No Place to Hide
This multimedia site illustrates one of the great dilemmas and paradoxes the U.S. faces now: To what extent should the need for security trump the constitutional right to privacy? Because consulting firms (who employ many information professionals like ourselves) exist to analyze who we are, what our income is, and what our consumer preferences are, I believe Viet Dinh (the primary drafter of the Patriot Act) correctly observed: "I think that in a democratic government, we should always distrust governmental authority." This is my personal position as well.
"TIA"
Is anyone else scandalized by how out of date TIA's website is? Under "Latest News," the most recent entry reads "March 1, 2005." Keeping an eye on our government is a noble goal - but one should stay current!!!
Protecting Privacy Rights in Libraries
Judah Hamer courageously stands for an absolute right of privacy for patrons: in their reading habits, in their lending records, against the government. I believe the ALA might not have done a vigorous enough job in lobbying on behalf of library patron confidentiality in the wake of September 11. And in the limited circumstance of pre-teens being able to read what they want without parental supervision -- I think librarians should support freedom of information in this context without reserve.
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