Fang-Face writes “Okay. I’m going to spell it out for you in plain English. This has nothing to do with libraries at all. There isn’t even any mention of any kind of books. This is about the Patriot Act. This article is likely to be of interest only to those who are following the USAPA Affair. Be warned.
On 22 Apr 2004, the evil and Big-Brother-bashing ACLU posted
a point by point rebuttal to comments made by the president about USAPA. The ACLU states flat out that the president’s remarks are outright misinformation. (Ashcroft gets a dishonourable mention, but just barely.) If you would like to find out about his mendacity, then by all means follow the link. If you love Big Brother, you will of course refrain from committing any thought crimes. If you want stuff about libraries, there are still plenty of other articles posted here.
“Thank you, come again.”
–Apu Nahasapeemapetalon“
Have you given up?
Hi Fang-Face,
Thanks for letting us know about this new item on the PATRIOT Act. I think the ACLU claim and fact page you cited is relevant to LISNews since it is about the PATRIOT Act itself, which is a topic of intense interest to librarians.
The rhetoric you’ve wrapped around this resource makes me wonder if you’ve given up trying to convince supporters of the Act that it has problems. Despair is very tempting, and I struggle with it most days. Paticularly when supporters whether in the media or here repeat the mantra of “We need USAPA to prevent another 9/11” without being able to reference specific sections or acknowledge that the Act was passed before we knew ANYTHING about the various failures that led to 9/11.
Those of us *across the political spectrum* who feel that USAPA and related legislation are mostly unwarranted expansions of federal power that preserves neither life nor liberty can’t give up.
To me, that means continually pointing flaws in legislation and the political broadness of opposition in a respectful matter. I believe that most supporters of USAPA outside the administration do not love big brother. They either don’t see any problems with the Act, or they feel their physical security is worth more than the remote (to them) possibility that the gov’t might become interested in their lives.
Calling them “Big Brother Lovers” only makes it easier for them to dismiss opponents of “security” legislation as cranks. I realize they may do so anyway, but that doesn’t relieve us of the obligation of telling the truth in love. Ideally with resources outside the usual suspects such as the ACLU.
The “limited gov’t/free market” CATO Institute has a good page discussing how “security” legislation has gotten out of control while leaving us vulnerable at http://www.cato.org/current/terrorism/terror-civil liberties.html.
Attn USAPA supporters and opponents! Take the
PATRIOT Act Challenge! New entries posted each Sunday in Daniel’s (325) Journal.
Disinterest
In terms of how the Patriot Act affects libraries all librarians should take an interest. But the Patriot Act as a whole is like most topics. You take an interest or you don’t. It is not possible to be on top of every issue all the time. We make our choices, we choose our battles. The bottom line for me is I trust the Bush administration more than I trust the ACLU. The ACLU is a biased organization and for them to call Bush and Ashcroft liars simply makes me trust Bush and Ashcroft all the more.
Re:Have you given up?
Oh, no, not at all. Although I don’t really have any hopes in that regard to begin with. Everybody believes in whatever they choose to believe in, ultimately. No, mostly that kind of rhetoric is simply the buzz of the gadfly. It tends to get people all exercised and that’s always good for you. What I like to do is to get people to think about why they believe what they do.
Fangy Fangy tsk tsk
“Thank you, come again.”
–Apu Nahasapeemapetalon”
I believe, el Fangster, that what APU REALLY
said was:
“Thank you for coming, I’ll see you in HELL!”
(at least it is according to the .wav file 😉
I found somewhere on a Simpsons fan site
Or…is your version the “CENSORED, SANITIZED
and DECLASSIFIED” translation?
“gasp” the Simpsons fall victim to the Patriot Act!
Re:Disinterest
*Shush* indeed…Sorry, but Mrs.Ashcroft’s little boy is a biased individual and we trust him not. As for the Shrub…well, there are questions as to whether he’s even human. We’ll take the ACLU anytime.