I was reading Mr. Bradbury's remards about the Patriot Act in the Vermont Guardian and was wondering what alternatives does the libraries have now that the Congress is on its way to pass the Patriot Act again. My Congressperson voted no, so I can be thankful for that, but what do we do? What about establishing private libraries instead of public ones? I for one am really thinking about joining a Book Club like Book of the Month because it seems as though they the law doesn't touch mail order Book clubs. I'm tired of my privacy being violated. Hopefully people will start voting out these Congress people and get representatives that really believe in our freedoms.

In any time of war...freedoms take a turn in many corners. Into whose hands we fall determines how frightened should we be, in our loss of freedom. Think about this: Who could possibly imagine that each purchase at the local store is a tracking device to know our whereabouts? Or each stroke on our computer-keyboard or visit to any website is being monitored? Companies like 'Doubleclick' made a fortune for themselves and stock investors by tracking the actions of the home computer person. Who would believe that there would be a day where ALL our phone conversations are monitored and flagged for special alerts by certain words we utter whereby we may alarm the system?

Go outside on a certain hour of a certain day where you live, and look up into the sky and smile. You are on camera. Stand next to your car while you are at it. They can read your license plates.

Worry about local libraries, and what book you take out? It's all about whose hands does all this information about you fall into. THAT'S our fear! And a good one!

Hey, Nard,
Thanks for putting that cheery thought into my mind as I leave work for the weekend!
Actually, I often do think about who it is that gathers all this info and what use (or abuse) it may be put to.
Kyrie eleison.

They don't have the time or resources to really keep track of everyone...
Get anti-spyware and good firewalls on your computer.
If you want to worry, worry about these two things the most:

1) Be careful what you fill out and submit to people, whether by phone, internet, or mail. In reality, these can be much bigger problems for you than spy satellites, which by the way are expensive to operate and almost exclusively used for purposes other than personal spying.
2) Shred everything with your name or information before you toss it in the garbage.
After you take care of these things, just go camping or fishing or something...

Here’s the link to the article Bree references above: http://www.vermontguardian.com/dailies/0904/0713.shtml

Unfortunately, there’s not enough Bradbury for this Bradbury fan and, unfortunately still, on this particular subject, I’m afraid I’m on the opposite side of the fence of Mr. Bradbury.

The article is brief so perhaps space didn’t allow it but pretty much accepts the usual line from the ALA that the Patriot Act is bad. No real-life examples are trotted out and I suspect that’s because there are few to be had.

The Patriot Act simply gives law enforcement agencies certain authority to gather information and use it, if necessary, to prevent terrorist attacks. Now, will these agencies use that information to crack down on all radical ideas? Not likely. Remember, unlike F-451, it’s still not illegal to check out and read material from libraries or purchase material from book stores. These agencies will be using this and other information to prevent dangerous actions, not the spread of dangerous ideas.

(And really, what idea is more dangerous than All Men Are Created Equal? That’s an idea that’s too dangerous for even the enlightened home countries of Muslim terrorist. Yet the idea thrives here. Go figure. Yet I doubt law enforcement agencies are compiling lists of people who check out copies of the Declaration of Independence.)

And spare me any slippery slope arguments. Turning over the names of people, when required under the procedures of the Patriot Act, who’ve checked out copies of “How to Hijack a Jetliner and Fly it Into a Building” or “Sawing Off Heads of Infidels in Once Easy Stroke” is a far cry from turning in people who checked out “Free to Be. . . You and Me.” It’s not an all or nothing concept; there’s plenty of room for judgment.

But, you say, you’re afraid that the possibility the government may want to review your reading list will have a chilling effect on what materials you check out? I say, grow a backbone. Have the courage of your conviction that you’re entitled to read the latest Nora Roberts or Al Franken or Bernard Goldberg or anything you want. It’s legal. In fact, the only illegal material I’m aware of is kiddie porn and last I heard that’s not available at your local library or bookstore anyway. Everything else is pretty much open season. You’re not a terrorist so read what you want. Have a ball.

Look, I’m the last to say we should blindingly trust our government with private information but, in this time of war, one of our sacrifices, and the sacrifice of the good librarians of the ALA, to that effort, will be to tolerate this mild inconvenience. Others sacrifice far more.

