US withdraws subpoena seeking identity of 24,000 Amazon customers

Source: AP

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) - U.S. prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through online retailer Amazon.com Inc., newly unsealed court records show. The withdrawal came after a judge ruled the customers have a right to keep their reading habits from the government.

"The (subpoena's) chilling effect on expressive e-commerce would frost keyboards across America," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker wrote in a June ruling. "Well-founded or not, rumors of an Orwellian federal criminal investigation into the reading habits of Amazon's customers could frighten countless potential customers into canceling planned online book purchases," the judge wrote in a ruling he unsealed last week.

Amazon said in court documents it hopes Crocker's decision will make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain records involving book purchases.

Crocker _ who unsealed documents detailing the showdown against prosecutors' wishes _ said he believed prosecutors were seeking the information for a legitimate purpose. But he said First Amendment concerns about freedom of speech were justified and outweighed the subpoena's law enforcement purpose.


Read more: http://www.pr-inside.com/us-withdraws-subpoena-seeking-identity-of-r320059.htm

---

After losing their case, it appears the Feds didn't want the public to know it lost and pressured the judge to keep verdict quiet.

Kudos to Judge Stephen Crocker for both his ruling and his unsealing of the court documents.

my most recent ltte...hopefully printed tomorrow
In response to this column http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2007/11/26/dailylight/opinion/editorials/column8.txt
I read Kay Bailey Hutchison's recent op-ed piece with great interest and a little bit of disgust.I'll save the discussion over the "benevolence" of Ronald Reagan for a later date.My concern is with Sen. Huthcison's tendency,like others of her party, to hide behind a backdrop of soldiers, proclaiming "It is because of those who have defended this nation — from the early Revolutionary War to today’s Global War on Terror — that we have the liberties that have allowed us to grow and prosper. "Why then,Senator,did you vote for The first "Patriot Act"-which has basically dissolved our 1st and 4th Amendment rights?
Why do you and your comrades in the Senate seek to push the passage of "Patriot Act 2"?While presented as a tool on the "Global War on Terror",this gives the Government access to any citizens' phone,internet,library and other records.It gives the President the authority to label anyone he/she sees as a threat to "National Security" as an enemy combatant.(Might I remind you that this power can be abused by any political party).It allows the Government to keep anyone labeled an enemy combatant imprisoned without charges for an indeterminate length of time(this includes American citizens).It would deny the press and public access to Grand jury proceedings held regarding said enemy combatants,and any material evidence surrounding the case.
Is this the America you speak so highly of?The same America we saw "praised" by Joseph McCarthy and his minions in the 50's?
Regardless of our party affiliations,there are a few things as Americans we must remain united on.Some brave men and women back in the 1700s made the sacrifices to realize the dream we now live.The Constitution is what defines us as America,Senator.It's the same document you swore to uphold,remember?

Kick and Nom our Government is now no different than China.

Read the two Naomis: Wolf and Klien. You cannot possibly get more paranoid than those two, and they pretty well document that their paranoia about what is going on is soundly grounded in reality.

Important related action!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3758094

Sorry, I put this in the wrong spot. But it doesn't hurt to remind people a lot anyway.

Save us all some time and trouble.

These wasteful morons.

.

Greg Palast
Thom hartmann
Molly Ivins
Mark Crispin Miller

that every damn one of us at DU are on a list somewher. We are subversive you know.

www.makestickers.com :) I've had great service from them!

YOU CAN BET YOUR BUTT ON THAT. IN THE 50'S I SAW FIRST HAND HOW POWERFULL THESE PEOPLE WERE.
Any one ever hear of a bomarc missile? well I was fortunate to lay out the not choice but picked site in aroostook county Maine. the final site was the potato field of a well known democrat.(democrats in aroostook county were rare,and one with money was extinct) of course this ruined his business and I'm sure he got pennies on the dollar for its worth.
THESE people turn the hounds on you and in 24 hours they can tell you what brand of toilet
paper you use and how often you wash your hands after using it.
I spent half a life time working on federal projects and time and time again these hawks were
the big dippers in our tax dollar.
of course at the time conn.,new hampshere,maine were strong republican states. mass was dem.
so they were more in the back ground but def. present.
SECURITY OF THIS NATION HAS NO PARTY AND ITS TIME POLITICIANS STARTED REALIZING ITS NOT A PORK TABLE BUT A RIGHT WE THE PEOPLE DESERVE. SO STOP SCREWING AROUND AND USE IT TO CATCH THE
BAD GUY,NOT FOR POLITICAL GAIN. AND YOU THE INVESTIGATOR BLOW THE WHISTLE ON ATTEMPS TO INFRINGE ON YOUR BROTHERS RIGHTS. YOU KNOW BOGUS FROM POLITICAL.

