March 14th, 2006
Just a reminder that the New Orleans Library still needs books.
If you think you live too far away to collect books and mail them, let me just point out that I’ve collected several large piles of books thanks to generous souls in my writing group and at work and in a test mailing last week, I discovered that mailing books at the media rate through the post office is really quiet cheap. When I think that someone else could be making good use of those books rather than having them collecting dust on my overcrowded bookshelves, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Plus, my mother has concocted a rather smart plan. She’s collected some books from her friends in New Mexico on her own thanks to an email she forwarded from me. A friend of theirs in the process of moving from New Orleans to Las Vegas is making back and forth trips between the cities and on his next stop back toward New Orleans, she’ll pass on the books to be dropped off at the New Orleans Public Library from the citizens of Silver City, New Mexico. Of course, you do kind of have to know someone who’s going that way for the plan to work.
As always, if you live in the Portland, ME, area and can’t afford to mail books but would like to donate, contact me via the contact link in the sidebar and we’ll work out an arrangement.
The library is also accepting monetary donations.
Tags: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Public Library, relief
March 5th, 2006
New books will be used to replace those that were damaged; used books will be distributed to families in need or sold for library fundraising. Please send books to:
Rica A. Trigs, Public Relations
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
If you tell the post office that they are for the library in New Orleans, they will give you the library rate which is slightly less than the book rate.
You can also click here to contribute to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation Rebuilding Campaign.
UPDATE: If you live in the Portland, ME area and have books to donate but cannot afford shipping, please contact me and we’ll work something out. Thanks!
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Tags: New Orleans, Public Library, Hurricane Katrina, relief
June 16th, 2005
According to CNN.com House limits Patriot Act rules on library records!
WASHINGTON (AP) — Advocates of rewriting the USA Patriot Act are claiming momentum after the House, despite a White House veto threat, voted to restrict investigators from using the anti-terrorism law to peek at library records and bookstore sales slips.
Wednesday’s 238-187 vote came as lawmakers ramped up efforts to extend the Patriot Act, which was passed quickly in the emotional aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. When Congress passed the law, it included a sunset provision under which 15 of its provisions are to expire at the end of this year.
Since the Patriot Act passed, liberals and libertarian-oriented conservatives have pressed for changes, citing privacy and civil liberties concerns. The administration has said weakening of the act would draw a veto from President Bush.
“No question, this is a real shot in the arm for those of us who want to make changes to the USA Patriot Act,” said Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vermont, sponsor of the provision that would curtail the government’s ability to investigate the reading habits of terror suspects. He said the vote would help “rein in an administration intent on chipping away at the very civil liberties that define us as a nation.”
The real irony is that the Patriot Act hadn’t been used to investigate bookstore receipts or library records as of March 30th. Yet, the Justice Department claims that the authority to be able to do so is a great benefit to investigating possible terrorists and terrorist enablers. WTF? Shouldn’t there be a rule that if they haven’t used it in 3 years, then it should just go away? Obviously they don’t need it. It’s kind of like my George Foreman Grill. Yeah, it’s trendy to have but I never use it and it’s just taking up space in my cabinet. 
I particularly like this quote:
“It bodes well that the first vote Congress has taken on the Patriot Act this year has been in favor of liberty and freedom,” said Gregory Nojeim, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union.
And this is actually kind of funny:
Supporters of the Patriot Act countered that the rules are potentially useful and argued that the House was voting to make libraries safe havens for terrorists.
So, now I’m seeing the backrooms of libraries filled with smoke and bomb-making supplies and little gray-haired ladies in bifocals running after shady-looking types and fussing about how they treat the books on bomb-making. I really think that’s a bit extreme. Like the House wants terrorists to win. Please.
Anyway, it’s a small victories for people concerned with civil liberties and the freedoms Americans claim to be passing on to other countries, but with President Bush’s promise to veto any “weakening” of the Patriot Act, we still have a long way to go.
Tags: Public Library, Patriot Act, ACLU, House of Representatives, Freedoms, Terrorists
