Did Cynthia Parkhill give the whole story on Palin and books?
Thank you for allowing Ms. Parkhill to enlighten us with her firsthand knowledge of Gov. Palin”s sneaky inclinations to the censorship of our public libraries. Oh, excuse me?not firsthand knowledge, but a quote from snopes.com. She states the website is reliable. So I looked for myself. And indeed she is correct! However, when a journalist, albeit on the editorial page, leaves out the “rest of the quote” it is quite telling.
For if one reads the entirety of the quote on snopes.com, quoted by Ms. Parkhill, one will find it clearly stated that the charges of censoring the books at the public library was completely false. This she did include, to her credit. However, even after investigation into the matter, no evidence was found of any documentation, i.e., memos, other “conversations” or discussions as to the removal of any books. Ooops, a little slip there?
Further, if one were inclined to go to the original source of Ms. Parkhill”s quotes from snopes.com, as a thorough journalist might, to verify the accuracy of one”s source, one might find the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say.
The Feb. 1, 1997 of the Anchorage Daily News, found in their archives online, states that Mayor Palin did question her heads of departments as to operating policies and that this was a ” ?rhetorical question with a department head”” and part of the getting acquainted period in the early days of her Mayoral term.
Secondly, not only did Palin fire Ms.. Emmons, but also the Chief of Police ? small detail that has a great impact! Mayor Palin stated for the Anchorage Daily News that she had felt due to their lack of support for her new policies, she would let them go. She also stated in the same article, that upon further discussion with Ms. Emmons as to her ability to adapt and support the changes coming about and receiving a “yes,” she was reinstated. The Chief was not given that opportunity. Most of us would call it “cleaning house” or making way for the new administration. How does this add up to the “public outcry” being the cause for the reinstatement? Oh, yes, it was just an editorial.
All this to say, if one has a predisposition for or against a political candidate or you just don”t like ?em, just come out and say it rather than hide behind half-truths and omissions.. I would have had more respect for Ms. Parkhill, had she told the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, rather than use the power of omission to paint a picture of lies!
Gayle Niehaus
Lakeport
