I Just Saw Sarah Palin Snow a Willing Greta van Susteren

Just minutes ago on Fox News I saw Sarah Palin tell Greta van Susteren that the rumors that she wanted to ban books in the local library while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska were false.

Governor Palin said the charge was untrue because someone accused her of banning Harry Potter books and that would be impossible because Harry Potter "hadn't even been written when I was mayor." But Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002 and there were additions to the Harry Potter series in that period.

So the conclusion to be drawn here is either 1). Palin is lying about her attempt at book burning in Wasilla and trying to cover it up; or 2). Palin is so clueless about secular popular culture she is unaware of the time period of the publication of the books in the mega-hit Harry Potter series. Of course, van Susteren -- dutiful Fox News Republican ventriloquist dummy she is -- just let Palin's assertion go by unchallenged. I just thought it was really weird. I guess Palin just lies even when she doesn't have to or is really culturally challenged up there in the tundra. Did anybody else see this?

Comments

[Candyland]

I am by no means a Sarah Palin supporter, but it doesn't serve anyone well to pick apart every word she says and call it a lie. Although her actions as mayor certainly implied she would have liked to, the truth is she never banned any books. It's a little bit of a gray area since the intent seems to be there, but it's irritating to see people twist the truth and say she did.

Yeah, she's probably messed up with the Harry Potter timeline, but who cares? If you're going to delve into Palin wrongdoing, go for the stuff that matters: the pipeline contracts, her travel expenses, troopergate, etc.

[i approve this message]

The problem is, she cites this untrue example while she complains about people not doing enough fact checking.

[liberalsrheros]

well, forgive me but, her lack of understanding the first ammendment she showed durring the campaign(about being criticizes by the media) and a propensity to try and control what is available in public libraries, damn skippy it's important.

[mamak]

Stupidity and lying should be called out.

Book banning is important because she IS a hardcore right-wingnut and must be exposed for who she really is. It's always the small matter that will rat out their inner evil to the public.

Bottomline Palin is a right-wing extremist.

[suvbaby]

You need to do your homework on this gal. While this might seem trivial to you it speaks volumes about her fanatical positions on a wide variety of subjects never mind that she is not the brightest crayon in the box.

[aloha43]

It absolutely DOES matter to call someone out on lies. ESPECIALLY someone who was caught that many times lying, and someone who is running for our highest positions in the US.

Everything that comes out of her mouth is a lie. So EVERYTHING she says should be stuff that matters.

[lisakaz2]

If she tried to ban books, she needs to be called out. She doesn't have to be successful to be questioned. Her intent is enough. It's not altogether different than charging rpe victims for their test kits; she doesn't get to paper that over because the state decided she couldn't get that to stay.

[maeme]

I noticed that she is wearing the pink jacket (claimed it was her OWN while here in Florida with Hasselbeck) for the “let me talk” with Matt Lauer. His questions were lightweight and on par with Fox's stellar breaking news from Van Sustern. Already Plain is lying, she claims that reports of her wanting a Harry Potter book banned from the library were FALSE. The truth is that it was a book about a gay family, not a Harry Potter book. She also infers that her medical records were released in answer to questions about Trig’s paternity. Only a one page letter claiming her health was good was released either on or a day before the election; nothing more. Fox news was running clips that she would speak on Election Night with McCann. She did not, but now claims she has talked to McCann every day since then.

[shaeon]

According to Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.aspp), there is no record of Palin banning any books. There was an incident in which she asked the head librarian what her response would be if she was asked to remove some books from the library collection. No books were actually banned, and Palin never named any specific titles.

I understand being upset even by the question. What bugs me is that what gets talked about is the rumor that specific titles were contested, when there are no facts to back this up. Instead of running around shouting that Palin banned books, why not ask Palin what her intentions were when she asked this question? I personally haven't seen any interviews in which the truth, not the rumor, is addressed, and her motivation is far more interesting to me than some phony list of books that she never contested in the first place.

[Bitsko]

The mere fact that she asked the question is bad enough.

[Querent]

She also tried to fire the librarian. No other reason has ever been given except that she "felt she wasn't supporting" her. Why the librarian should have been "supporting" her is another question she has never been asked.

[lisakaz2]

It's the attempt, is it not? Trying to fire a librarian for not toeing the line suggests she was serious, regardless if books were ID'd or not. She only backtracked when the effort kicked up a fuss.

