Thursday Means Support STOP-THE-ACLU. Day.

"...This is nothing more than feeding unnecessary paranoia for those who live in a state of Orwellian fear. First of all, I can’t understand why people are so afraid of someone seeing their library records. If it’s a public library, it’s a public record. That includes any library that accepts public funding, which means virtually all college and high school libraries as well. There is a check and balance involved, because before someone’s records can be obtained only after being approved by a federal judge. It would be a total waste of time for the FBI to care what someone is looking at in a Library, unless some other act of theirs puts up a flag that an investigation should be warranted. The ACLU are using scare tactics, creating the fear of Big Brother invading the libraries, when in fact investigators in ordinary criminal cases have been able to gain access to library records long before 9/11. The Feds already had these tools for cases in domestic criminal activities, the Patriot Act only extends these tools to investigators to use against terrorists."

Indeed, it's in reference of course to the bruhaha over the steenking federales sneaking into our library records and sweet christ on a crutch who the frig cares.

A few years back I was running the News & Reviews section of a speculative fiction website and I'd often go to the library asking for information as to who was reading what and how often. I considered it part of the service our site was providing, and there were no names involved and no ones privacy was "violated", but I wanted to focus upon certain areas of speculative fiction regarding what was popular to whom and why.

That was simple research. The feds are looking for crazy assholes who'd like to know how to kill Americans, thank you very much, and as far as I'm concerned the local mailman can have access to what books I enjoy because what in all hells do I have to hide?

And don't give me the principle of the thing as a response, please now. The principle of the thing means they shouldn't frisk you at airports or search bags at Penn Station but innocent people are far better served having wasted a few moments of their precious time than being blown to their respective atomic structure because some raghead ran to the ACLU for protection and handcuffed the authorities.

And you want to know what a REAL invasion of privacy is? In most states concealed carry permit holders are a matter of public record. Why, that's fine, you say, what harm could could of that, right?

Ah but criminals are,well, criminal minded and as cunning as ferrets working their way into a well guarded henhouse. Their are friends of mine with many thousands of dollars invested in firearms, and most people who conceal-carry have something of a collection that is worth a great deal of money. For them, advertising this fact is tantamount to the Daily News broadcasting which fatcats on 5th Avenue have the bigest jewelry collections, and all the crooks have to do when looking for a decent gun haul is to read the newspapers to see who has what and where they live.

Democracy's can sure suck. And privacy in a Democracy is a will-o-the-wisp dream, especially when said Democracy is at war. I don't have a blessed thing to hide from anyone but yes, it ticks me off to know that my name and address can be made available to anyone wishing to steal some guns. I'm not a TOTAL idiot, so my guns have been made quite secure but nothing is foolproof and who the hell wants the house trashed while the bad guys try and blow open some safes. The better half says that I secretly enjoy the thought of someone intruding upon the sanctity of our demesne and she's somewhat correct but who wants the hassle of having to explain to the cops where alla the dead bodies came from. Gee, occifer, they wasn't there when I left so it beats me how alla these dudes with masks managed to shoot themselves in the head. Again and again.