Akkam’s Razor

As we approach Banned Book Week, and without the opportunity to speak to Dick Cheney from his undisclosed location, Sarah Palin while she is avoiding journalists and cramming on policy and positions sequestered in Alaska, it may be helpful to reflect on this bit of Mrs. Palin’s biography.

The story is as follows - in 1996, then Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin was approached by a constituent, Anne Kilkenney,  with a list of books that they wanted banned. From Time Magazine [via]:

[Former Mayor John] Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. “She asked the library how she could go about banning books,” he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. “The librarian was aghast.” That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn’t be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving “full support” to the mayor.

Palin then took action on this, speaking to the librarian on three occasions about removing the books from the library.  After the librarian refused, she was fired by Palin, but subsequently reinstated after an outcry of public support.  Palin herself had stated to the Anchorage Daily News that the requests, firing, and possible re-hirings were actually “loyalty tests”.

A purported list of the books Palin noted for banning includes many of the usual suspects, but per Snopes, is false, although by all accounts the story (without the list) appears true and verifiable.