Normally when someone talks about how much damage librarians are doing the American Way of Life, you figure it’s just more talk radio hyperbole. Not this time. This time it comes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
First, we have an article in the New York Times ("At FBI, Frustration Over Limits on an Antiterror Law") quoting one slightly over-sincere law enforcer as saying:
"While radical militant librarians kick us around, true terrorists
benefit from OIPR’s failure to let us use the tools given to us," read
the e-mail message, which was sent by an unidentified F.B.I. official.
"This should be an OIPR priority!!!"
"OIPR" for you non-FBI types is "Office of Intelligence Policy and Review." As a fast FYI, the "OIPR priority" the agent speaks of is congressional renewal of the USA Patriot Act, or as I like to think of it, "The Worst Anti-Privacy Law in American History Act". I’ve written my congressfolk about not renewing this abomination of the legal code, but they rarely listen to me . . . or do they? Hmmm? There must be some real opposition to renewal if it’s got the FBI that riled. Dare I be optimistic? We shall see.
More destruction at the hands of librarians: "Radical Militant Librarian" t-shirts are available from CafePress (cute and cool, no? Cute and cool, yes!) and Library Raid jackets are available, too (these are awesome!)
I leave you with this lovely image. Enjoy!
Update: I also found this article ("Radical Militant Librarians and Other Dire Threats") by William Rivers Pitt on Truthout.org. And when you’re done reading that, here’s a lovely article from the Sstandard times titled "Agents’ Visit Chills U. Mass Dartmouth Senior." (That last one is all over the listservs today.) And based on this sort of thing, I’ve decided that Russ Feingold is the only politician I’d consider voting for President if he runs in 2008. He probably won’t which is all the greater shame, as the Dems have no real contenders for prez with a chance of winning–and the ones with a chance of winning are not the ones I’d like to see installed on January 20, 2009. Oh, well . . . it’s a long way to 2008. Let’s concentrate on getting a bunch of local victories in 2006 instead. That, I think we can do.
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