[Bitsko]

Oh Lawd, she can't even get Harry Potter right. We dodged a big bullet with that one.

[aussiegal77]

I pick #1 - she's a liar.

And a bad one at that - as she never actually remembers we live in the age of Google. We can fact check everything she says within seconds.

[infinity]

Calm down. There's a third possible conclusion: Palin is right. In an article posted in the Frontiersman (local paper, see citation in another post below) Palin had 2 conversations in OCTOBER 1996 with the Wasilla librarian about censorship (book banning). The first was as mayor elect and the second was after Palin became mayor. The article does not mention any specific books Palin may have asked the librarian about in these meetings, but noted the conversations were more generalized and rhetorical. The article also states Palin never again while in office discussed book banning with the librarian. The first Harry Potter book was published in England in JUNE 1997, eight months AFTER Palin discussed censorship with the town librarian. I do not think Palin is, or will ever be, qualified for President, but I also don't believe she is as deceptive as others allege.

[Bitsko]

"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

--From John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"

[11907281]

And I believe you are naive. Do you also believe she was cleared of any ethical violations by a bipartisan investigation, like she states? Or do you believe she hand picked team that cleared her? No free rides just because she is a woman, that would be sexism.

[WowJones]

First of all I don't know why the mayor of any town would even pose the quesion, who is she to think that people are waiting for her to decide appropriate reading material. Secondly, the wqhole deal with people of her religous ilk is about this kind of thing, not just Harry Potter. http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2007/07/why-christian-right-hates-harry-potter.html

[aloha43]

So do you read EVERY article you read?

[aloha43]

Sorry......mistyped....

Do you "believe" everything you read?

[PrimusElijah]

I saw Joseph, saw it and wept. I have no idea what has happened to Greta during the course of this campaign, but I have lost tons of respect for her. She still has a great legal mind, but the pandering that was evident in this first of two part Palin-love fest was sickening. There seems to be some disconnect between her feminist sensibilities and her perception of reality.

Yes, there have been some sexist treatment of the Alaskan Gov, but that should be no reason to make a two hour propaganda piece. This was only one of many lies and distortions that Greta allowed Palin to get away with. I will watch part two tonight, and submit what I can find. I'm betting there will be at least ten points similar to this and few much greater.

[WowJones]

Two things happened, she became a Scientologist, and she joined FAK News. That's a complete brainwashing.

[akhtar]

What Pailn meant was that those Potter books did not get to Alaska till 2004!!

[mlaiuppa]

It's misdirection.

She didn't want to ban Harry Potter. She wanted to pull "My Daddy's Roommate" from the shelves. For one. I'm sure "Heather has two Mommies" would have come next and "King and King" to follow.

I am very disappointed the Wasilla Librarian at the time never came forward to tell *her* side of what happened. She knows more than anyone exactly what words she and Sarah exchanged and what Sarah's intent was.

She's already running for 2012. She's already trying to spin everything. It is essential that everything about her from 2008 is archived so it can be revived when she attempts to take over our country again. We must also target those that are behind her, pushing and financing her rise to power. This woman must NEVER be president of this country. I don't care how much "schooling" she gets. It won't change her character, and the office is all about character.

[postman606]

She did, and I believe she posted here a couple of months back. http://www.frontiersman.com/articles/2008/09/07/breaking_news/doc48c1c8a60d6d9379155484.txt

[TheLoveRebel]

The truly awful thing to me is that IF she truly was behind banning books (or would be in the future) there are a whole lot of faithful Sarah supporters out there that blindly support every twisted word and idea that slithers from her mouth. These folks would get behind her in a mad fever with no idea of what is truly going on or its ramifications.

In a country where literacy is quickly diminishing, do we need any politicians like her, even considering banning books? Wouldn't it make more sense to encourage kids to read?

[Sammydog]

What's she got against Harry Potter?

[postman606]

I've asked and answered my own question and it all makes sense. Because of the witchcraft in the book, elements of the Religious Right think it is demonic in nature. Since Palin has a witch doctor, clearly she believes in the existence of witches. No wonder they hate science.

[mitchoz]

He is a wizard.... that is a male witch to her...remember she had some hack pastor exorcise the witch out of her... he must have missed... she should sue.

