Germany and it comes back to me when I think of censorship.
Some leaders, both political and religious, in this country in my mind are NOT neo-conservatives, but are in fact, neo-Fascists. I remember when we used to hear of all those racist fringe militant groups - there were many of them trying to recruit people all over the country. That did not work. Shortly after these groups seemed to crawl under the rocks they came out from we started getting flavors of 'neo-cons' in politics and socially active fundamentalist 'Christian' leaders. It's as though the money that the nazi groups used to get were being rechannelled.
It's as though Americans thought racism were against their principles and the power hungry instigators of these groups could not get a big enough following, so they decided to use an institution that WAS pretty much home-grown American, the churchs.
The American people were too smart to fall for the militant racist groups and I think the majority of us are also either too smart or too genuinely godly to fall for these phoney neocon people who call themselves 'Christian'. All they are doing is chasing true conservatives out of the Republican party temporarily and smearing those genuine Christians who are trying very hard to do the right thing.
People do not sometimes realize, but librarians are some of the bravest defenders of truly American values that we have in our country.
I think "banned" is a misnomer. There is no law against reading any of these books. "Banned" maybe by a school or local library, but some nationwide book ban? Who instigated it, who perpetuates it, who enforces it??
Here is some info on Banned Books Week (coming up end of September) by the ALA:
i thought we lived in America??? freedom of speech, pursuit of happiness???
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Palin's religion shapes her world view
