Federal agents visit student for requesting library book

[Lone_Gunman]

I am no fan of Feinstein, but remember our good friend George is the one who wanted the federal government to have the power to do this.

If Feinstein wants this man to never be able to own guns, Bush wants him held indefinitely without charges filed.

 

[HankB]

I'm reading that new biography on Mao written by the woman that wrote Wild Swans. So, if you guys don't hear from me, please check the Bureau of Prisons (I'll likely be in the MCC in Chicago or Terre Haute).

Nope, you're going to be nabbed by some of the CIA's independent contractors when you're taking out the trash, drugged, and clandestinely transported via Gitmo and Uzbekistan to a secret prison. You'll wake up "somewhere" in Lower Slobovia, where the "coercive interrogations" will begin.

 

[GRB]

The amusing part is that the DoHS actually thinks these visits could be productive. Like they will go question this student and he'll actually say "golly, G-Men, ya caught me! Yep, I'm part of an international terrorist conspiracy to bring back communism.

My guess is that this is not it at all. My guess is that when the next big one hits us, someone at DHS will say, look we tried to stop them we went out and investigated suspects. I believe it is a cover our ass type of thing for the agency involved - a rather amateurish cover our ass attempt in my opinion. My guess is that the student was a foreigner (with a student visa) and my guess is that they were ICE agents (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Somehow I am certain in my belief that many foolish politicians, foolish press, and foolish citizens will then buy that story as DHS having had done its job after the SHTF again.

You will of course remember the great amount of blame that was heaped upon the Immigration and Naturalization Service after 9/11; so much blame that an act of Congreess (pretty sure it was by an act of Congress) abolished the I&NS. Then they were combined with US Customs basically destroying the US Customs Service which had been a fine investigative, regulatory and inspectional agency that made the US Government a lot of money (second only to the IRS).

What a shame things like this are happening. Of course, don't get me wrong, we are at war. In war time certain freedoms and liberties maybe curtailed temporarily - but the fact remains that reading a book should not be one of them unless maybe the book is a tome about how to overthrow the US Government or destoy us all with a nuke, chemicals or biological agents AND you intend to do so. Then going to investigate wouldbe ok, that is if it were not done in such an amateurish nature as I believe this was probably done. of course we both could be assuming such was the case.Maybe there is much more of an investigation involving this subject of which we have no awareness. Maybe they interviewed him to rattle his bones so to speak and get him shaken up, to see what actions would follow. Just a thought on my part as I have no actual, knowledge of this investigation other than what I read in the article in the first post.

Disclaimer: This post by the way is absolutely my personal opinion and is not meant as a commentary on the official position of the Department of Homeland Security, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or, of the US Government in general. This post is based upon MY PERSONAL OPINION(s) based upon things that are common knowledge, and based upon information I have obtained as could anyone else in the USA from the media and other source available to the public. It is not in any way based upon the nature of my official duties within the US Government.

All the best,

GB

 

[Mnemesyne]

If this is a true story, i'd best watch what books I check out of my local library. I love to read...matter of fact, I'll read just about any book on any non fictional subject..why? To better myself....Guess I can't do that anymore *sigh* for fear i'll end up on some gov't watch list........



A depressed bookworm aka Mneme

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Shameful, I thought McCarthy was gone....

McCarthy only investigated people in sensitive government positions suspected of being spies for the Communists, our sworn enemies. No one has a right to work in sensitive positions in our government without being investigated.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

I guess I'd better hide my copy of The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich. I'm liable to get a visit from a Federal Agent.

 

[dolanp]

If Feinstein et al had their way, this guy would be banned from owning a gun after he graduated from college. Because reading that book put him on a "terrorism watch list"...

And Bush would be A-OK with that too since he helped create this mess.

 

[rick_reno]

I doubt this happened here. When I was working in China (Shanghai) I asked one of my Chinese associates about the "Little Red Book" and was told in no uncertain terms not to talk of that again. Maybe this guy is in China.

 

[PressCheck]

Shameful, I thought McCarthy was gone....

Joe McCarthy is/was my Hero.

 

[Mad Chemist]

This is why I dare not order anything from paladin press.

I just get my silly evil books from the gun show

Bouncing soap...nice..

I buy mine with cash from the local surplus store.
At this point, I'm afraid to check out anything controversial from the library.
Knowing your enemy and joining the enemy are distinctly different. These idiots just don't get it.

I love my country, but I fear what the future may bring.
Since when did US agents start using KGB style tactics against our own people?
And why does the electorate support this bull .

 

[GRB]

McCarthy only investigated people in sensitive government positions suspected of being spies for the Communists, our sworn enemies.

Are you kidding? Mccarthy investigated many more than government employees.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Probably not true, but even if it were, nobody would do squat about it except whine and handwring.

 

[Mad Chemist]

McCarthy only investigated people in sensitive government positions suspected of being spies for the Communists, our sworn enemies. No one has a right to work in sensitive positions in our government without being investigated.

Whaaaaat! Do some research bro.

 

[grimjaw]

I would think that anyone in our government responsible for defense against threats from Communist countries, especially ones that have been influenced by literature such as that stated, would be required to study it, as one would study an adversary. If this story actually did happen, seems to put a bit of a cloud over legitimate research into our defense.

jmm

 

[Mad Chemist]

I doubt this happened here. When I was working in China (Shanghai) I asked one of my Chinese associates about the "Little Red Book" and was told in no uncertain terms not to talk of that again. Maybe this guy is in China.

UMass @ Dartmouth is the school in question. I'm fairly sure that it's not located in China.

