I always thought liberrys were for people who couldn't afford to buy books.

Jeff, honey, isn't their silence your answer?

There is no diversity at Berkeley.

Good job, Jeff. Don't back off one inch.

LMAO!! Good luck with that.

What's a.. li... brary? Is it like the Internet with more paper?

=darwin

Well, in Berkeley it's something like a hostel

Jeff, I have an idea. We can turn into a couple of dissidents by buying a bunch of books on, say, Military Recruiting. Then we sneak into our respective libraries (you take Berkeley, I'll take San Francisco) and replace a few of Franken or Moore's "books" with our plants (strip off the bar codes and place them on the new books).

Or we could take one of Moore's books and replace all the pages with "Fried Food Paradise--a Cookbook for the Morbidly Obese."

...just brainstorming...

Alright Jeff, nice try. But I know you better than that, you shameless traffic whore. LOL

Oh, I like the idea of moving the barcodes to other books. A friend had a precocious teenage son who loved to peel the rainbow stickers off cars & stick them on different cars, which must have led to many amusing misunderstandings

Dear Jeff

I looked in the Berkeley Library catalog, and they have THREE copies of Mein Kampf.

Come on- Michelle isn't THAT much more to the right of Adolf Hitler!

You're thinking of France, where it's considered 'right-wing' to oppose illegal immigration. I imagine they're reading Michelle's books over there right about now...

Funny stuff Jeff. Did you really send this letter to Berkely?

Almost all books are written by authors who have no idea what's going on, so diversity among the bling leading the blind doesn't help much. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit came through with a message on The Christian Prophet blog which states clearly that a blacklist is not the answer.

Possibly, but I'm not fond of blogs where I'm not sure it's a satire or not

C'mon, man, you know like wingers like can't READ or anything, man! Why tease the poor bastards with books? I'm sure they have comic books around for the wingers, man, like MAD magazine. (Just don't tell the little Eichmanns my sweet Ted Rall is in it!)

You go boy (?that never did sound right did it...?) Was wondering if Berkley was having a 'conflict-of-interest meltdown' with your letter. They have many books written by 'angry white males', but refuse to purchase books writen by 'classic minorities'.... (this could be confused with classy minorities, but then i would be digressing off point..!)Keep up the good work.

Michelle does her own research? I guess that explains why it's so shoddy.

I added my request for Berkely to add Malkins book using the link you provided..... http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/purchase.html

> I also added my two cents to the comments section..

>> "Michelle Malkin is a New York Times best-selling author,and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist.

Malkin lives with her husband and children in Maryland.

She has never cried over an election, marched naked in Berkeley, thrown a pie, or tackled one of her many liberal intolerant heckler's.

Take a chance on having diversity in the Peoples Republic of Berkely.

Even Socialist's should be able to tolerate an oposing viewpoint.............. shouldn't they?"

1)Walk in and fill out the paper form.
2)Ask for the number of the head of Collection Development.

Really, what are the chances the lefty troglodytes will buy books that challenge their orthodoxy, let alone read them? That requires real intellectual courage and ability. It's much safer just to moo whatever the rest of the lefty herd is mooing.

Tantor

Jeff,

Did you look to see how many copies of Mary Mapes' attempt to perpetuate her fraud, Truth and Duty, were on the library shelves?

And if they have it, did they correctly catalog it under Fiction?

MES

Read or listen or debate an opposing viewpoint?

Socialism, communism, and facism, where they have been tried, can't have opposing viewpoints.

When you throw Liberty and Freedom (in all things) at it, the whole lefty house of cards collapses in a puff of logic.

Ok admittedly I did this very quickly and could be completely wrong, but I did a search of the UC Berkeley library catalogue and came up with three hits for 'malkin, michelle'. So they do seem to stock her other books contrary to what you said. No sign of the latest yet though. Don't seem to be many copies either, I think.

No, this is Berkeley Public, not the UC library

Perhaps buy the books (Michelle, Hannity, etc) and donate them to the library? And bring along a friendly newspaper reporter to take a few pictures of the lead donator shaking hands with the library director, presumably smiling. Can't be any worse than sending out false and threatening legal letter to Michelle Malkin.

Ah, now that makes more sense. Sorry, my mistake.

Just goes to show how conditioned I have become in academia; I look at the world in a university cnentric frame :-)

The reason there are so few conservative books on the shelves is a result of high demand for the truth. Lies don't sell.

