Posted on 02/17/2006 10:25:14 AM PST by Cagey
Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.
The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words "Homeland Security." The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography.
After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness. A librarian intervened, and the two men went into the library's work area to discuss the matter. A police officer arrived. In the end, no one had to step outside except the uniformed men.
They were officers of the security division of Montgomery County's Homeland Security Department, an unarmed force that patrols about 300 county buildings -- but is not responsible for enforcing obscenity laws.
In the post-9/11 era, even suburban counties have homeland security departments. Montgomery County will not specify how many officers are in the department's security division, citing security reasons. Its annual budget, including salaries, is $3.6 million.
Later that afternoon, Montgomery County's chief administrative officer, Bruce Romer, issued a statement calling the incident "unfortunate" and "regrettable" -- two words that bureaucrats often deploy when things have gone awry. He said the officers had been reassigned to other duties.
Romer said the officers believed they were enforcing the county's sexual harassment policy but "overstepped their authority" and had to be reminded that Montgomery "supports the rights of patrons to view the materials of their choice."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
'Policing'...that's a new word for it.
After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness. A librarian intervened, and the two men went into the library's work area to discuss the matter. A police officer arrived. In the end, no one had to step outside except the uniformed men.
Lord help us if we are ever get attacked again if this is the caliber of government employee on watch.
At least they weren't Feds. Although it wouldn't have surprised me if they were.
Some would say that when terrorism strikes these guys will be the first to know about it and the first to get out of harms way.
I'm sure these guys have their terrorism escape plan dialed in.
Homeland Security does have more important things to do (if infact the two were actual employees.) But I don't think porn should be allowed to be viewed at taxpayer expense either!
Never forget New Orleans.
"After the two men made their announcement" six guys dressed in raincoats ran out of the library.
Really though. I don't care what you view in your home, but I don't like my tax dollars paying for someone to get thier rocks off in a public library.
Praise the Lord
LOL!
Aww it's not like former Stasi General Markus Wolf is running Homieland Security or anything y'all...or even John Magaw (Waco-Ruby Ridge)
Employers were late to release their employees on 9-11 as well.
When crisis strikes, you will probably be on your own. This does not authorize you to do whatever you want to do. It just means that the "support structures" that we expect out of life are undependable.
Rent-a-cop flunkies formally employed at your local shopping mall.
its getting so a guy cant enjoy porn in public anymore.
"But I don't think porn should be allowed to be viewed at taxpayer expense either!"
Neither do I, but the problem is in identifying what is porn and what is not. I'm not sure I want some random "County Homeland Security Officers" doing the deciding. Do you?
These guys are not cops...they're wannabes.
Perhaps they should have a quick review of the "no drinking on the job" policy.
OK...I'm not usually defending this Administrations' screw-ups...but wait a moment on this one.
We KNOW that Al Qaueda used coded messages in Porn Pics to transmit instructions/messages to operatives.
We KNOW the ACLU and Librarians have DEFENDED the looking at of Porn in Public Libraries.
This makes the Library the BEST place to access these images, which may be under surveillance, when the viewers privacy will be fought for by the ACLU and Librarians!
Before I think the HS operatives were off the reservation, perhaps there was another reason for this.
I know...I've always argued "Occam's Razor", and my defense CLEARLY is not the simplest answer...and if I'm wrong, I'll take my lumps.
My gut feeling tells me there was more to this than meets the JPEG!
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