Perhaps, in Name of National Security, We Shouldn’t Be Telling You This

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The whacky world of the USA Patriot Act played itself out at a federal court hearing in Bridgeport, Ct. as two unnamed librarians for an unidentified library watched from a hidden location outside the courtroom as the government told the presiding judge she didn’t have sufficient security clearance to be shown relevant evidence supporting the government’s argument for secrecy. The librarians are challenging a “National Security Letter” under which the FBI, without a court order, has asked for library records. The Patriot Act prohibits the librarians from telling anyone, including Congress, which is considering extending that provision in the law. Among other things, the government argued that gag wasn’t prior restraint. (9/1/05)