Part of the war on terror is learning how America's enemies work.  It was found that ter- rorists like to use computer terminals in our libraries to communicate and do research  Some terrorists may educate themselves about targets and the like at our libraries.  So, when the folks who are paid to protect all of us wrote the Patriot Act, they added Section 215. 

Section 215 is really just a reworking of Title V of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, and says, if the FBI believes terrorist activity is going on, it may make an application to a judge who can grant an order for the production of tangible things, like books.

The idea is simple; terrorists use our own stuff against us, like our airliners.  Now, we make it harder for them to do that by federalizing airline checkers, putting marshals on planes, and beefing up airline security in general  The Feds want to do the same for terrorists that use our books and libraries.

While the people at the airlines and airports, including the flight attendants and pilots, have chosen not to protest and fight the increased security where they work, the librari- ans have decided to take a stand against American security in the name of freedom.  It seems the librarians have created a new constitutional right for not just Americans, but for terrorists from foreign lands as well. 

The librarian will not break the sacred trust that is formed between a book borrower and the person behind the counter, even if sharing a list of books with the government might save the lives of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of their fellow Americans. 

The library holds a special place for most Americans.  It was a place we would go to look up all kinds of things and a place to find peace and solace during the hectic times prior to an examination for study.  Unfortunately, in the 21^st century, it is also a place of learning and planning for terrorists in their quest to destroy what America is. 

Imagine being a terrorist and finding out that librarians are fighting the government to protect your anonymity?  You just can't make this stuff up  On April 4, 2003, the New York Times ran an article explaining the position of a number of libraries, about 225 across the country that chose not to cooperate with the American government in its quest to thwart terrorists before they strike again.

The article explains that the folks in Santa Cruz, California, value their freedoms so much, they make up new ones all the time.  In fact, they value their freedoms so much; they want terrorists to share in their bounty.  And yes, it would be the same terrorists who wouldn't blink an eye, if given the chance, to burn all our libraries to the ground.

The "patriots" at the Santa Cruz library have chosen to shred, on a daily basis, all re- cords of their patrons book use.  Anne M. Turner, director of the library system, ex- plained the tactic by saying, "The basic strategy now is to keep as little historical infor- mation as possible."

She did not explain that the law which allows the government to know what she knows and everyone else at the library knows about their patrons limits the sharing of that knowledge and prohibits the government from doing anything that would infringe on an individuals First Amendment rights.  She didn't explain that, when you take a book out of the library, you are giving up any right to privacy you may have by sharing that knowl- edge with everyone at the library.  No, the Santa Cruz librarians know what their people check out, but will not allow our government to know the same, our government which needs that information to protect the folks in Santa Cruz, including librarians and library patrons, from the terrorists who would grant them no rights.

The hatred, the mistrust, by some Americans for our government has led some of the socalled "Progressives"--i.e., the Liberal Leftist ideologues--to what some would view to be in direct contradiction to Darwin's theory of biological evolution, natural selection, and survival of the fittiest.  These folks, the ones who want to protect the terrorists, are not just useful idiots, but rather bolster the idea that even idiots can procreate, well may- be just in Northern California.

Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analytical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine, and is now a California attorney. His articles appear in numerous periodicals and on numerous websites. He has been the featured guest on KTSA News Talk Radio.  CONTACT INFORMATION:  Email:   paul.walfield@cox.net

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