She talks like a duck and Emery's first library card

if it walks like a duck...
Originally uploaded by moocatmoocat (on vacation)

There is another news story this morning online about Sarah Palin's repeated inquiries to a librarian about what the librarian would do if she were asked to remove a book title from the shelves.

The librarian told Mayor Palin that she did not abide censorship and reminded the Mayor of the Constitution's stance on such behavior.

People in the middle or on the right really want to downplay this and think Liberals and Democrats are exploiting some innocent inquiries, trying to turn Palin's conservatism into fascism. But I say, we all know exactly what Sarah Palin was asking that librarian. And we all know why that librarian was fired by Palin and then reinstated.

We have to fear when one group of people wants to control what the rest of us read.

This was all brought to the forefront of my mind as Emery got his first library card this week.

The documents that accompanied the card in the mail stated that the library's mission was to provide free, open and equal access to ideas and information for all members of the community. It gave me a boost of civic pride to read that.

Emery has a constitutional right protecting his access to information and ideas. We have to continue to guard against the kind of hubris and arrogance that whispers in the ears of the Palins that they speak for me and for my children. That is an insidious and pernicious voice that says to a Sarah Palin, 'I know best - I know which ideas are dangerous and I will determine what is fit for public consumption.'

We all know why Palin asked about books being banned. Maybe some people are fooled by this woman and her insouciant hair, but I am not.