Librarians are heroes
As I've been making the rounds of radio stations (via phone, of course) and talking to hundreds of people about my book Privacy Lost, I've gotten some ideas about how America feels about privacy. So here's a few observations:
- Conservatives are quicker to defend privacy than liberals
This surprised me. I've found an almost universal reluctance among liberals to trade away any other issue for privacy because granting privacy rights often takes away weapons that are used by 1st Amendment types, environmentalists and other advocacy groups - Security rules are imposed on others, privacy violations happen to you. Everywhere I've seen a double standard--Most people are willing to take away YOUR privacy rights in a flash for National Security, but they'll guard theirs zealously
- The single group who is almost universally aware of privacy issues and protectionist aligned are librarians. Thank God for them! Like George Christian, executive director of Library Connection,who has recently bucked the FBI on turning over computer records a la Patriot Act. Quote Mr. Christian,
Terrorists win when the fear of them induces us to destroy the rights that make us free
Posted on April 13, 2007