Best,

Pete

I suggest reading 'The Secret Ways,' by Alistair MacClean.(Much better book by him than 'Guns of Navarone,' by the way) Or '1984.' Afterward, you are going to realize this country is lot more free than you thought...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Robert M Blevins,

1984cover.jpg (12 Kb, 5 downloads) Original book cover from first edition of '1984'

Robert,

Oh, Alistair Maclean. Probably the first spy novelist I ever picked up and still have a warm feeling for, though it’s been ages since I read any of him. I’m sure I read “The Secret Ways” but can’t remember it specifically. The other stuff, made into movies, was quite good, as I remember. “Fear is the Key” was a personal favorite and I remember the movie being very good but summaries I’ve read say I’m wrong. Nice to meet a fellow traveler.

(And congratulations, by the way, on your own publishing success. Quite an accomplishment.)

Best,

Pete

Braling II

That reminds me...there's MORE! LOTS MORE:

How about all those blasted cameras everywhere. They record our walking down the street, and walking from the store...and buying a bottle of aspirin, walking across the street to the bus, getting on the bus...and even while we are in the bus. At least in Chicago, they have cameras in many buses to make sure all mis-behavior is monitored...and now the buses are tracked by GPS (global positioning satellite). That helps the driver. He doesn't have to announce each stop. The GPS knwos where he is and automatically announces the street stop. And of course, it';s watching to make sure he makes all his stops on time and there is no back-up. If someone smiles in the bus, that's recorded.

If, while driving, I go thru a stop light or make my turn too late, I get a picture snapped of my automobile and a hefty bill for at least 80 dollars in the mail shortly thereafter.

Oh, then there's that unmistakable trail of fine particles called DNA.

WHAT's NEXT!!??

Maybe it's time to write an updated book with the '1984' theme...(shiver)

My youngest son is a big Alistair Maclean fan. One not-so-well-known book, Puppet On a Chain, has left me with some creepy images...

Nard, you forgot to mention the good old I-Pass, which tracks our every move on any tollway in Illinois. When I go on-line to check my account funds, I see that for each and every time I go through a toll booth it records the time, toll booth location, the direction I am traveling, and the lane number. This information is on-line within seconds of passing through the gate. It totally creeps me out. Tollway authorities swear they will never use it to catch speeders, but I do not believe them. I also don't like the fact that whenever I use my Jewel or Fresh Values card, my buying habits are being tracked.

lmskipper:
Then there is the new 'Washington Mutual' TV ad...where people stand in line in the bank with bar codes on their forehead. Shades of Revelation. No mark shall be put on the forehead or hand, unless judgment comes. Thus fully tracked, one is 'un'able to purchase anything unless so marked, and thus makes for easy manipulation of one's life...and control, into this 21st Century.

I'm always amazed, if that be the word, how laws are passed...whereby a new generation comes along thinking they have been around forever. It's as if laws are passed for the expressed generation of the law giver...with no mind to the new generation over the horizon that come into the world thinking light bulbs have been around since forever.

And if you want to go even further out on the limb, the idea that sound forever bounces around..that is, every sound ever made...as if saturated into boulders or the very ground from where it was heard...is a theory that has been going around for quite some time. A machine someday to pick-up the voice of Lincoln at the Gettysburg address? Hardly?! Well, then, how about maybe just the sound of a sparrow in some remote century before ships sailed across the sea. Is everything somehow 'recorded' on some sort of cosmic recording device? Does all time happen at once, seperated only by a bubble we call 'reality'..and therefore...everything everywhere at any time accessible someday by...? Hm!! Now who would be able to access that 'bit' of info, and for what?

Just think of life before social security numbers, personal phone numbers, credit files, etc. A hundred years ago? "1984" couldn't imagine what's happened in 2005, how so much personal information would be given up without a fight... all in the name of economics, communications, security, and keeping the peace.

You guys might find this book, "The Right to Privacy," of interest.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/067974434...nce&s=books&n=507846

As a matter of fact, dandelion, that is a book I have always intended to read, partly because of the subject matter, but also because I really admire Caroline Kennedy. So I just ordered a copy for less than $2.00 at Amazon.com. (I also ordered another Michael Raleigh book while I was there. I know I'm a bit off topic here, but this is an author you may want to try, Nard. His mysteries are set in Chicago, and I love reading about all the streets, neighborhoods, and landmarks he mentions as his character is going about the city, solving yet another mystery.) Speaking of Amazon.com, after you have ordered from them a few times, they compile a list of recommendations, based on your previous orders. So they are tracking us, too. Quiet--I hear the black helicopter hovering right now...

Braling II,

Right, Puppet on a Chain, I'd forgotten. Or lumped it into my general "Movies made from his books" category. I recall a creepy scene of a death of one of the major characters by pitchfork. In this day of The Devil's Rejects, no big deal but for me, Yikes!

Best,

Pete