It includes Michael Moore, Al Franken, and a few others, in addition to yours.

What the hell is is with these people?

Ivins and Miller plus a Hightower!

Thom Hartmann
Mark Crispin Miller
Al Gore
Howard Zinn
John Perkins

All those subversive lefty intellectuals, ya know...

She was that one person I could always point to and say, "Look, we Texans ain't all bad! We're not all out of our frigging minds! Some of us are even normal WITHOUT living in Austin!"

She also had that whole "wit" thing going on which I find so appealing.

"Federal prosecutors issued the subpoena last year as part of a grand jury investigation into a former Wisconsin official who was a prolific seller of used books on Amazon.com. They were looking for buyers who could be witnesses in the case.

The official, Robert D'Angelo, was indicted last month on fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors said he ran a used book business out of his city office and did not report the income. He has pleaded not guilty."

Shit! I need to start selling used books on Amazon.



The transaction records (which Amazon turned over) should be more than enough to do this guy on tax evasion, without dragging customers into court.

but I think the administration was trying to set a precedent - which the judge wisely thought was a bad idea.

but when I need one that may be controversial, I find a used books outlet somewhere locally and pay cash. And I never give my information for their databases.

For regular, non-controversial books, I use whatever method of payment is convenient and I buy online.

...that we must concern ourselves with what we're reading because of the government? What friggin' country is this?

I know what country I was born in, and damnit, I want it back!

we shouldn't have to.

but the more I live, the more I realize that the abuse of people by governments is endemic to all governments...it's endemic to humans. All it takes is one asshole to ruin The Social Contract...and thus, when that asshole acts, those that previously adhered to the principles of the Contract take actions to protect themselves. That's the imperfection of humanity at work.

The best one can do is take actions to protect oneself that don't severely compromise one's philosophical commitment to a more perfect Social Contract.

Being careful about where I buy my books is a realistic concession...though it's one I preferred I didn't have to do.

It took the entire republican party and some dinos to do it.

"Can you believe that we must even THINK this way..."

the surveillance. What do they plan to do with information about what a person is merely reading? It's sick and shows their attitude to the human mind. They think it can be controlled. And that they should get to do the controlling.

I thought I was paranoid. I pay cash for some things and others I don't care about. Funny, I remember a time when the thought never crossed my mind. Welcome to land of the free and the home of the brave. If they don't want us to read this stuff they should just be honest and not sell it.

Or maybe this is just Billo or Ann's people trying to pump up their sales...:rofl:

boricua79

Is that what United STATES OF AMERICA have been too?. A country where the public have been afraid of bying new "controversial" books becouse they are fearing the goverment want to look at your books some times down the road...

Amazing.. I have never belived that to be the cas in USA.. Maybee in other nations like Russia or China.. But United States?????

Just mindboundling

But it was great to read that the Court was given the tumbs down for the goverment then... The goverment have no right to se what I have been shopin on Amazon or other places.. If they ask polity their reprensentatives may given acess to my books.. But just if they ask my politely.. But this days, even a old book as 1984 by Orwell, may getting peopole into problems.. I bought my in a flee shop for some times ago.. Read it on School sometimes.. And it was still a scary book today.. And maybee more actuel today, then it was when I first read it...

A must for ALL who dosent trust government I belive..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad engelish, not my native language

know what I'm reading? I keep hearing about them demanding info from librarians, and now Amazon. The only thing I can think of is they think if I buy a Koran, or a book on Islam, I'm a potential terrorist! From what I can recall, the Unibomber wrote his own manifesto, the plane hijackers weren't carrying any books or library cards, and I suspect all Muslims own a Koran, so what in the hell do they think they're going to find if they check my buying habits?

People who read and *who might be thinking* of ways to change things for the better for all of us common folk....


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3758094&mesg_id=3758281

that we just generously gift HLS with our information.

