Eyeing What You Read: FBI in Libraries and Bookstores

The Village Voice ^ | 2-14-02 | Nat Hentoff

[Dawgsquat]

The ignorant public screams

"GIVE ME SECURITY!!!!"

The government replies

"No sweat, hand us your freedom"

[John Locke]

Use cash for book purchases. Tell the Thought Police to stick it.

Use cash for all routine purchases. Never give your name, address, or other contact information. If asked for any form of identification, walk out.

I teach computer security, and have a simple rule: Do not collect information you cannot keep secure. Including - no, especially - from government. Remember, more people were killed in the twentieth century by government that by all the private sector criminals and terrorists put together. More, by orders of magnitude.

[FreedomPoster]

Bump for that!

[Fred Mertz]

Sage advice John Locke. Thanks.

[Whilom]

The crux of the librarian's argument had nothing to do with a bookseller. While I hold that a public library's records should be available to the public, a private bookseller's records should be subject only to a due process subpoena from a judge -- and, yes, I think a subpoena from a designated "spy court" is due process.

[francisandbeans]

Can you explain to me how such a search would assist in an investigation? This is a fishing liscence.

[Whilom]

A search of a library's records? I suppose it would help in some investigations, not help in others. It's immaterial, though, whether or not it "helps." Librarians have no proprietary right to public records.

[francisandbeans]

I'm not talking about libraries. I am talking about book sellers.

[verity]

The subtle sounds of black helicopters and hobgoblins! :~)

[NMC EXP]

“It [the State] has taken on a vast mass of new duties and responsibilities; it has spread out its powers until they penetrate to every act of the citizen, however secret; it has begun to throw around its operations the high dignity and impeccability of a State religion; its agents become a separate and superior caste, with authority to bind and loose, and their thumbs in every pot. But it still remains, as it was in the beginning, the common enemy of all well-disposed, industrious and decent men.” -- Henry L. Mencken, 1926

And it has become even worse since 1926.

Regards

J.R.

[francisandbeans]

just a tad.

[Whilom]

Book sellers have a proprietary right, but not an exclusive right, to their records. Like other business records (phone company records of phone calls, for example) the records of book sellers are subject to subpoena.

[GailA]

btt

[SpookBrat]

Read in a bit

[Mr. K]

You make a good point, for all freepers here to consider. I did not quite like this article, but when I re-read it and substituted Reno for Ashcroft- I went balistic.

We must not be like Democraps- when our own are wrong- we need to tell them, or else we ARE hypocrites.

[francisandbeans]

Thanks for admitting that. I'd prefer to admit when I am wrong, and have people know that all debates with me will be intellectually honest, than to be thought of someone protecting a position. I wish more freepers would follow the exmple that you set (and that I think I set).