Library Juice 5:3 - Library Juice is now a book and a blog

Library Juice 5:3, January 17, 2002

Contents:

Scott Mutter's library-as-symbol
Owen Massey's Library History page
Librarian Home Pages from Chris Zammarelli
Infomuse (mostly a web log)
ALA Public Programs Office September 11th thing
philofinfo * Philosophy-of-Information
New UCITA amendments do not include library proposals
Chronicle of Higher Ed on judge's approval of netLibrary sale
Photos from IFLA Conferences
Communication as a Human Right in the Information Society
Alert re: war-related resolutions
The Red Menace in Memphis
EPIC Alert Volume 9.01
portal: Libraries and the Academy
Tattletales for an Open Society
Naming--and Un-naming--Names
What happened to Danny Glover
Nice statement by Mark Rosenzweig

Quote for the week:
"If we are to violate the Constitution, will the people submit to our
unauthorized acts? Sir, they ought not to submit; they would deserve
the chains that these measures are forging for them. The country will
swarm with informers, spies, delators and all the odious reptile
tribe that breed in the sunshine of a despotic power...[T]he hours of
the most unsuspected confidence, the intimacies of friendship, or the
recesses of domestic retirement afford no security. The companion
whom you most trust, the friend in whom you must confide, the
domestic who waits in your chamber, all are tempted to betray your
imprudent or unguarded follie; to misrepresent your words; to convey
them, distorted by calumny, to the secret tribunal where jealousy
presides -- where fear officiates as accuser and suspicion is the
only evidence that is heard..."Do not let us be told, Sir, that we
excite a fervour against foriegn aggression only to establish a
tyranny at home; that[...]we are absurd enough to call ourselves
'free and enlightened' while we advocate principles that would have
disgraced the age of Gothic barbarity and establish a code compared
to which the ordeal is wise and the trial by battle is merciful and
just."
---Mark Rosenzweig, in response to the USA/PATRIOT Act.
Just kidding! It's by Edward Livingston, opposing the Alien & Sedition
bills of 1798, in Congress. But Mark did find this remarkably relevant
quote.

Personal homepage of the week: Eric Lease Morgan
http://www.infomotions.com/
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1.Scott Mutter's library-as-symbol
Scott Mutter is a photographer of "surrational images." Each of his
photographs is accompanied by a statement about it.
I really like this library related image:
http://www.photographymuseum.com/mutter/library.html
His comment about it:
"This combination of images gives form to an abstract idea: that a culture
and what it produces are made possible and reflective of the knowledge that
underlies that culture."
Not a very profound thought, but an interesting image.
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2. Owen Massey's Library History page
http://owen.massey.net/libraries/history.html
"The alternative title might be 'What do they know of ebooks who only
ebooks know?' It would be far-fetched to pretend that modern librarianship
has much to learn directly from its ancestry, but modern practices can be
informed by a knowledge of their origins, just as comparative
international librarianship has a value for the domestic profession."
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3. Librarian Home Pages from Chris Zammarelli
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 10:41:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Chris Zammarelli <perniciouslib[at]yahoo.com>
To: Library Underground <libraryunderground[at]topica.com>
Reply to: perniciouslib[at]yahoo.com
Hi there,
I am currently writing an article on librarians'
personal home pages and would like the lists help. If
you have a home page, could you forward me the URL?
I have a pretty good list of librarians at Caterblog
(http://www.lemurlove.com/caterblog/librarians.htm),
but if you're not there, please give me a heads up.
Before I submit the article, by the way, I will send
you a permission request to use your Web site.
Thanks for your help,
Chris Zammarelli
=====
Me? I'm a shrill czar!
http://www.lemurlove.com/
"Either it's murder or this library has a very strict overdue policy."
- Crosetti (Jon Polito), "Homicide: Life on the Street"
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4. Infomuse (mostly a web log)
Here's what Kristina writes about it:
"Infomuse Manifesto:
muse n 1: protector of an art or science 2: the source of an artist's
inspiration v : think about at length and in depth.
--Adapted from WordNet 1.6
InfoMuse.net is maintained by library science student Kristina M. Spurgin
as her professional and academic portfolio and as a place to share
thoughts, news, and information about the fields of library and information
science.
