Challenge the Patriot Act

[wisdom_seeker]

The ACLU is representing a librarian who is under a gag order preventing his speaking about his experiences with National Security Letters (the provision of the Patriot Act that allows the government to get records of what books individuals have taken out of the library and other activities within the library, such as internet use). If you believe

Comments

[why_style]

i do agree that demoracy can only thrive in an atmosphere of free and open debate, however, i'm doubtful that we live in a democracy anymore. i know the US has always been more of a republic than a democracy, but when the choice is between one rich white guy and another rich white guy, is it really a choice?

but that's beside the point. what is the outcry over keeping library use private? aren't libraries public institutions paid for by government money? maybe i just don't feel the same sense of being entitled to privacy or something, but i don't see what's so bad about knowing who's reading up on how to make homemade bombs if the goal is to prevent bombings.

spiralflames health update

[humandays]

greetings. you don't know me, but i'm a friend of spiralflames. she's been off lj for months, and i just talked to her on the phone and promised i'd let everyone on her friends list know, personally, how she was doing.

first, the bad news: her declining health of this year was due to undiagnosed ovarian cancer. it was finally properly diagnosed, and last week she had two tumors removed in an 11-hour operation, and one of them was gigantic.

the good news: the doctors feel that they got it all out, and with a course of chemo the prospects are bright.

now the fantastic news: spiralflames is beating all expectations with the rapidity of her recovery: within 2 days her blood chemistry was back to normal, and an expected stay of a week in ICU turned out to be one day