Tuesday, September 9, 2008

More on Palin and the Wasilla librarian.


Today's Boston Herald reprinted a piece by Seattle Times reporters Ken Armstrong and Hal Bernton, headline: SARAH PALIN HAD TURBULENT FIRST YEAR AS MAYOR OF ALASKA TOWN.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?articleid=1117919&chkEm=1

In it, they reveal that Palin offended so many of her 616 voters a recall was threatened. The straw that nearly broke that camel's back was the threat to fire the town police chief and the head librarian for disloyalty after she strongly opposed the idea of banning books. Twice.

"After notifying the librarian that she was fired, Palin backtracked and decided to keep her on. Palin had twice asked this librarian what she thought about banning books, to which the librarian responded it was a lousy idea, one she wouldn’t go along with. Later, Palin told the local paper that any questions she’d raised about censorship were only 'rhetorical.'"

Rhetorical? Twice?

More of this powerful article:

"Palin put in place what the local paper called a gag order, prohibiting top city employees from talking to reporters unless she cleared it first.

"After Stambaugh [police chief] and the museum director were fired, two of the four remaining department heads quit. One, the public-works director, accused Palin of undermining him by meeting secretly with contractors and employees.

"When three women who worked at the city’s museum were asked to decide among themselves which one should be let go, all three quit.

"Palin tried to fill two vacancies on the City Council herself, even though an ordinance said that wasn’t her prerogative. It was the council’s. After the city attorney stopped Palin, the mayor said she’d merely engaged in a ploy. 'It was brilliant maneuvering I had to do to deal with the impasse,' she told the Frontiersman.

"The Frontiersman ran blistering editorials, condemning Palin’s philosophy 'that either we are with her or against her.' The newspaper accused Palin of mistaking the 616 votes she received as a 'coronation.' "

And here's the topper. About this job, the one she now says prepared her to step in if proposed President McCain is unable to serve:

"When asked how she would run the city without experienced department heads, she responded, ’It’s not rocket science. It’s $6 million and 53 employees.’ "

PLEASE read the rest of the article HERE, and please vote wisely:
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/2008/view.bg?articleid=1117919&chkEm=1

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