InfoMuse.net is so named because the work of organizing and disseminating
knowlege and information is both a science and an art.
The fields of library and information science provide much fodder for
thinking at length and in depth.
As an artist and writer, it has been my experience that the discovery of
new information and knowledge is a sure path to inspiration.
URL: http://www.infomuse.net
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5. ALA Public Programs Office September 11th thing - Give your input!
Encouraging Dialogue Through Cultural Programming:
A Response to September 11
http://www.ala.org/publicprograms/dialogue/
As community resource and cultural centers, libraries are playing an
important role in helping Americans understand and cope with the recent
terrorist attacks and the U.S. response. Libraries across the country are
helping patrons gather information, providing resources to help
individuals cope with the tragedy, and bringing community members
together to discuss the cultural implications and significance of the
recent events.
To assist librarians with developing a dialogue in their communities,
the ALA Public Programs Office has compiled a list of resources and ideas
from libraries, state humanities councils and other cultural
organizations. To view the lists of resources, please click on the links
below. If you would like to submit additional ideas, please send an e-mail
message to Laura Hayes at lhayes[at]ala.org.
Library Programs
State Humanities Council Programs
Other Resources
Public Programs Office is a unit of the ALA American Library Association.
For questions or comments on this page, contact lhayes[at]ala.org
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6. philofinfo * Philosophy-of-Information
"This group is for discussions regarding the philosophy of information.
This field of study inquires into the fundamental nature and meaning of
information. It influences and is influenced by such fields as information
science, librarianship, epistemology, cognitive science, and linguistics,
to name just a few. Some of the scholars relevant to the field are/were
Floridi, Buckland, Shera, Wilson, Alfino, Nitecki, and Herold. Some of the
relevant work is categorized under other subject titles."
"Anyone who likes to think deeply about information may join."
Group manager: John Castledine
Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/philofinfo/
________________________________________________________________________top

7. New UCITA amendments do not include library proposals
After holding three days of amendment hearings in November, the UCITA
Standby Drafting Committee of the National Conference of
Commissioners of Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) issued a press release
on December 20, 2001with recommendations for 19 proposed amendments
to UCITA. The amendments purport to "address the concerns expressed
during the November meeting." While the library amendment proposals
were not accepted, NCCUSL did provide a lengthy discussion to the
library arguments regarding UCITA. Their discussion greatly
misrepresents the library opinions that have been consistently
offered over the last 3 years.
Although the drafting committee did offer a narrow amendment
providing an exception for libraries, it rejected library proposals
for a more far-reaching amendment addressing our concerns. The
amendment proposed for inclusion into the official version of UCITA
was drafted by the NCCUSL committee and not by the libraries. It
allows for the donation or transfer of software to a public library
or a public elementary or secondary school as long as the software is
donated with the computer. The 19 amendments will be voted on by
NCCUSL later in the year but could be incorporated into specific
state versions of UCITA in the meantime.
It is expected that these amendments will be used by the proponents
of UCITA to regenerate support for the proposed state law in the wake
of many unsuccessful legislative efforts in 2001. The AFFECT
coalition press release issued on Jan. 4, 2002 stated , "The proposed
amendments give the appearance of compromise, without the substance
of compromise. When scrutinized, the proposed amendments simply make
a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation only slightly less
flawed." ALA and the other major library associations are founding
members of AFFECT (Americans for Fair Electronic Commerce
Transactions) the leading national coalition of business, consumer
and non-profit organizations opposing UCITA.
The latest amendment proposals will pose new challenges for library
opponents who must be able to counter the perception that the new
changes have solved the problems with UCITA. Go
to<http://www.ala.org/washoff/ucita/resources.html to view both the
AFFECT and ALA response to NCCUSL's report.
--
Joint UCITA Task Force will brief members in New Orleans
The Joint Chapter Relations and Committee on Legislation Task Force
on UCITA will conduct the only meeting at mid-winter conference that
will specifically address the latest developments regarding UCITA.
The meeting is open to all members and will review the implications
of the American Bar Association review of UCITA and the new NCCUSL
amendment package for the upcoming legislative year. The Task Force
meets Sun. Jan. 20 from 10 - 11 a.m. at MCC 241.
