Did you request this book, sir?
Agents' visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior: 12/ 17/ 2005:
NEW BEDFORD -- A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red Book."
Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.
The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said.
Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.
The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said.
Via Orcinus. I happened to read this after having been to a party last night at which we discussed the NSA domestic spying flap. To my surprise some of the guests were unperturbed by the idea of the government playing secret police with its own citizens. Someone uttered that old canard "If you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?" Well, here's what you have to worry about. This is frightening on several different levels: interlibrary loan being monitored by the feds, particular books being on "watch lists," the feds intervening in said interlibrary loan process. Incidentally, the feds brought the book with them and then left with it. "I couldn't finish my paper because Federal agents ate my one of my cites." It really has come down to that Nixonian saw: "If the president does it, it can't be illegal."
Comments
There is plenty of reason to doubt that this story is in fact true.
http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2005/12/apparently-bogus-homeland-security.html
Apparently Bogus: Homeland Security Visited Student Who Ordered Mao’s “Little Red Book”
Posted by: John McAdams | December 21, 2005 12:28 AM