Censorship
February 17, 2009
- Dear ReaderWhen I read that Geert Wilders' film "Fitna" had been banned in the EU, of course I had to download it. As I watched the relentless scenes of death, cruelty, and extremist Muslim anger, I felt fear envelop me in a toxic cloud. Tears filled my eyes. I could hardly sit still for the outrage.When it was over, I felt drained, yet still very fearful. Extremist Muslims, it appears, ...
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January 9, 2009
- Mary Green died early this morning. I've been thinking a lot about Mary since she had a stroke a few days after Christmas. I found it ironic that she was nearing death while I was reading Rick Wartzman's book ``Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's `The Grapes of Wrath.' '' I was thinking of her because, in addition to being a very close friend, she reminded me of ...
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December 24, 2008
- Dear Reader, I was thrilled to learn that I had a national TV reporter interested in interviewing me. But when I went to the Seattle, WA, FOX News studio last week, I wasn’t so pleased to be facing questions, again, about the controversy around “The Jewel of Medina. As a long-time journalist, I know reporters want conflict, scandal, opposition. Yet there’s plenty of potential for that ...
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December 24, 2008
- Dear Reader,It was surprising to read that Lorraine Adams, author of the recent review of THE JEWEL OF MEDINA in the New York Times, has a journalism background. Good reporters check their facts before they publish, but in this case Ms. Adams has dropped the proverbial ball.First she tells the reader that my book isn’t art. That’s OK with me, because she’s entitled to her opinion. But then ...
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December 22, 2008
- Well, I learned something today that I had no idea existed. I read the blog entry of a 'real writer', (female, born in Texas and who has one hell of a good plastic surgeon) who wandered the tony stores of Rodeo Drive stumping her little Manolo's off for Barack Obama. The tenor of the post is that BO is good for the country and she's proud of herself for helping get him elected. Well. I ...
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December 20, 2008
- I recently re-reconnected with a friend from my yucky, painful teenage years -- I say re-reconnected because we managed to lose track of, and later find, each other once before already, only to lose track again when an old privately-run email list I sucked her onto sort of cratered. I love that about the internet, how no one is ever truly lost, no one ever terribly difficult to find with just a ...
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November 5, 2008
- I'm not going to engage in the discussion of this actual book because I think all sides of the argument are well-addressed in the posts of others. I know that Sherry Jones had a contract, and that her publisher bowed down to the threats of violence to remove it from their publishign schedule. I'm not talking about that here, but I am going to put in a note about freedom of speech though, ...
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October 27, 2008
October 3, 2008
- Before the end on Banned Books WeeK, WeBefore Banned Books week ends tomorrow, we should note the most-challenged books in 2007. The American Library Association, which publishes the list each year, says the top spot is held for the second straight year by And Tango Makes Three. Two male penguins fall in love and hatch an egg -- a story line that has triggered challenges around the ...
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October 1, 2008
- This post was brought to my attention by a fellow journalist. Leading British authors including Monica Ali, Nadeem Aslam and Hanif Kureishi have come out in support of Gibson Square publisher Martin Rynja, whose home and office were attacked by religious extremists in connection with the upcoming publication of "The Jewel of Medina."I implore you to do the same! This issue extends far ...
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