For copies of new UCITA materials go the WO conference website:
http://www.ala.org/washoff/mtgucita.html
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8. Chronicle of Higher Ed on judge's approval of netLibrary sale
Judge Approves Sale of netLibrary's e-books to Nonprofit Library Group
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/01/2002011401t.htm
"A federal bankruptcy judge on Friday approved the sale of netLibrary's
40,000 e-books and other assets to OCLC, a nonprofit library organization."
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9. Photos from IFLA Conferences
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 16:56:32 -0500
From: "Maurice J. Freedman" <freedman[at]WLSMAIL.ORG>
To: IFLA-L[at]INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA
Dear Colleagues,
I took a number of photos at past IFLA conferences. Some of you may be
in them.
If you go to my website <www.mjfreedman.org>, find the word
'Information' in the right hand column, and click on the word
'Photographs,' under 'Information.'
If any of the names are mislabeled or you would like to add labels where
no names are given, kindly e-mail Jill Uncyk <jillu[at]wlsmail.org> the ALA
Intern who has built the web site and set up the photographs.
If any of you would like your photo removed, kindly let her or me know
and we will do so, promptly.
Best regards for a Happy & Healthy New Year.
--
Mitch
Maurice J. Freedman, MLS, PhD
ALA President Elect
http://www.mjfreedman.org
Director, Westchester (NY) Library System
410 Saw Mill River Road - Suite 1000
Ardsley, NY 10502-2605
Voice: (914) 674-3600 x223; fax: (914) 674-4193
freedman[at]wlsmail.org
www.westchesterlibraries.org
For all matters concerning the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian,
editor[at]unabashedlibrarian.com
*******************************************************************
"I'll be seeing you, in all the old familiar places..."
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10. Communication as a Human Right in the Information Society
Final report of WSIS seminar now available
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 09:45:23 -0500
From: "Lessard, George" <GLessard[at]GOV.NU.CA>
To: UPFORGRABS-L[at]OWA.BENTON.ORG
Reply to: "Lessard, George" <GLessard[at]GOV.NU.CA>
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Girard [mailto:boa[at]COMUNICA.ORG]
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 7:14 AM
To: DEVMEDIA[at]LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA
Subject: Final report of WSIS seminar now available
The final report of the seminar "Communication as a Human Right in
the Information Society: Issues for the World Summit on the
Information Society" is now available from the Communication Rights
in the Information Society (CRIS) website at
http://www.comunica.org/cris/
The report summarises a seminar that raised a number of human rights
and communication related ssues in the context of the forthcoming
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
The seminar brought together about forty representatives from NGOs
active in media and communication, public service media, and two key
UN agencies involved in the WSIS: the ITU and UNESCO. Participants
came from Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
It ran over a day and a half . The first day was designed to
introduce the issues and debate them among NGO and media
participants, followed by smaller issue-based groups to explore
options in more depth. The second morning, at which the ITU and
UNESCO were more fully represented, was devoted to presenting the
conclusions and initiating a debate between participants. The way
forward was also considered.
The event is described in more detail in the report. The agenda,
participant list, presentations, and other reports are available on
the site.
The seminar took place November 19 and 20, 2001 in Geneva and was
jointly organised by the Platform for Communication Rights and the
Geneva office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
------------------------------------------
Communication Rights in the Information Society is an initiative of
the Platform for Communication Rights that seeks to facilitate a
coordinated response among civil society and NGOs to the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS), particularly around issues related
to communication rights. The CRIS Info list <crisInfo[at]comunica.org>
list has been set up to support this work.
Subscribe to CRIS Info at
http://www.comunica.org/mailman/listinfo/crisinfo_comunica.org or
by sending a blank message to crisinfo-request[at]comunica.org with the
word "subscribe" in the subject line.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A recent technical problem resulted in the loss of
the
crisinfo[at]comunica.org mailing list. We have tried to recreate the
list, but there may be some addresses missing and some may have been
added in error. If you have any problems with your subscription,
please email lists[at]comunica.org
--
Bruce Girard
bgirard[at]comunica.org or bruceg[at]tbm.tudelft.nl
Delft University: +31-15 278.8548 Fax: +31-84 882.6517
Home office: +31-15 284.0323 Mobile +31-6 2039.6958
Kloksteeg 17b, 2611 BL Delft, The Netherlands
PGP public key at http://www.comunica.org/pgp/bg_pgp.txt
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11. Alert re: war-related resolutions
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 01:15:25 -0500
From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra[at]earthlink.net>
To: alacoun[at]ala.org, "John W. Berry" <jberry[at]psinet.com>, "Maurice J.
