Dems' Fighting Words

Librarians are, for the most part, tree hugging hippie commie pinko liberals and when a story broke that  Sarah Palin may have even remotely suggested banning books at Wasila library in Alaska - bloggers lost their shit all over the place. Reading their entries and comments you'd think Palin was photographed in the mayor's mansion throwing copies of Catcher In The Rye  on the fireplace... while teaching children abstinence  only sex education. And since we all know McCain will die of old age or lapse into dementia once he's sworn into office, this naturally planted a seed of doubt in many librarians minds of some bleak Orwellian future  under President Palin's iron fist (assuming that iron hand is not already engaged in cocking a shotgun to kill a polar bear or  folded in prayer for the Baby Jesus). 

Even librarian web celeb Jessamyn "Bad Hair Day" West (see below) broke her pretend oath to not bring " 'who to vote for' politics" into her blog to touch on the issue. 

The entry generated over 200 some odd comments from librarians and other types of Internet weirdos! Part of that had to do with someone posting a fake lists of books Palin wanted banned from libraries containing pretty much every classic book you didn't read in high school as well as some books that weren't even around during her tenure as mayor. Essentially the only thing left on the shelves would have been the Bible and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. Maybe the Declaration of Independence assuming a pagan liberal didn't scrawl out the word God.  Luckily for us, we have heroes like Jessamyn West to guide the librarian flocks. She apparently received tens of emails regarding the fake list and felt it her duty to set the record straight. Which in these times is vital because apparently librarians are perfectly incapable of fact checking and doing their own research when they read a story that they want to believe. 

Regardless I think it is almost ironic that, because her blog was overrun with comments on the censorship issue, Jessamyn was forced to institute a policy allowing her to delete comments on her blog... a.k.a. censor them!: 

"I will not edit or delete other people’s comments (unless there’s a privacy or stalking-type issue) at the request of another reader. I may delete comments that are off-topic, abusive or just plain crazy. I’m fine with people disagreeing with me or other commenters. I’m less fine with people using my blog as a place to post anti-topic screeds and/or harass and insult other readers or me."

So please be mindful of posting comments that generate other discussions in her blog. If you want to blam someone  or stalk them please do so in my blogs' comments. It is not only welcomed but encouraged. 

I've never seen the library world so politicized before. We have Librarians For Palin and Librarians Against Palin! Then there's Crowned Idiot ALA President James Rettig

calling for librarians to post on mydebates.org because "This is an opportunity for the library voice to become an important part of the 2008 Presidential election."

So please people, post as many library questions as you can. I'm sure all of America would much rather hear about library issues than say the candidates stances on economic recovery, affordable health care, terrorism, education, unemployment, poverty rates, Social Security...

- The Gossiping Librarian

P.S. HAH I tricked you I switched the links on the For/Against Palin sites! Your minds have now been tainted by opposing viewpoints bwhahahaha