Now the Gestapo goons have started visiting libraries checking what people have been reading. Can this possibly be getting any worse? Thanks to the ironically named ‘Patriot Act’ Bush Jr. signed into law our freedoms and liberties have been absolutely raped. These people make me sick. I wish the FBI and their masters nothing but frustration and disappointment. Hopefully one day people will wake up and demand their rights back. From the Washington Post:
The FBI is visiting libraries nationwide and checking the reading records of people it suspects of having ties to terrorists or plotting an attack, library officials say.
The FBI effort, authorized by the antiterrorism law enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, is the first broad government check of library records since the 1970s when prosecutors reined in the practice for fear of abuses.
The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment Monday, except to note that such searches are now legal under the Patriot Act that President Bush signed last October. …
“It’s unfortunate because these records and this information can be had with so little reason or explanation,” Krug said. “It’s super secret and anyone who wants to talk about what the FBI did at their library faces prosecution. That has nothing to do with patriotism.”
Krug tells worried librarians who call that they should keep only the records they need and should discard records that would reveal which patron checked out a book and for how long.
Would you sell out your mother? Enjoy being part of a team? Kicking down doors? Beating up hippies and habibs? Carrying BIG guns? Boy, do we have the perfect job for you! Join the fast-paced world of Federal law enforcement! There are always openings for gung ho, patriotic self-starters! Send in your resume today!
I just wanted to get some clarification on one thing you seem to mention in passing:
“Hopefully one day people will wake up and demand their rights back.”
Honestly, what would you do with them?
In my brief exposure to library school, I learned that well-run libraries already do delete any circulation records which would identiy patrons’ reading habits as soon as possible. Well-programmed library computer systems do so automatically.
However, in the light of the Arthur Andersen case, can we expect librarians to be prosecuted for destroying evidence? Especially if they heed calls to tighten their records management policies in the light of the FBI’s activities?