The Impact of Spying: Scaring the Librarians

I recently sold a piece (to be published on another site soon) about the impact of Bush's National Security Letters on Bay Area librarians. In it I noted how I had always felt safe by turning to these resources for guidance, information and general access to life, even if their answers only let me find solace in the mind of my world. (Being a young gay man from a small town, accurate and honest support was hard to find.)

These great people would always provide me interesting and sometimes exciting answers to any question I might have, even if the questions were controversial, selfish, silly or whatever.

But never in my 47 years have I been so depressed as when I started inquiring of librarians about whether they have received any National Security Letters.

I alway prefaced my request with the comment that I'm not interested in what the letter wanted, what their library did, or anything else. I just wanted to know if they had received a request.

My article details the massive, depressing disappointment I truly felt repeatedly as I was told "I cannot answer that question." Not that I don't know the answer, not that I don't want to answer the question, or anything else to indicate concern.

They simply stated to my face that, for the first time in my life, they would not perform their role as the guardians of access to information.

My question was off limits.

To further test this reaction, I recently turned to my local librarian in a very small town filled to a large extent with conservative libritarians. And the answer was the same: "I cannot answer that question."

This is depressing as hell and is nearly worth going to war over -- war against our own country.

I'm looking for your stories of experiences (good or scary) about face-to-face encounters with Bush's anti-librarian ground forces.

Please answer here or send me a note to epower.ventures@hotmail.com.

Thanks.

Allan

PS - Homeland Security Monitors: do spell my name correctly. I would hate to see you pester those friendly, laidback folks on Boston Legal.