We know they don't actually protect us in any way and we know they can't chew gum and walk. If they are on the road to making the American public the enemy, I think we should cooperate. We should mail them big fat packages of information for them to process. Let's reward their rigor with our own. :evilgrin:

They want every bit of information possible to pull up on anyone they wish to question. If in the near future they have a compiled list of anti-regime propaganda that they deem supports a view opposing them, they can match an individuals reading/viewing/listening record with that list to get whatever "evidence" they can to use against an individual, family or group. It appears they are just covering all of the bases, and it is simply a matter of channeling computer data. Such a simple system at their fingertips, Hitler would be jealous!

5-6 years, that data base would be so BIG it would be completely unmanagable! I'm just one poor person who can't afford to buy all the books I'd like to, and even I've bought about 15+ books on Amazon, and ALL have been anti this Admin! If they want to question me about my anti Shrub sentiment, I'll be glad to tell ALL! If they try to find all of us in that catagory, they sure better add a whole lot more people to DHS than they have!!!!!

They bought IBM tabulators to keep track of their victims.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/03/27/print/main504730.shtml

(REUTERS) Newly uncovered Nazi-era documents shed light on the alleged role IBM played in helping Hitler to carry out the Holocaust in Poland, according to the author of a controversial book on the subject.

Investigative reporter Edwin Black, the author of a book published last year entitled "IBM and the Holocaust", puts forward further evidence to support his claims of IBM's knowledge and complicity in Nazi operations in wartime Poland in the paperback version to be published this week.

Historians working as part of Black's research team said that in the paperback they had pieced together the previously fragmented story of IBM's role in supplying the organizational machinery used to to transport millions of people to Polish death camps.

Black and his researchers said recently discovered Nazi government documents in the U.S. National Archives and Polish eyewitness testimony link IBM's U.S. operations directly to the operations of the Third Reich in occupied Poland.

--snip--

Just make photocopies of the pages needed.

How dumb is the bush government?

:think:

everyone in the political opposition.

political anti Shrub bookis from Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and even traded some on the book exchange web sites. Knock yourself out George! I don't like you and you don't like me. That's life!

rolls. I have stopped answering questions about my preferences and affliations on political telephone surveys because I wonder if they wont then use my name and challenge my vote. Which they are doing a bit of in my area.

to Dem in time for the primary, then BACK to Republican for the general election. I did it in 2004 because I didn't trust them to not pull some stunt then.

If you hear that Homeland Security or other agents of the state can access information about what books you read, and if you see they actually do sometimes exercise that capability, you are then less likely (some are less likely) to buy and read books widely divergent from the Party Line. After all, if you read the "wrong" books you could end up on some kind of inconvenient list. In effect, this becomes one tool in the fascist arsenal to suppress free speech and openly independent thought.

It's all theater, a theater of terror, meant to drive you to put on their chains yourself, to achieve the deeper meaning behind William Burroughs words when he said, "A functioning police state needs no police."

I agree with him that it would have halted future sales if people were to fear being dragged into court every time the government gets a whim to subpoena them.

Let's see, Awful Truth, Orwell Rolls, Outfoxed, Fahrenheit 911, Roger & Me, Smartest Guys in the Room, Who Killed the Electric Car, TV Nation, High Cost of Low Prices, Bowling for Columbine...

Am I in trouble Agent Mike?

Defeats the anonymity because the airline is now required to record titles of books carried onto planes by passengers.

Also at Common Dreams Naomi Wolfe talks about how TSA left a note in someone's luggage that they (the TSA) didn't like the traveler's reading material.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/12/4502/

If I feel this way... there are likely to be others that feel the same way that are more prone to violence. It increases the odds of a new American Revolution to take back our country.

had a "No Iraq War" sign in his luggage. So I guess I might have to leave my "V for Vendetta" T-shirt at home when I travel. Gosh and I thought this was the United States Of America, land of the free and home of the brave.

...I know a lot of travellers use them interchangeably, but please understand the airlines are private (albeit soulless) corporations, not part of the Secret Government Stassi--oops! I mean the Federal Govt. Airlines don't care what you read, they only want your money to put you in a seat on their planes.

And I know this because I work for a major carrier in SFO. If you travel on our carrier and I'm the one who checks you in, you better believe I'm gonna notice if you're carrying books by any of the authors you've mentioned! In fact, I'll be the first one giving you a thumbs up and a great seat!!!!