Freedman" <freedman[at]wlsmail.org>
Cc: member-forum[at]ala.org, plgnet-l[at]listproc.sjsu.edu, srrtac-l[at]ala.org
This is just an alert to Council that the 'war-related' resolutions
I'm bringing to Council will not take the more discursive and
somewhat emotionally charged form of the proposed resolutions as they
appeared previously (and as they will probably be acted on by SRRT
independently).
The Council resolutions, which will appear here shortly, will be
very different from what you may have seen. Some of you who have
already made up your minds may find yourself reconsidering the matter.
They will be simpler, shorter and more direct... and hopefully some
if not all of them will find your support.
First of all, the principal resolution will ask for a "letter of
concern" sent to the appropriate parties by the President of the
Association, recognizing the tragedy of the events of 9/11, and
calling for addressing the root causes of terrorism globally,
suggesting that bombing Afghanistan and talk of further military
actions in other countries will not solve the problems but may
exacerbate them, and stating that librarians stand for the most
peaceful resolution of conflicts within the context of the rule of
law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, e.g. the problem
cannot be solved at the cost of "collateral damage" to innocent men,
women and children, the land they inhabit and the infrastructures
which support their societies, nor at the cost of sacrificing the
freedoms here at home enshrined in the Bill of Rights, with special
concern by librarians for those actions which undermine the basis for
the protection of intellectual freedom.
Specific aspects of this latter field of concerns will be dealt with
separately in very brief resolutions.
One will call for expanded collection activity and promotion of
resources giving our patrons a balanced and full range of views of
the roots of the 9/11 terrorist actions, the parties involved, the
response by the US and other governments, the "war on terrorism" and
its global and domestic implications.
--
There will be one condemning the use or threat of torture in pursuit
of information as the ultimate violation of intellectual freedom, in
keeping with international covenants and US law.
There will be one against secret tribunals as a threat to a system of
justice based on public information and the public's 'right to know'
as well as the rights of the accused which are in part guaranteed by
that public knowledge.
There will be one against the threat of the use of tactical nuclear
weapons in this conflict, something we have explicitly spoken to in
general in ALA policy 50.11.
There will be one --this time again not a resolution, but a
"statement of concern" -- questioning the effect of the
proliferation of flags, banners, slogans, patriotic regalia, stickers
-- beyond the appropriate and respectful display of the colors as
established by law-- as we have seen happening in libraries,
creating an atmosphere of inhibition of free inquiry, of
intimidation, and carrying the implication of partisanship for a
particular policy pursued by an Administration, the so-called "war on
terrorism" which, whether you believe in it or not, is not the
business of libraries to promote.
There will be one on police, intelligence and other government
surveillance in libraries, affirming patrons reasonable expectations
of cionfidentiality, discouraging covert surveillance of patrons
paper and electronic records and activities, against ethnic
profiling, and -- where necessary -- calling for signs to be posted
informing patrons that their activities in the library might be being
observed and recorded by government agencies under the PATRIOT act.
There will be one noting with alarm the attacks on the FOIA and the
PRA which have been carried out in the name of national security.
I am bringing all this (possibly 8 short resolutions) to give Council
a chance to take a stand on some combination of aspects of this
complex state of affairs. I do it with great sadness and a heavy
sense of responsibility, not flippantly or disrespectfully, no less
'unpatriotically,' for reasons I'm sure I share with many of you.
This is not to sidetrack us, but is being done, with the backing of
many members of my constituency, with the deep conviction that you
may also want to pay respect to the senselessly murdered individuals
who perished on 9/11 without allowing the events to undermine the
very democracy and human values these terrorists have held in such
contempt .