[mlaiuppa]

It has witchcraft in it.

Other books the fundamentalists want to ban:

King and King, Heather has two mommies, My Daddy's roommate. (homosexuality)

They've also tried to ban Wizard of Oz. (witchcraft)

Go to the American Library Association's website about Banned Books Week and you can read the list of what books have been "challenged" and why. Many are about sex or witchcraft. You can guess who is behind it.

Half of the top ten were children's books. One, And Tango Makes Three, is about penguins.

[boing007]

Half of the top ten were children's books. One, And Tango Makes Three, is about penguins.

But humans and dinosaurs roamed the Earth together just last year.

[cariintexas]

But wait, Countdown on MSNBC reported that Palins one time pastor or what ever was praying away witches for Palin. There was a video of him standing and praying with Palin.

[wolfmason]

Well we already know that the woman doesn't read, and prior to getting the VP nod, all photographic evidence show that she dresses as if it's 1986, so would it really be a surprise if she weren't up to date on popular culture?

[midwesthousewife]

Geez, why do people buy into the whole "fashion" thing? What, we are all supposed to be slaves to a handful of young people in cities on the coasts? Can't we just wear what we like and what is comfortable without feeling pressure to "follow the latest trends"? Only sheep follow trends. And Alaskans are definitely not sheep. I know it comes as news to many, but most of the world is not hanging on the latest fad emanating from New York or L.A. fashion police.

[wolfmason]

Oh please, the woman is a public figure, former news anchor, and former beauty queen. If she didn't want to be judged by her appearance, than she shouldn't be involved in any of those endeavors.

[liberalsrheros]

how could she not be abreast of current events and culture? she told couric she reads everything!!

[postman606]

Have to pled guilty on this one, what is the problem these people have with Harry Potter?

[LRM216]

Because the stories lean heavily on wizardry an hocus-pocus. One stupid lone mother freaked out over that and wanted the all the Potter books removed from the Gwinnett County, GA library. There are kooks all over the world, but Sarah Palin did NOT try to get them removed. Mr. Palermo needs to investigate his facts more clearly.

[postman606]

Thanks, I had already looked it up.

[mlaiuppa]

Harry Potter was actually burned in Texas. They had a bonfire and burned the books.

[ljmck]

The Bible could be said to lean heavily on wizardry and hocus-pocus, if you look at some of the more fantastical events it depicts. Is it the potential comparison between the books of Harry Potter and the books of the Bible that makes believers so uncomfortable? So, we ban witchcraft books, then the Bible, then science, then poetry, then fiction, and on and on, but Palin has not the wit to comprehend where her notions point. Would that we could suppress her!

[teacheng]

They believe that "witchcraft" is going on in the books, and that it encourages others to "practice it."

Really.

[Sumocat]

I'm going to vote #2. Palin seems like a real straight-shooter who doesn't have a clue what the f*** she's saying. Sincere but stupid.

[Fremon]

I vote for under educated, lack of knowledge, and selective memory loss. Not stupid and not cunning.

[boing007]

I vote for multiple personality disorder. Seriously.

[MsDebate]

That was funny, she is just clueless to the rest of the world. she was truly not ready for prime time.

[RAF3]

4 books in the Harry Potter series were published in the US during her time as Wasilla mayor. So yes, she lied again. She has repeatedly done so while in the national spotlight for over 2 months now. Lied about Obama and lied about herself.

This is the conservative Christian champion who holds the future of the Republican party in her hands? She better not be. Christians and Republicans should both have higher standards than that. Unfortunately 'the base' doesn't seem to be bothered by the lack of honesty or knowledge.

I am comforted knowing neither she nor the 'new' John McCain (the earlier model didn't seem quite so bad) are currently in the White House. I am troubled by the potential future if the need for truth, coherent policies, preparation and intelligence are still not pre-requisites for getting around 50% of the votes in this country.

If they are not needed, in 2012 you can bet she will be out there winking and smiling and lying her way far closer to the presidency than anyone like her should ever get.

[iv64]

I checked out the Harry Potter dates vs her term dates as mayor right away. This woman just can not help but lie. Is this an Alaskan thing or a decease? I don't know but keeping her talking is not a bad idea. It hopefully will help eliminate her from any future offices ASAP.