Let's see, on my Thanksgiving trip to Florida, I carried Naomi Wolf's The End of America and Noam Chomsky's Failed State on the plane with me. That must've been one of those sky marshals who jumped in the seat next to me. Ha!! He should see my bookshelves at home (it's off to the gulag for me)!

I don't see how/when they would've recorded the titles, as they were stuck inside my carry-on bag and I don't think the titles show up on the xray machines.

the info on the defendants computer, so it was all for naught.

They know EXACTLY what would happen to their roaring online business if they cooperated and the word got out...

example of Gonzalesgate?

Hey bouncer, I'm on the list!

Guess having bought "Conservatives without a Conscience" would peg me.
Whatever!

When the hell is this going to stop? Either arrest the whole dang lot of us and be done with it or get a new job.

I hate this... ALL of this.

Every mouse click and e-mail goes through that little room off to the side at the phone company. Then sent right to the NSA.

Thanks AT&T. I'll never be one of your customers. You can still spy on me, but I ain't gonna pay you to do it.

I always wanted.

I used to be considered serious stuff. I had to laugh when I recently got a replacement after loosing my old one. It's pretty tame stuff. But EVIDENCE as far as Bush and his beautiful minds are concerned.

That's the reason the judge wrote in his ruling.

I can remember when such fishing expeditions would have been summarily rejected based on the Fourth Amendment. Today, in our police state, we're shielded from such illegalities only if they might potentially affect a company's profit.

Wonder if the judge would have had second thoughts if he didn't have the protecting corporate profits line to protect his decision. Feds backed off probably just for the profit reason alone.

It's not our 4th amendment right that the judge is protecting, but Amazon's bottom line. Perhaps he has a big position in Amazon stock? (Regardless, I welcome the decision!)

and before that "Bambi".....

I point to "The Lorax" as evidence. And "Bambi"? I bet after his mom got killed that prompted you to join the Animal Liberation Front!

:sarcasm:

Not to mention my dog-eared copy of "The Catcher in the Rye".

:)

It's nice to know Big Brother isn't going to be watching me...not this time anyway.

Besides books, DVDs and other things I bought my dogs two plush Bush dolls to tear apart. Glad HLS doesn't know

Or, my "Cheney Suck This" book. Love those literary tomes...

J

...be punished as well?

If they're gathering data on "subversives" or people who might
read a book that criticizes them, what do they have planned for
the authors of these materials?

Just wondering...

Only bad things can come from words and learning.

Important related action!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3758094

I'm glad for the decision, but this shit is very scary! :scared:

I would like to read his entire ruling. I hope he had more to say about the subpoena than it's "chilling effect on ... e-commerce," e.g. its egregious unconstitutionality and overreaching invasion of privacy. Whatever its potential effect on e-commerce might be, that seems a sadly pathetic reason for quashing it next to the damage it would do by precedent-setting to the protections afforded us by the Document That Keeps Us Free.

Still, we must applaud the ruling, if for no other reason than the blow it strikes against the BushCo DOJ, which seizes upon every opportunity to undermine the rule of law in the USA (and elsewhere).

I just looked up my Amazon history and was shocked to see that I ordered/read 39 books last year. If the feds want to know what I read, they can just ask me. While I'm at it I'll tell them what I learned.

Source: Associated Press via MSNBC

Feds retreat on Amazon buyers’ identities
Subpoena pulled after ruling that protects book customers' privacy

updated 2 hours, 40 minutes ago

MADISON, Wisconsin - U.S. prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through online retailer Amazon.com Inc., newly unsealed court records show.

The withdrawal came after a judge ruled the customers have a right to keep their reading habits from the government.

"The (subpoena's) chilling effect on expressive e-commerce would frost keyboards across America," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker wrote in a June ruling.

"Well-founded or not, rumors of an Orwellian federal criminal investigation into the reading habits of Amazon's customers could frighten countless potential customers into canceling planned online book purchases," the judge wrote in a ruling he unsealed last week.





Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21997757/

:dem:

about a ruling against Cheney's "unitary executive"?

This is exactly the type of heavy-handed Orwellian crap that the original "Patriot Act" allowed.

I'm surprised that a judge had the guts to rule against it - and that the Feds didn't appeal.

...Al-Qaeda gets all their reading material from Amazon....:sarcasm:

I used to buy used books on Amazon (for class, sometimes when a certain book didn't exist in the "new" section of Amazon).