Hmmm, in most any other library in the country, librarians worry a great deal about people sneaking books OUT.

But, in good ol' Beserkeley, librarians worry about people sneaking books IN.

Well, we wouldn't want anyone to acquire "impure" thoughts, would we?

maybe everyone should just inundate the BPL with donated copies. just order the book from Amazon, pay for it and have it sent to the BPL as a donation
;-)

I just received the following response from the BPL concerning the purchase of Malkin's book

"Your suggestion to purchase Unhinged was duly noted and placed on the monthly suggestions for purchase list. We do not order each suggestion when it arrives but queue them for regular ordering. Repeated requests for the same title in the same month does not advance the title up the list of items to be purchased; once a title is on the list it is on the list.

The fact that I have begun to receive exceedingly nasty emails from someone—perhaps not you—about why this book has not been purchased to date does not remove it from the list. However, such nastiness does not advance its purchase either. If you have any idea about who might be sending such threats, you might suggest they cease. The title remains on the list but the online suggestion box has been closed down in previous times when an abundance of threatening emails arrived. I’m sure you would not like to see your ability to make suggestions removed because of others poor use of the facility."

now lets' not be nasty but instead offer solid respectable reasons for why books should be purchased. But that's not to say I won't be offering further suggestions for them

What about Tammy? They got her book? (best guess: now way)
WHERE IS THE UMBRAGE?

Okay, that is SO unfair, because I've NEVER received a response about any of the books I've suggested!

Wow, you've inspired me to check out our public library!

BELOW IS MY WIDELY ADDRESSED EMAIL TO BPL ADMINISTRATION - COURTESY COPY TO THE AUTHOR AT ISSUE !!

TO ALL ADDRESSED:

I prepared and entered the following email through the BPL's "Suggest a Book" link. Given the importance of the issue to me, I have decided to additionally forward these comments to all levels of the Library Administration.

----------------------------------------------

Collections Director:

I know that there is public discussion about BPL's absence of basic political commentary books by conservative writers. The most recent issue is the availability of Michelle Malkin's Book "Unhinged". The book is a widely read NYT best seller and the stocking within BPL's collection seems appropriate and necessary. Libraries need to serve all. To underrepresent a view is truly the greatest disservice any public library can do. While I do not own this book, and I have not read it yet, I recognize that it represents a view that should be available to the greater public. Will you add this book to your collection in reasonable quantities to assure public access? If you can not, will you accept a donation of the book from me?

Miss Malkin, an accomplished author, deserves shelf space in the BPL which serves a region that includes the largest filipino community in CA.

Please advise how this issue might be improved.

Eric

You see? Graceful & eloquent

I am absolutely certain that there is no WHACKED OUT CONSERVATIVE NUT threatening the Collections Director. That is a lefty trying to discredit the issue by misrepresenting us. Funny, they just don't understand, we don't operate that way...

And if they ask... I will send the BOOK to the Collection !

Eric

I requested the beautiful human skin binding of Mein Kampf and a Bible with a whiskey flask in it. ANd if they don't order them I WILL FUSS!!!

Doesn't Michelle get "rsearch help" from her husband Jesse - coincidentally a former Berkeley resident?

Berkeley I can see, but Phoenix and Scottsdale are very Republican towns. Scottsdale's Library has zero copies of Unhinged and zero copies of In Defense of Internment (they do have a couple copies of Invasion). Phoenix has one copy of Unhinged (on order), and 18 copies of The Truth (With Jokes).

16 of the 33 Al Franken book copies are for a title currently at #6 on the NYT Best Seller list.
My not terribly biased library system has umpteen copies of "Nickel and Dimed," all checked out, and with a reserve list as well.

Berkeley also spent money on 2 copies of the Joe Wilson novel

Great post, Jeff.

For the record Hitler was a National Socialist. It seems all the mass murdering forms of government are Socialist or Communist. We have Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, just to name a few.

Communist and Socialist have killed over 100,000,000 people so far.

Of course that's true: true conservatism can never lead to fascism, because it's about LESS government. All forms of modern liberalism are about BIGGER govt. And while we're on the subject, can we please get rid of the Depts of Labor & Education, & slash OSHA, which is now a bunch of Soviet commissars telling people what size screw they can use in their business?

