Big Brother Watch

Law enforcement officials have made at least 200 formal and informal inquiries to libraries for information on reading material and other internal matters since October 2001, according to a new study that adds grist to the growing debate in Congress over the government's counterterrorism powers.

In some cases, agents used subpoenas or other formal demands to obtain information like lists of users checking out a book on Osama bin Laden. Other requests were informal - and were sometimes turned down by librarians who chafed at the notion of turning over such material, said the American Library Association, which commissioned the study.

Dear federal law enforcement officials,

I own many books that you would find scary. If you read my post from the other day about banned books, you will find that I own a number of these. In addition, I own the Communist Manifesto, Lenin's Red Book (in Arabic, too!), various Nietzsche books, On Liberty, a Quran, a book about Clinton, a couple of Al Franken books, a book on Islamic terrorism, a book on Iran that throws the revolution into a positive (or at least, not negative) light, and a host of philosophy books that Evangelical crackheads would find offensive. I also bought a couple of anti-Bush administration books while in Cairo. They are in Arabic, but I am sure you can tell which ones they are by the pictures on the covers.

If you come to my house to snoop, may I ask that you please leave it in order. If you have some extra time, the floor could use a good shining, as the hardwood is looking a bit dull and dusty. Also, I don't have a phone, so there is nothing to bug.

Sincerely,

Daedalus (that's not my real name, but I'm sure you already know that.)