Curbing the Patriot Act

It looks like the library patrons are up to no good again: the growing advocacy work of those seeking to limit the power of The Patriot Act seems to be gaining momentum on Capitol Hill. The Patriot Act, that sneaky little document that was rushed through the legislative process after September 11, allows the government to access library patron records and bookstore sales slips--an unnerving idea for many people. "Supporters of rolling back the library and bookstore provision said that the law gives the FBI too much leeway to go on fishing expeditions based on what people read. Innocent people could get tagged as potential terrorists based on what they check out from a library, critics said. Supporters of the Patriot Act countered that the rules are potentially useful and argued that the House was voting to make libraries safe havens for terrorists." Right. Because we all know libraries are quickly becoming the new underground bunker. go to Salon.com for the full story.