The Congress seems to be moving forward to once again extend the Patriot Act, which, among other things, gives the FBI carte blanche to rummage through your bank records, library records and all of the rest on their say-so.
I'd like to see one concrete case where rummaging through library records let to any tangible leads. What I have seen is that there are libraries which, in order to address their patrons' privacy concerns, no longer keep such records at all-- once you return what you have borrowed, the record is purged.
It has been clear for some time that the FBI has used these "anti-terror" powers for every frakking investigation they can. All that has to happen for some punk-ass special agent to show up at a bank, demand to see the records and they let him pore through their systems.
But there is no appetite in any administration for giving up any police powers. You can bet your ass that even if Hell were to freeze over and Ron Paul were elected, nothing would change.
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We give out patrons the option of maintaining a reading history, and we explain the potential ramifications. I know a number of respectable old ladies who would be mighty embarrassed if the FBI were to discover their penchants for trashy romances...
gives the FBI carte blanche to rummage through your bank records, library records and all of the rest on their say-so
Well, of course, they're the good guys and the innocent have nothing to be afraid of......
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