This is an encouraging article! And here�s a related commentary about the nation�s librarians (who -- IMO -- have got to be some of the coolest activists around these days). -- Welcome To The Crzy House

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, [8], 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 22:44:27 05/07/03 Wed
Author: Dano
Subject: This is an encouraging article! And here�s a related commentary about the nation�s librarians (who -- IMO -- have got to be some of the coolest activists around these days).
In reply to: Drew Greyfox 's message, "Largest Community Unanimously Approves 100th PATRIOT Act Resolution" on 22:07:39 05/07/03 Wed

SHREDDING ASHCROFT
by Jim Hightower --

Let's hear it for America's librarians! The old stereotype of librarians being meek maidens whose only passion is for the Dewey-decimal system has never been true, but now that image is being shattered for good, replaced by a new image of librarians as feisty fighters for freedom.

Who is it that's rushed to the barricades of our nation's democracy, daring to confront John "Mad Dog" Ashcroft as he rips into our Bill of Rights and tries to strip We the People of our hard-won personal liberties? Not the congress � it's meekly going along, providing the authority and funding for Ashcroft's maniacal assault. Not the puffheads of the media � they're too busy shouting "patriotism" and cheering the Bushites to see, hear, or speak any evil by the emperor.

Instead, our gutsy defenders of liberty are librarians in cities and towns throughout the country. They are distributing information and joining public discussion groups to tell us about the freedom-busting legislation that Ashcroft cynically titled the "USA Patriot Act." This thing is a Little Shop of Totalitarian Horrors, including provisions that compel librarians to turn over to the FBI the reading, research, and internet records of any and all library users, prohibiting librarians from even telling you that your records have been seized by government agents. This is no theoretical threat, for librarians report that Ashcroft's agents are making hundreds of these demands.

To battle back, librarians are doing everything from issuing public warnings to refusing to cooperate. Many have also added a new piece of essential machinery to cope with Ashcroft's Brave New America: The paper shredder. Rather than hold your records, librarians are now routinely destroying as many as possible, so they don't have to be complicit in Ashcroft's destruction of our Fourth Amendment right to privacy.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]