I am not coming to Council to play 'holier-than-thou' . I understand
people's reservations about taking stands on these matters in this
highly charged atmosphere. But this is precisely when our commitments
are put to the real test and are not just words in the policy manual.
I believe that, along with other professionals, our support for these
kinds of statements and resolutions will show that our ethical
principles and social responsibilities, indeed our very mission, is
not to be radically altered by the action of a few deranged
individuals no matter what they do, because they are rooted in our
commitment to democracy, justice, equality, and the power of
enlightenment, dialogue, communication, knowledge.
Thank you,
Mark Rosenzweig
Councilor at large
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12. The Red Menace in Memphis
Chris Davis, Memphis Flyer
January 10, 2002
"....But the simple fact is, if you look closely at our new public artwork
and at the library itself, alarms immediately go off and it becomes quite
clear that the quote "Workers of the world unite" should be among the least
of our worries. There is a vast array of potentially hazardous iconography
hidden in the monolithic sculpture, including snippets of pagan lore and
oblique references to the irresponsible theory that mankind (only a notch
below the angels) once swung from long and limber tails. ..."
"...Friends, it's no accident that these images grace the library's main
entrance. They are not mere decoration. They are clear indicators of the
dangerous geophysical and neopolitical pornographies housed like welfare
babies within the walls of this tax-supported institution. Our library
system may try to position itself as a benevolent entity dedicated to the
judicious accumulation of human knowledge, but further investigation
reveals it to be a filthy Gomorrah packed with dangerous ideas and dirty
pictures. ..."
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12198
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13. EPIC Alert Volume 9.01, January 14, 2002
Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Washington, D.C.
http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_9.01.html
Table of Contents
[1] State DMVs Developing National ID System
[2] EPIC Urges Qwest to Drop Marketing Plan
[3] Court Upholds FBI Use of Secret "Key Logger" Technology
[4] Companies Stop Privacy-Invasive Practices
[5] Student Privacy Protections Enacted
[6] Digital Rights Management Discussed at Future of Music Conference
[7] EPIC Bookstore - A National ID Card: A License to Live
[8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
The Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest
research center in Washington, DC. �It was established in 1994 to
focus public attention on emerging privacy issues such as the Clipper
Chip, the Digital Telephony proposal, national ID cards, medical
record privacy, and the collection and sale of personal information.
EPIC publishes the EPIC Alert, pursues Freedom of Information Act
litigation, and conducts policy research. �For more information,
e-mail info[at]epic.org, http://www.epic.org or write EPIC, 1718
Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009.
+1 202 483 1140 (tel), +1 202 483 1248 (fax).
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14. portal: Libraries and the Academy 1.1, January 2001
editorial statement
St. Clair, Gloriana.
Through portal
articles
Neal, James G.
The Entrepreneurial Imperative Advancing from Incremetal to Radical Change
in the Academic Library
Campbell, Jerry Dean.
The Case for a Scholars Portal to the Web: A White Paper
Dalrymple, Prudence W.
Understanding Accreditation: The Librarian's Role in Educational
Evaluation
Boissonnas, Christian.
Technical Services: The Other Reader Service
Trosow, Samuel E.
When is a Use a Fair Use? University Liability for Educational Copying
Brown, Jeanne M.
Time and the Academic Librarian
In order for academic librarians to balance time requirements for
research, service and job duties they need a keen sense of where their time
is allocated. Although the literature gives some idea of average time
allocated, a more detailed view is obtained through examination of one
librarian's seven-year accumulation of daily time logs. The log as a method
for achieving balance and the goal of balance itself are explored.
Gibbons, Susan.
Ebooks: Some Concerns and Surprises
Searing, Susan E.
Estabrook, Leigh S.
