A Patriotic Act (A frightening, police state tale, this)

[MADem]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/northeast/hc-nsllibrarians0924.artsep24,0,5245517,print.story?coll=hc-northeast-top

By JUNE SANDRA NEAL

September 24 2006

On Feb. 15, 2005, someone walked into a Connecticut library, sat down at a computer and used the Internet from 4 to 4:45 p.m.

Five months later, two FBI agents walked into George Christian's Windsor office and handed him a letter. It demanded "any and all subscriber information, billing information and access logs of any person or entity related to" the library computer's IP address on that February day.

To Christian, executive director of the Library Connection, the scene seemed a G-man version of the Odd Couple: one agent dressed nattily in a blazer and tie; the other gruff, in a knit muscle shirt...."It was addressed to the wrong person; it was dated May 19, 2005, and it referred to an event that had taken place six months ago."


The document they handed Christian was a national security letter...Did Christian understand, the agents asked, that he could discuss the letter with no one?

"I said I did, but I would like to speak to my lawyer."...Even the agent apparently didn't know that the order he had handed Christian prohibited the library executive from discussing it with anyone - including his organization's board of directors, his wife or even his own attorney.....

[Dystopian]

1. K & R!! Thank you for posting....

While reading the entire article, I was furious.....
and have to admit, scared. I urge everyone to read the article in its entirerty......This librarian rocks! Courage and patriotism...fighting against the police state...
How can this country 'get out' of the Patriot Act? I read somewhere quite a while ago that certain towns had actually voted it out...
Can't remember where, or the details, though...Perhaps someone knows? Thanks.

Peace~

[MADem]

3. Thank you for reading--I think it is an important matter

I tend to gravitate towards rather serious "issue" pieces, and unfortunately, they often drop like a stone when competing with "Bill slapping Wallace" or "Mel Gibson's Rant" or the latest high-profile outrage. But this kind of thing is insidious, and those FBI goons are like termites....you don't see them delivering their little letters, chewing up the house, but one day you're sitting in a pile of rotted timber that used to be your home.

Here's another article I posted that might pique your interest. It's an entirely different subject (the oldest female servicemember to die in Afghanistan). I thought the piece opened a door onto life in the -Stan, and some of the brutal realities our troops are dealing with, but it too dropped fast.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2212776&mesg_id=2212776

[unhappycamper]

2. MADem:

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four or five paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

You have one hour from the time of your original post to make changes.

In the future, please insure your posts adhere to this standard.

TIA,

unhappycamper
DU Moderator

[MADem]

4. I do apologize

When a single line is a quote from a person all on its own, I didn't think that counted as a 'full paragraph.' I construed the back-and-forth exchange to be one element (paragraph) of the rather long piece.

Newspapers have a tendency to separate what would be a paragraph in normal writing into single lines, the better to appeal to their eighth-grade readers who can't digest great chunks of information. It makes it rather difficult to put the point across when one is limited, in essence, not to four or five PARAGRAPHS, but four or five SENTENCES.

[unhappycamper]

7. I know what you mean about the one sentence paragraphs.

Thanks for changing your post.

[annabanana]

5. WOW!

Just Wow! This is true American Courage. This is American Freedom. I pray for all patriots to be able to honor their committment to the ideals of our Country as well as these librarians have.

[silverweb]

6. What a story!

And only one of many more like it, I'm sure.

This maladministration is EVIL, plain and simple, and has been busy shredding the Constitution it is sworn to uphold every step of the way.

Those who fight to preserve our Constitutional rights and freedoms are the true patriots -- not those who support empire-building foreign wars and try to take away our rights with an excuse of "safety" or "security."

[indepat]

8. Nazi or Commie totalitarianism: take your pick, the good reichous

totalitarian type or the bad, bad, bad pinko type.

[atfqn]

9. Welcome to the

Fourth Reich.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2004/290904buchanantranscript.htm

Shrug, here it is. Wave a bloody flag, add some religious fervor and you have a force to be reckoned with.

[The Straight Story]

10. kick (nt)