banned books // Current

"In the Land of Queen Esther," a documentary about the Wasilla Assembly of God

(Via http://tinyurl.com/3o3ppl) "This is the first original, on-the-ground video report from inside the church where Gov.... more

jennatar
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Factcheck.org: loose with the truth in St. Louis

According to the nonpartisan researchers at Factcheck.org (a NEWSWEEK partner), Biden and Palin "were not 100 percent... more

BuddyP
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Palin vs. Biden

For the first and only time the Vice Presidential Candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden squared off in a much-anticipated debate.... more

VSiskos
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Palin brings her folksy tone to debate

Story Highlights On mortgage crisis, Palin says, "Darn right, it was the predator lenders" She advises people ask... more

starr111
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Debate poll says Biden won, Palin beat expectations - CNN.com

Story Highlights 51 percent say Democratic Sen. Joe Biden wins vice presidential debate Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeds... more

starr111
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Even Alaskans Have Issues With the "Maverick" Governor

While Palin has seemingly been successful with her constant self-aggrandizing as a champion of her home state and Americans... more

niksparks
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VP Debate: Dispatch from Palin Land

ANP: At St. Louis VP debate, McCain campaign rented out a stadium to re-energize the conservative base. American News Project:... more

Vierotchka
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Some facts adrift in veep debate

WASHINGTON - Republican Sarah Palin criticized a version of a Barack Obama health care plan that doesn't exist and Democrat... more

J_Jammer
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Palin might be a better debater than thought?

Sarah Palin might not give a good interview, and John McCain's advisers might not trust her to give a press conference, but in a highly structured debate like the one we are going to see on Thursday night, she has the ability to be dominant.

Because the format allows for very little give-and-take between Palin and Joe Biden, her "values"-oriented debating style stands a good chance of succeeding. The central feature of her debate style is that rather than getting bogged down in facts and specifics, she instead says what she is for and what she is against using terms like "healthier," "stronger," "more prosperous," and "fairer."

Andrew Halcro, who has debated her, explains his experiences debating Palin:

I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.
That sounds like a backhanded compliment, and perhaps it is, but that doesn't change the fact that Palin's debating style works, as you can see for yourself in this video that I edited together.

For the video, I looked at her past debates and randomly grabbed six answers that I thought were pretty good. These weren't cherry-picked answers, they were just the first six answers that I thought she handled effectively. (I only rejected one answer in which I felt she was too defensive about her experience.)

Given the debate's format on Thursday night, I expect Palin will do just fine. I will be quite surprised if she gets caught off guard or has a moose-in-headlights moment.

I don't think she'll display much in the way of specifics, but she will get the values-oriented language right, and that should be good enough at least for a draw, and that will mean she beats expectations.

Of course, the real political issue in the debate isn't whether or not Palin meets or beats expectations, it's whether she is able to make a case for John McCain that John McCain hasn't yet been able to make for himself.

That's something no vice presidential candidate in history has been able to do, and should serve as a reminder that in the end, this election is still between Barack Obama and John McCain.
Sarah Palin might not give a good interview, and John McCain's advisers might not trust her to give a press conference, but... more

pigmonkey
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119 responses

2 months ago

Subpoenas upheld in Palin trooper investigation

An Alaska judge refused Thursday to throw out subpoenas for members of Gov. Sarah Palin's administration in the State... more

bshipp
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17 responses

2 months ago

Sarah Six-Pack Palin Releases Income Taxes - She's Worth $1.2 Million

That will buy quite a few six packs. The Palins own their lakefront house plus two vacation homes - yeah, she's a regular joe.

tallygirl
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7 responses

2 months ago

Palin Makes McCain Look Like A Fool Over Pulling Out Of Michigan

Nothing like second guessing the top of the ticket and thinking she's more popular with voters than he is.

tallygirl
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23 responses

2 months ago

So Palin can speak in complete sentences. She still knows nothing

Let's judge her, then, as we would a presumptively seasoned and competent political leader. By that standard, on issues of... more

ESKCSG
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9 responses

2 months ago

The Week in Media

Palin's huge reading list. O'Reilly's non-comparison camparison. Financial ruin's new face. And... more

infoMania
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0 responses

2 months ago

'Palin really didn't answer the questions'

Link to this video Michael Tomasky reviews the performances of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in the US vice-presidential debate

bansheewail
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41 responses

2 months ago

Analysis: Palin gets back on track, but Biden wins debate

Highlights: Fifty-one percent of debate watchers say Biden did best job, CNN poll says Eighty-four percent of debate... more

starr111
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76 responses

2 months ago

BANNED BOOKS WEEK : SEND ONE TO PALIN !

How did we get to the point where our favorite village idiot bimbo can actually say out loud TOTAL OBSCURANTISM CRAP without being... more

WhiteNoise
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3 responses

2 months ago

Banned Books Week Sept. 27th - Oct. 4th

Go to bannedbooksweek.org, find a good book that interests you from the banned books list, and read. It's that simple.

PWNtheVOTE
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0 responses

2 months ago

Banned Books Week and the National Book Festival, 2008

“Celebrating the Freedom to Read,” Banned Books Week runs September 27th to October 4th this year. Starting on September 27th as well is the eighth annual National Book Festival, taking place on the National Mall. Presented by the Library of Congress and Laura Bush, over 70 authors will be participating, and the website will post podcasts of events. I’ll also promote the wonderful, ongoing Favorite Poem Project yet again.

The American Library Association has a page on Banned Book Events, including a page for events by state (at least one listed event appears to be from 2007 or else there’s a typo, so you may wish to confirm an event before attending). There are official Facebook and MySpace groups for Banned Books Week, and you can also find several “I Read Banned Books” groups. Apparently, there will even be Banned Books Week activities in Second Life (details forthcoming on the website). Children’s author Sam Riddleburger shows how you can use an online motivational poster generator to make your own “Read” posters. (Continuing on the lighter side, The Onion has a piece called “Nation’s Teens Disappointed by Banned Books.”)

I’ll also invite any and all bloggers to a very informal blogswarm on banned books and intellectual freedom. Feel free to link your post(s) in the comments, or shoot me an e-mail, if you’d like.

I write a little post for Banned Books Week every year, but this year the subject’s been, well, more on my mind. Banned Books Week is a fine time to celebrate “Biblio-Americans” and all those teachers, librarians, parents, siblings and friends who may have introduced us to a great book or the joy of reading. It’s a great excuse to revisit a favorite book or read a new one – especially a banned one. It’s a nice way to share a favorite book with someone else, or start a conversation about why a challenged book such as 1984, The Great Gatsby or The Color Purple means so much. That’s not to mention books banned in other countries currently or throughout history. One of my favorite novels, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, was initially published in the Soviet Union only in censored form, but a more authentic version was one of many works passed around between friends clandestinely (and illegally) in Samizdat form. (The excellent 2006 film The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) portrays a similar dynamic in East Germany in the 80s.)

Personally, I draw the most inspiration from hearing tales like that, and by reading over the lists of the many books challenged over the years – it’s venerable company. To that effect, from the Frequently Challenged Books page, here’s:

The most frequently challenged books of 2007…

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.“Celebrating the Freedom to Read,” Banned Books Week runs September 27th to October 4th this year. Starting on... more