The Future of Scientific Publishing on the Web: Insights from Focus Groups
of Chemists
Focus groups of academic and industrial chemists were asked to describe
their use of the Internet in the process of writing and disseminating
scientific research. They were also asked how they envision these processes
changing in the future. The focus group participants currently use the
Internet extensively for literature searching, communication with
colleagues, and collaborative research and writing. Use of personal or
departmental web pages to disseminate completed research, however, is still
rare. Conferences, collegial networks, and the traditional system of
scientific journal publishing remain central to their work. Factors
inhibiting greater use of the Web include fear that the peer review system
will be weakened, lack of time, and worries about plagiarism or alteration
of their work in the electronic environment. They foresee increased
electronic publishing in the future and expressed ambivalence about it. The
chemists' views serve as a lens for examining the recently promulgated
Principles for Emerging Systems of Scholarly Publishing. By understanding
where the principles align with scientists' current priorities and where
they may diverge, those leading the transition to electronic publishing may
be better prepared to build support, deal with resistance, and shape
systems that will meet with wide acceptance by authors and readers.
features
Dugan, Robert E., 1952-
Isn't Life Great? A Dot Com Delivers Access to the Wealth of Human
Knowledge
Cook, Colleen.
Heath, Fred.
Thompson, Bruce.
Thompson, Russell.
The Search for New Measures: The ARL LibQUAL+Project--A Preliminary Report
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15. Tattletales for an Open Society
by Martin J. Sherwin
An Open Letter to Dr. Lynn Cheney and Senator Joseph Lieberman
This appeared as an advertisement in the January 21, 2002 issue of The
Nation.
Dear Dr. Cheney and Senator Lieberman:
On November 11, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), an
organization you co-founded in 1995, issued a report that listed the names
of academics along with 117 statements they made, in public forums or in
classes, that questioned aspects of the Administration's war on terrorism.
Concluding that "College and university faculty have been the weak link in
America's response to the attack," the report asked alumni to bring their
(presumed) displeasure about these views to the attention of university
administrations. While ACTA's report does not have the cachet of President
Nixon's "Enemies List," nor the intimidating force (yet?) of Senator Joseph
McCarthy's too-numerous-to-list lists, as an American historian I am
naturally interested in this project, and I have decided to offer your
organization my full cooperation.
Therefore, as an example to my colleagues, I am stepping forward to name a
name, my own--Martin J. Sherwin, the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English
and American History at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts--and to
tattle on myself. On December 3, 2001, I remarked to a class at Tufts
University studying World War II that there was an ominous resemblance
between the sense of panic in 1942 that produced Executive Order 9066,
permitting the internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry, and
the post-9/11 atmosphere that supported the Justice Department's arrest of
hundreds of Muslims.
Later, on December 6, after hearing Attorney General John Ashcroft assert
before the Senate Judiciary Committee that civil-liberties critics "aid
terrorists...erode our national unity and diminish our resolve," I told my
class that Mr. Ashcroft had bolstered my resolve to diminish his effort to
remake our public discourse in the image of Pinochet's Chile--even if
senators who were equally shocked, were too cowed at that moment to
challenge such an un-American attitude. Surrendering the liberties that
define the unique character of our nation will not help us to win the war
on terrorism, I noted; on the contrary, it will only erode the
constitutional foundation upon which the political strength of our nation
rests. The AG's defense of military commissions (secret trials) in the
United States in 2002--even to try suspected terrorists--is an affront to
those who fought and died to protect our freedoms in World War II. I
recommended that students read Robert Sherrill's book, Military Justice
Is to Justice As Military Music Is to Music.
Finally, Dr. Cheney and Senator Lieberman, I implore you as the Founding
Mother and Father of ACTA to exert your influence to assure that in the
next report Martin J. Sherwin is correctly spelled. Having been too young
to be of interest to Senator Joseph McCarthy, and having been embarrassed
by my absence from President Nixon's "Enemies List," ACTA's list may be my
last opportunity to publicly document my deep love for my country. When my
grandchild asks, "What did you do during the 'War on Terrorism,' grandpa?"
I will say, "Harry, I spoke out in order to preserve for you and your
friends the best things about America. You can read what I said in the ACTA
report of..." (date as yet unspecified).
In closing, I call on my colleagues to put political bias aside and assist
the organization that Dr. Cheney and Senator Lieberman created; after all,
they are one of us: She is a PhD and he claims to be a liberal. You can now
tattle on yourself in great company. The Nation will post appropriate
critical remarks on a new section of its website: "Tattletales for an Open
Society" (TAOS). If you are genuinely uncertain whether a specific remark
actually crossed the threshold of acceptable criticism, err on the side of
caution: Submit the remark to The Nation's tattletale page and give ACTA a
chance to determine whether you should be published. Send your submissions
to tattletales[at]thenation.com.