See, I told ya, Jeff. You are soooooo loved.

I can't get the Mormon Municipal Library to stock anything other than the latest Religious Fiction Pertinent to the Predominate Faith. But they do love them some conservative writing.

I'll check it out and send it to you.

hahah.....wait until the student hear about this! There will be blood in the streets! I want to obtain a peer reviewed copy of Michelle Malkin's books right now...... wait.. who is michelle malkin. lol....oh ya ...the hot asian chick. Why doesnt she just pose for magazines instead of writing books.

Only in Berkeley...

Million dollar homes, $ multi-million high school renovation... yet 40% of Berkeley families send their kids to private schools. The only upper middle class city with ghetto schools.

Subsidizes drunks and addicts to live in a $ multi-million piece of real estate ("People's" Park) which is actually Univ of Calif property. They could use it to serve the students better. Instead, they have turned it over to the drunks who use it as a base to commit crimes against the students.

When the looney school paper endorsed the opponent of the mayor, the mayor went around to the newspaper stands and stole the papers... the mayor!

World class science at the University, embarassing city life. Our son loves the education, hates the town.

Football team is showing signs of life...

After much careful consideration I requested 'Liberalism is a Mental Disorder,' not in hope that it would actually be purchased but with a clear mental picture of the suggestion being brought up in committee and ruining everyone's lunch.

Hope that isn't considered 'abusive'...

You guys heard of Professor A James Gregor? He teaches courses drawing fascisms routes from marxism. The course is practically required for UC Berkeley Poli Sci majors. So cut the Republic of Bezerkeley crap, because you clearly have a dated conception of what this place is all about. Nobody out here has a problem with conservatives making their arguements. We just have problems with rhetorical fallacies. Which brings me to all that slippery slope crap where some of you identify socialism with fascism. The preponderence of socialist states are democratic socialist states, where multiple parties compete for political power. So what the Nazis had the word socialist in their name. They and all other fascist states also catered to their entrepreneurial classes and colluded with their big industries. One could just as easily, and as unfairly, therefore claim that all conservatives are in fact fascists because of their similar collusion with the military industrial complex. One could just as easily argue that all conservatives are crypto-fascists due to the contempt for the multi-party democratic system exhibited by the justices of the supreme court in 2000.

But this would really be a bunch of stupid name calling.

As to Malkin, interning muslim americans would be among the top 10 best ways to discredit the stated mission of american middle east policy forever and thus lose the war on islamo fascism or whatever you're calling it today. It's as strategically stupid an idea as it is ethically evil. But it sure sold a bunch of books didn't it?

So why won't the Berkeley Public Library chip in? Well, like most publicly funded institutions these days, it's broke. Oh the irony, conservatives demanding service from the public institutions they gut. Freaking awesome.

that said berkeley is limousine (pseudo?) liberal central, what with predominantly white affluence east of shattuck and predominantly black middle class to the west, with police patrolling the borders religiously. In one transition neighborhood, newcomers have brought a class action suit against their 70 year old neighbor because her grandchildren sell drugs and so forth. You know, I almost feel like alot of berkeleyites are alot more like the rest of you all then you think.

"Of course that's true: true conservatism can never lead to fascism, because it's about LESS government. All forms of modern liberalism are about BIGGER govt. "
Oh, definitely, like that liberal Bush Administration which has overseen an unprecedented explosion of executive branch staff over the last 5 years, even inventing new extra-constitutional branches without legislative oversight?

Conservatives don't seem to truly give a damn about small government. They do seem to give a damn about gutting social welfare. That's so awesome. And Christian! I believe it was jesus who said a rich man gets into heaven easier than a needle into the eye of a camel. Or maybe I've misquoted something?

Hypochristmutreefuzz, aka HypMutz, for somebody who "has problems with rhetorical fallacies", your defense of the alleged viewpoint discrimination against conservatives by BPL is, well, replete with rhetorical fallacies.

I'll simply point out the most glaring example: " Well, like most publicly funded institutions these days, it's broke."

I suppose they were "Nickel and Dimed" into poverty... 11 times.... snicker

ok, so I did resort to ad hominem in the end there- but, then, how else could I flesh out what I perceived to be a dramatic irony?

come to think of it, "in defense of internment" really should be stocked by the Berkeley Public Library, right next to those 3 copies of Mein Kampf.