Here are the books I bought Used on Amazon:

Mein Kampf (I didn't even want to buy it in the first place but one of my professors told us to read it and gain a perspective of what Hitler was like). I even consulted a Jewish friend of mine to see what he would think of me buying it because I didn't even like the idea of that being on my bookshelf and I had a bit of an experience with another Jewish friend of mine before buying this book due to me showing her my 1920's style house (there was a common design on the floor of each front doorway in 1920s houses, and even though it looks like it, it has nothing to do with the Nazis).

Lots of Irish revolutionary books. I don't condone the IRA or the Orangemen, but I did read their materials. My prof recommended them as extra reading and I bought them... really helped with my extra reading plus research for the class!

Lots of Art Books. It's alternative innit??

Plus, I also bought "Birth of a Nation" due to my professor wanting us to watch it through rental (hah, 1 dvd in the local Blockbuster? No thanks!) The main idea was to discuss the themes and the creative expression... It was one of the most racist pieces I've ever watched. It's kind of hard to get past that theme when you have to form ideas for an essay.

I did buy a lot of things that don't necessarily represent my views, but only for class because my professor recommended it. I did get a bio of Robespierre once (after I couldn't find his recommended book) in a used bookstore near Newbury Street. it was one of the best bios I read and I showed it to him and he told the class to read it instead.

No I'm not a brown-noser... it may seem like it... :-( But I wanted to gain a better understanding of my courses by reading extra material as well... it also helped with research as well. It did boost my grades!

The problem with the feds trying to do this is most of the purchasers don't necessarily believe in what they've purchased. As for me I love books and if there was a controversial enough book, I'd get it! (irregardless of the title... unless it's something like Ann Coulter... ugh.. one reading of her column online was enough for me).

and authoritarian government attempting to destroy the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the USA. READ ON, HAVE NO FEAR!!

dissent?

(Even so, to dissent is decent.) ;)

I was attempting to travel to Quebec City to participate in protests against The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

At the time, Canadian Border agents were stopping, searching and running profiles on anyone attempting to cross into Canada to participate in the demonstrations. As it happened, among the reading materials in my duffel bag was "The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism" By Hakim Bay.

Well, that did it. My friend and I were detained for over three hours while the Canadians "checked us out" (and tore apart our car). I was then called into an office where a Canadian border agent plopped a file down on his desk and told me it was my FBI! file, that I was being denied entry to Canada, and that I was henceforth barred from entering Canada for life. The agent also plopped the Hakim Bay book on the desk in front of me and, with a serious idiot tone, asked me "how do you explain this?" Series!!

I had committed no crime whatsoever and was interested only in peaceful protest. I was never allowed to see my alleged file, but I can only assume that it sprang from my protest and organizing activities against the WTO in Seattle the year before.

True story folks.

for a change. Maybe there's hope for us all yet.

""Federal prosecutors issued the subpoena last year as part of a grand jury investigation into a former Wisconsin official who was a prolific seller of used books on Amazon.com. They were looking for buyers who could be witnesses in the case.

The official, Robert D'Angelo, was indicted last month on fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors said he ran a used book business out of his city office and did not report the income. He has pleaded not guilty."

Quote from above thanks to the poster ....

Imagine, if this guy was involved in fraud and money laundering, why would he bother selling books on Amazon. Depending on the book and other things, some books could be profitable, but many/most are only worth about 10 cents on the dollar and it's a lot of work and a lot of fees.

More so, if the FBI didn't already have his computer than they were only fishing. That's kind of an expensive fishing trip. Wouldn't a person enter in to fraud and money laundering only if they were after big bucks - much more than books could bring?

Running a fascist police state is expensive. I don't think they spend our money wisely. OR ....

,.... is this more about establishing a list of cooperating corporations while creating a precedent for obtaining data from corporations?

Interesting, this guy is from Wisconsin - and then we have the Senator for Wisconsin - Russ Feingold - the ONLY Senator to vote against the Patriot Act.

How can anyone accept this regime? Invading, pillaging, plundering, killing, conniving, while fancifully creating an imaginary line between military dictatorship and baron heaven - simple, unconcerned citizens paying taxes to be owned by the military, media, banks, barons, their politicians and lobbyists and freaks at the side executing it all through the Homeland Security folks and the Congress who gave our ownership to the barons/military, media, lobbyists. How big is the win in the court by this judge? We can only say that someone put their foot down and many more are needed to prove that we're not in a give away of our lives - for now.