MARTIN J. SHERWIN
P.S. Kai Bird and I are writing a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer,
whose secret security hearing in 1954 is instructive in these matters.
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16. Naming--and Un-naming--Names
by Eric Scigliano
Two months after the September 11 attacks, the American Council of Trustees
and Alumni (ACTA), an academic watchdog group founded by Lynne Cheney,
issued a report grandly titled "Defending Civilization: How Our
Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It." Its
authors proclaimed that while "citizens have rallied behind the President
wholeheartedly.... college and university faculty have been the weak link
in America's response." They painted academe as a passivist fifth column
undermining the war effort through equivocation, "moral relativism" and
outright opposition, noting: "Some [professors] even pointed accusatory
fingers, not at the terrorists, but at America itself." And they named
names: academics who had supposedly pointed such fingers and uttered such
equivocations in 117 instances collected from media sources. They also
announced that they would send the list to 3,000 trustees at colleges
across the country.
Some of those named, such as University of Washington psychology professor
David Barash, cheered at making ACTA's list: "Before, I was disappointed at
being too young or too inconsequential to make Nixon's list." Others
howled, however, that they'd been misrepresented and quoted out of context,
leading the authors, ACTA president Jerry Martin and vice president Anne
Neal (both of whom served under Cheney at the National Endowment for the
Humanities), to yank the list off the group's website (www.goacta.org)
after a week. It was soon back, however, minus the names, where it
remains--not quite blacklisting, but a weird, anonymous graylist...
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20011231&s=scigliano
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17. What happened to Danny Glover
Danny Glover, actor, activist, and board member of the Positive
Futures Network, has been coming under a hailstorm of attacks
based on an incident following a speech he gave at Princeton on
November 16.
This is not just about Danny. It's about all of us. As Danny
noted in his speech, "When we fear, we clamp down on those who do
not think like us or who do not look like us." We see that
happening everywhere, as our leaders look for total support for
their military agenda and view dissent as unpatriotic.
As we enter this McCarthyesque period, I think we are all called
upon to be more courageous, more articulate in our views, and
more supportive of one another.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED TO DANNY: On November 16, at the invitation
of the local Amnesty International chapter, Danny gave a speech
about the death penalty to a packed auditorium at Princeton
University. Danny is well known for his opposition to the death
penalty. He pointed out that 98 death row inmates have recently
been released after new evidence demonstrated their innocence. He
also noted the racial bias in the system in which 43 percent of
741 executed prisoners were African Americans. His speech was
received enthusiastically by a sympathetic audience.
After the close of the speech, when many had already left the
auditorium, a young man questioned Danny in such racist language
that the remaining audience booed the questioner. Danny signaled
for quiet, saying we need to listen to all. The questioner
accused Danny of "playing the victim" and suggested he go back
and fix his own communities rather than blame racism.
He also wanted to know if Danny would extend his opposition to
the death penalty to Osama bin Laden. Danny affirmed his
opposition to the death penalty, period. The provocative exchange
continued, with Danny noting that America has been a key purveyor
of violence in this world. Danny also voiced his objections to
the military tribunals that President Bush has created.
These comments have elicited a hailstorm of outrage. For two
weeks The Trentonian newspaper ran angry comments suggesting that
if Danny didn't love this country he should leave it -- and
worse. Ollie North broadcast the story across the country on his
Radio America show, provoking hundreds of hate-filled calls to
Danny's agency in Los Angeles. Ollie urged his audience to
boycott "The Royal Tenenbaums" -- a movie to be released in late
December in which Danny stars along with Gwyneth Paltrow, Gene
Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, and others.
In Modesto, California, the controversy caused the City Council
to pull out of sponsoring Danny as the featured speaker for the
celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Fortunately, the local
planning committee for the event has maintained their invitation
and Danny plans to speak. According to the Modesto Bee, "John
Lucas, president of the Modesto Peace Life Center, one of the
sponsors, noted that King himself was controversial and
criticized the Vietnam War. Lucas does not think Glover's views
are much different from those King might have had if he were
alive today. "The interesting thing I find is that Martin Luther
King wouldn't be invited to his own event," he said.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Those who wold stifle dissent are quick to
express their opinions and target anyone who takes a larger view
of patriotism. We, too, must be ready to respond quickly in our
vigilant defense of real democracy.
