TSA Doesn’t Like His Reading Material

Kelly writes “Amazing accounts from writer Naomi Wolf, who is finding out that, in her travels throughout the US, people are waking up to the encroaching darkness. Here’s her book-related observations, “Someone else says that his friend opened his luggage to find a letter from the TSA saying that they did not appreciate his reading material. Before I go into the security lines, I find myself editing my possessions. In New York’a La Guardia, I reluctantly found myself putting a hardcover copy of Tara McKelvey’s excellent Monstering, an expose of CIA interrogation practices, in a garbage can before I get in the security line; it is based on classified information. This morning at my hotel, before going to the airport, I threw away a very nice black T-shirt that said “We Will Not be Silenced” — with an Arabic translation — that someone had given me, along with a copy of poems written by detainees at Guantanamo.” More here: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/12/450 2/“

October 30, 2007 by Bill Drew Uncategorized 12

Chuck says:

October 30, 2007 at 1:24 am

why this?
As a prominent, powerful and wealthy person it would be nice if Ms. Wolfe dedicated her considerable resources to getting the humps who put the letter in the person’s luggage fired. Or refused to yield her Constitutional rights and force DHS to violate them; thus precipitating a public and unpleasant (for them) confrontation with a celebrity.

Instead of writing an article about how cool she is in a magazine only read by people who already agree with her.

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Kelly says:

October 30, 2007 at 2:22 am

Re:why this?
Maybe she doesn’t like frittering her time away in jail. I’m sure another “prominent, powerful and wealthy person” such as Martha Stewart, who had much, much less reason to be stuck in jail, could tell her all about it. When you become a “prominent, powerful and wealthy person” or celebrity yourself, take an opportunity to implement the advice you give Wolf – there will be many more of them as time goes on – and then you can presume to judge her.

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Fang-Face says:

October 30, 2007 at 3:49 am

Re:why this?
Yeah, but the really sucky part of being a dissenter is not always having the luxury of fighting every battle. Sometimes you’ve got to pick and choose which ones to fight and when to beat a strategic retreat. The ALA instrasigence over not condemning Cuba for the imprisonment of private citizens for having the gall to lend books to their neighbours without governmnet permission is a case in point. It wouldn’t cost the ALA anything politically or financially, and there is nothing Cuba could do about it. On the other hand when your own government will not cavil at shitting all over your civil liberties is when you really need to decide if you have the stones to be a tragic hero.

I recommend a little of Robert Bolt for more on that score.

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mdoneil says:

October 30, 2007 at 10:24 am

Complete and utter nonsense
The TSA does not make editorial comment about reading material. This woman is a complete nutjob as far as I can tell.

The idea that the TSA would have the time much less the inclination to check book titles in packed luggage – and then put a note in the luggage is simply absurd.

Is there a do not fly list, sure. Do some people get on it inadvertently because they have a similar name, or because someone transposed digits in the dirver’s license number or SSN, or through some human or computer error – sure. Do you want to see what is in your traveller profile? You can. In fact I posted about it in my journal here on LISNews a short time ago. I requested mine, and I am still waiting.

This woman provides no support for any of her allegations, sort of like the allageation she made against Professor Bloom -20 years after the alleged ‘encroachment’ took place. This woman throws around usbustantiated allegations and expects us to believe her because she is… what an author of overrated trade paperbacks?

I’ll carry any book you want in my carry on and have my picture taken holding it next to a TSA screening area. Heck I’ll wear a Che t-shirt when I do it.

There is no grand conspiracy no matter how much the crazies want there to be. Nobody is that organized. If there were a great conspiracy like that you would think they would tell me, I’d sign on 🙂

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Kelly says:

October 30, 2007 at 8:45 pm

A Collection?
“I’ll carry any book you want in my carry on and have my picture taken holding it next to a TSA screening area. Heck I’ll wear a Che t-shirt when I do it.”

Ah, we’d love to see this, especially you wearing a Che T-shirt, and the back perhaps printed with “Impeach Bush.” Let us know which detention facility you end up so we can send you a card (which maybe says, “Hang in there” or some such) and flowers. Perhaps a collection can be taken up to pay for your trip to try this experiment. I’d be the first in line to donate some bucks to it.

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Kelly says:

October 30, 2007 at 8:47 pm

Re:why this?
All makes a lot of sense.

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mdoneil says:

October 30, 2007 at 10:58 pm

Re:A Collection?
I have to go to SFO next week (amazing as that may sound) and I’ll take any book anyone wants.

So if anyone has the stones to send me a book I’ll happily carry it. I doubt any of the conspiracy theorists here will send me a book.

I am completely confident that I will not be arrested, detained, or bothered for what I read – or at least carry I am not agreeing to read this nonsense – or what I wear unless it happens to be made out of c4.

So if you want to take up a collection that is great, but I would prefer that you give it to your local animal shelter.

N.B. I do have a Che T-shirt that I was given by a real live Communist at the FIL in Guadalajara a few years ago.

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Anonymous Patron says:

October 31, 2007 at 4:53 pm

Re:A Collection?
Ah yes, the detention centers where they’re torturing all the papier mache hate puppets they’ve arrested for protesting the Patriot act!

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mdoneil says:

October 31, 2007 at 8:49 pm

Re:A Collection?
Nice post. Too bad it makes no sense.

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Anonymous Patron says:

November 1, 2007 at 3:55 am

Re:A Collection?
No, it doesn’t.

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mdoneil says:

November 1, 2007 at 8:32 am

Re:A Collection?
Nor does the post above this make any sense.

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Anonymous Patron says:

November 1, 2007 at 10:19 pm

Re:A Collection?
Oh, alright, I’ll decode it all for you, Matt.

“Hate puppets” is a Rush Limbaugh term for those inevitable giant papier mache George Bushitler puppets that are always featured in anti-war demos.

“Detention camps” refers to the non-existent American practice of “jailing” (see Kelly) anyone who runs afoul of the totalitarian Patriot act by doing things like reading subversive books.

So, overall, the comment three posts up satirizes the sort of illogical-bordering-on-insane ranting of the SRRT faction within librarianship regarding the current state of our liberties in America.

Ashcroft was 100% right about these people.

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