Grimjaw, I'm with you 100%.

 

[grimjaw]

No one has a right to work in sensitive positions in our government without being investigated.

I don't know about the rights part of your statement, but I do know that most of the Department of Defense or Department of Energy positions I've worked in or near have required at the very least a background check before you can be hired. This extends to contractors. It wouldn't surprise me if the number of positions in the government requiring a secret clearance or above has increased dramatically since 9/11.

jmm

 

[rick_reno]

McCarthy only investigated people in sensitive government positions suspected of being spies for the Communists, our sworn enemies.

Right, and the Easter bunny hides eggs on Easter. Given this thread apparently started out around libraries, we'll talk a bit about what he and his fellow travelers did in that area. One of his targets was what he believed were anti-American books in libraries. His researchers looked into the Overseas Library Program and discovered 30,000 books by "communists, pro-communists, former communists and anti anti-communists." After the publication of this list, these books were removed from the library shelves.

Another target was homosexuals. For some time opponents of McCarthy had been accumulating evidence concerning his homosexual activities. Several members of his staff, including Roy Cohn and David Schine, were also suspected of having a sexual relationship. Although well-known by political journalists, the first article about it did not appear until Hank Greenspun published an article in the Las Vagas Sun in 25th October, 1952. Greenspun wrote that: "It is common talk among homosexuals in Milwaukee who rendezvous in the White Horse Inn that Senator Joe McCarthy has often engaged in homosexual activities." McCarthy considered a libel suit against Greenspun but decided against it when he was told by his lawyers that if the case went ahead he would have to take the witness stand and answer questions about his sexuality. In an attempt to stop the rumours circulating, McCarthy married his secretary, Jeannie Kerr. Later the couple adopted a five-week old girl from the New York Foundling Home.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Are you kidding? Mccarthy investigated many more than government employees.

McCarthy was looking for government employees that were security risks. Can you document one person investigated by McCarthy that did not hold a government position?

Greenspun wrote that: "It is common talk among homosexuals in Milwaukee who rendezvous in the White Horse Inn that Senator Joe McCarthy has often engaged in homosexual activities."

What? No snapshot of him and Hoover in dresses? Cohn is a homosexual, so McCarthy is too?

Guess no one remembers that Robert Kennedy also worked for McCarthy on his senate subcommittee investigations.

 

[JohnBT]

""I tell my students to go to the direct source, and so he asked for the official Peking version of the book,""

Significant time abroad, reads Chinese...well he asked for the Peking version, didn't he...hmmm.

I wish I could read Chinese.

John

 

[Mad Chemist]

McCarthy was looking for government employees that were security risks. Can you document one person investigated by McCarthy that did not hold a government position?



What? No snapshot of him and Hoover in dresses? Cohn is a homosexual, so McCarthy is too?

Guess no one remembers that Robert Kennedy also worked for McCarthy on his senate subcommittee investigations.

The commitee that McCarthy personally chaired(Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations) investigated only govt. employees.
However, Sen. McCarthy's connections on Capitol Hill coupled with his popularity allowed other members of Congress to "piggy-back" their own agendas. Specifically, the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee recieved implicite and explicite support from the Sen.

Often Joe McCarthy is erroneously associated with the House Committee on Un-Amercan Activities. HUAC/HCAC was established well before McCarthy's election to the Senate. While never directly associated with HUAC(which did aggressively investigate non-governmentally employed US citizens), the Senator did help reinvigorate the committee and rally support for its activities.

While technically correct, it is still misleading to state that McCarthy had no involvement in investigating non-gov US citizens.
Some informative links. I didn't intend to hi-jack the thread, just wanted to clear some things up.
JH
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy
http://huac.tripod.com/

 

[jsalcedo]

What about all the hollywood people that were questioned about being communists?

 

[R.H. Lee]

What about all the hollywood people that were questioned about being communists?

Many of them were in fact communists, and the VENONA files later exonerated McCarthy. What we need today is a new HUAC, to investigate the links between modern liberalism and islamofascism; both America hating subversives IMO.

 

[rick_reno]

Can you document one person investigated by McCarthy that did not hold a government position?

Russel W. Duke, according to his testimony in 1953 before McCarthy's committee this fellow worked in the manufacturing business, in the
sales business, the procurement business, the real estate business. He did NOT hold a government position.
Almost 300 people testified in closed and open sessions before the PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS - and not all of them were in the employ of the government.
The hearings are on-line and available. I suggest you read them before making claims like the above quoted one.

 

[bjbarron]

So I'm happily reading the thread until I get to this....

If Feinstein et al had their way, this guy would be banned from owning a gun after he graduated from college. Because reading that book put him on a "terrorism watch list"...

If Feinstein et al had their way, we would all be banned from owning guns because sunrise was at 8:43am in Stockholm, Sweden today. She don't need no stinkin' excuse.

As for this thread, I'm not sure. This would come under the "library provision" of the Patriot act which (1) took a blow this past June, and (2) lost some provisions to sunsetting over the past couple of days.

It's the library provision that annoys most people the worst.

 

[WT]

Back in my college days we were required to read 'The Little Red Book.' I may still have it around someplace.

I don't believe the claim that the student was visited by government agents. I did check the UMASS Dartmouth library website and could not find that book listed. It is possible that he had to borrow it on interlibrary loan.

The New York City Public Library, probably the biggest library in the country, claims that it does not keep records of what people read. My local library also had a notice posted that it does not keep records.

I understand a new book is coming out, "Photos and Home Addresses of FBI Agents" .............