The librarians won some. Amazon and the buyers won this one. How many other used book services have turned over their records?

This fascist HS seems to be obsessed with books.

O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
=================
Apparently not in Bush's Amerika. And I'm sure our wonderful media is infinitely more interested in who won "Dancing With The Stars" than this story.

they wanted the "used" books records but not the records of the people who bought *new* books through Amazon? Or do they already have that information? :(

The buyers of the books were not the targets of the fed investigation, but the Feds decided to over-reach and gather up info on the buyers. Even after the Feds got the records of every sale but with buyers names removed, Feds idiotically kept the pursuit and subpoenaed the buyers names.

:shrug: just a guess

what us :tinfoilhat: knew all along. Conspirecy theories have been having a way of becoming fact lately. Keep your public business and keep your private business private. Cash may be making a come back.

makes me laugh is just how many people out there that owns guns, that the government can't touch, are sitting back and are actually comfortable. (Sheesh! Amazing, huh?):eyes:

They're on edge, waiting for the day the "lib'ruls" come and take their freedoms away! :spank:

Think about this:

If we (powers that be) give the populace their guns and tell them to surrender all of the other less favorable freedoms--let us spy on your purchases, what you say in email and phone calls, etc.:sarcasm: :eyes: Than we (powers that be) will be successful in creating the ultimate matrix of comfort and control while staying in power.

Thank you, Judge Croker, for standing up for the Constitution. Federal prosecutors should also be upholding the Constitution; they should have never asked for such records.

... were just Christmas presents.

Can't wait to hear the details on this STRETCCCHHHHHHHH!

hopefully there are bookstores that do the same. These new laws to me are illegal laws, they are not laws of my country. There is a part of me that hopes these dark days will end with an election of a good administration. The other part remembers US history and knows people had to fight tooth and nail, and many were killed- for every one of these rights. They must be spinning in their graves.

Lots of replies to this thread are sort "Oh, I guess I'm on the list", etc. as an affirmation to their liberal orientation. But let me tell you, being on "the list" is no fucking joke. I was a victim of the FBI COINTELPRO program back in the 1970s. The FBI came to my house, interviewed my girl friend and I and were VERY interested in the books on my bookshelf. They also interviewed my landlord and my boss. Their conclusion was that I was a potential terrorist. A potential terrorist! Based on the books I read!

The Church Committee uncovered many of the details of the COINTELPRO political disruption program and many of us sued the government for violating our constitutional rights. In the suit I was part of, I testified about the FBI visit and their interest in my home library. On cross, the government lawyer tried to discredit my testimony by saying that I did not have any books by Eldredge Cleaver as I had testified on direct, when I listed Angela Davis, Eldredge Cleaver, Mark Rudd, Marx, etc. as books I owned. The judge, a conservative Republican appointee, went nuts and yelled at the government lawyer that the issue was that the FBI was investigating people's reading habits. That was the problem, not whether I could remember each author.

We won the case, and I received a copy of my redacted FBI file as part of the settlement. Yes indeed, the government had me down as a potential terrorist.

It is no light matter that our freedoms are being dismantled. If anyone needs proof that we are ALL on the verge of being thrown into isolation for three years without seeing any visitors just for speaking out against our government then listen to, or read Naomi Wolf. Our fearless fascist "leader" has given himself these powers. It's not that he is planning to give himself these powers, HE ALREADY HAS!!

Any step in the direction of dismantling our freedoms must not be taken lightly by those of us who want to continue to be a free nation.

IMPEACH THEM NOW!!!!

Usually when confronted with a topic such as this, I too am pretty flippant in my postings. But really the subject terrifies me and humor is one way to deal with that fear.

I am a tree hugger and fairly active in activism. When I fly I get taken aside for one of those special inspections. My name is very common so I don't know if the special interest is in me or someone else.

So yes, the topic is scary and yes when posting at DU I am sometimes flippant in some of the security threads.

Edit: I applaud you in weathering through your fight with the Feds. What an experience.

I have written some very uncomplementary pieces about my Congressman,Senators,President,and Republicans in General.Fortunately(for now),I have a cellphone and live with someone who is not related to me(my name doesn't show up in the phone book).I know this doesn't stop the FBI,but it keeps the knuckle-draggers from torching my car.