*MODESTO*: Show support for Danny -- and for free speech -- in
Modesto. If you know anyone around that area, urge them to
attend! Danny will speak on Saturday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. at
the Christ Unity Baptist Church at 1320 L St. in Modesto (Call
the Peace Life Center for further information: (209) 529-5750).
Fax the Modesto City Council at (209) 571-5586 or write them at
Modesto City Council, P.O. Box 642, Modesto, California 94341
saying you support free speech and disagree with their decision
to pull their backing for Danny's appearance at the MLK Day
activities.
*THE MOVIE*: Here's an easy one. See "The Royal Tenenbaums" -
- don't let Ollie North's call for a boycott depress the box
office. [Best movie in the past year, by the way - Rory]
*MLK Day*: Let's celebrate Martin Luther King Day with an
extra measure of clarity about his courage in consistently urging
this nation to live up to its ideals of democracy, freedom, and
peace.
*SUPPORT EACH OTHER*: Let's look for every opportunity to
support one another. What happened to Danny is happening to many
others. This is a time for courage and mutual support.

[Ed. note: I don't know the original source of this information.]
________________________________________________________________________top

18. Nice statement by Mark Rosenzweig
...on a "War Against Terrorism" and the Tragedies of 9/11/01
Librarians share in the collective shock, anger and grief at the
unprecedented terrorist attacks of September 11th of last year and offers
its condolences to the victims, their families and friends.
Perhaps now more than ever the Library -- in which the Koran shares space
with the Bible, and where complementary, contradictory and contrary
opinions, attitudes, feelings, observations, and conflicting analyses of
all things co-exist as equal documents of the human quest for
understanding and communication, sometimes fruitful, sometimes futile
sometimes fearsome, across centuries and continents -- is a symbol of faith
in the ultimate triumph of reason over unreason in the ongoing, often
uphill struggle for the realization of humankind's potential against the
forces of destruction and atavism. As such, the Library is a modest beacon
amidst the turbulence of the cycles of violence which perpetually wreak
havoc upon the world and its inhabitants.
The librarians of the American Library Association, in keeping with its
policies and values, abhor the destruction wrought by terrorism in its
gestures of contempt for human life, the ultimate value of the humanism we
cultivate.
But many of us find it incumbent upon us, today, as Americans, to
reaffirm our commitment as librarians to the peaceful resolutions of
conflicts and against the blind destruction of both terror and war.
We urge the nation to insist on addressing, not just the matter of
bringing to justice the perpetrators of the particularly heinous act of
premeditated mass murder, but to do so conspicuously within the framework
of the rule of law and in keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other covenants which have excluded the ancient "lex talionis"
and the more recent notion of "collective punishment" as immoral and
unjust.
With humility heightened by our immersion in the world of great and
terrible ideas in the documents we preserve and make accessible, we suggest
the problem of terrorism and vengefulness cannot be solved with bombs and
bullets, neither should it be resolved at the cost of "collateral damage"
to a single innocent man, woman or child, to the land these peoples inhabit
and to the infrastructures which support their societies.
Nor, finally, need it be done, nor should it be done, at the cost of
sacrificing the freedoms here at home enshrined in the Bill of Rights, a
prospect which librarians confront with special concern in view of recent
actions and policies which undermine the basis for the protection of
intellectual freedom which we librarians take as our special charge.
We must halt the momentum of the horror of war as a useless and even
counter-productive tool in eliminating terrorism and seek the root causes
of hate and violence in the global contradictions which we know persist
and fester beneath the veneer of modernization, progress and globalization.
Ignorance and intolerance has bred hatred, hopelessness has promoted
desperation, violence now begets more violence. With this in mind and
shouldering our responsibility as professionals and intellectual workers,
anti-war librarians call on our Government to find solutions other than
military ones to the problems of our modern age, lest we destroy all that
we mean to protect.
Mark Rosenzweig, ALA Councilor at large (for ID purposes only)
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