Patriot Act: FBI director says, “we have had the cooperation of the libraries to date.”

The CSMonitor
reported that according to FBI director Robert Mueller the reason law
enforcement officials haven’t had to use the Patriot Act in accessing
library records is that “”we have had the cooperation of the libraries
to date,”” prompting the ALA’s Washington office deputy director Patrice
McDermott to later respond, “”it’s a core principle of our profession that
user records are confidential. If you’re not free to read and research
and think, you don’t have freedom of speech.””

Google: [Patriot
Act Library]-[News]
~ [Patriot
Act Section 215]-[News]

The CSMonitor
reported that according to FBI director Robert Mueller the reason law
enforcement officials haven’t had to use the Patriot Act in accessing
library records is that “”we have had the cooperation of the libraries
to date,”” prompting the ALA’s Washington office deputy director Patrice
McDermott to later respond, “”it’s a core principle of our profession that
user records are confidential. If you’re not free to read and research
and think, you don’t have freedom of speech.””

Google: [Patriot
Act Library]-[News]
~ [Patriot
Act Section 215]-[News]

PBS
has a partial transcript of the Senate Judiciary Committee debate that
includes Republican Senator Arlen Specter asking, “”would you see any problem
on specifically excluding, in a reauthorization of the Patriot’s Act, authority
to obtain library or medical records?”” US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
eventually replied that he sees keeping Section 215 of the Patriot Act
as “”comparable to a police officer who carries a gun for 15 years and
never draws it. Does that mean that for the next five years he should not
have that weapon because he’s never used it?””

Senator Specter replied, “”Attorney General Gonzales, I don’t think
your analogy is apt, but if you want to retain those records as your position,
I understand.””