Thursday, November 27, 2003

Thanks! I like to take Thanksgiving at least somewhat seriously, at least in the sense of taking the opportunity to really give thanks, really be thankful, and reflect at least for a moment on all there is to be thankful for. And then there's also Thankful Happygiving to consider. [Though on the other hand there are the occassional intrusions like the following item.] 11:08:49 AM    comment []  trackback []

So, has Assistant Attorney General Daniel Bryant been fired yet? Berkeley IP Log: Rep. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., has introduced the Freedom to Read Protection Act that would repeal the library and bookstore provisions of the Patriot Act. Apparently, a letter written by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Bryant to Senator Patrick Leahey saying "Americans who borrow or buy books surrender their right of privacy," has brought about quite a bit of support for this bill. Librarians, under a gag order to keep them from revealing when they have been served with a warrant, said in a recent survey (almost 60 percent of the 906 respondents) that they believed it was unconstitutional. One librarian is simply stating regularly when there are no warrants, so that when there is no statement of anything, people will know there is a warrant that has been served. Huh? Does this feel odd to you? Reminds me of when the State of California required public school teachers to sign a loyalty oath to the state, and the only people who signed were the ones they were actually concerned about, because they wanted to stay under the radar. Do we really want public policy that creates situations like this? Yeow! 10:09:16 AM    comment []  trackback []