Let's all ask for the book

[Henry Noble <hjnoble@igc.org>]

What would you think if we all ask libraries for "The Little
Red Book?"
We can keep the feds busy and out of other students' hair. 

Gosh, I actually own a copy.

Henry

At 07:00 PM 12/19/2005, YAN Hairong wrote:
> Agents' visit chills UMass
> Dartmouth senior
> By AARON NICODEMUS, Standard-Times staff writer 
> http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/12-05/12-17-
> 05/a09lo650.htm
>
> NEW BEDFORD -- A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by 
> federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of 
> Mao Tse-Tung's tome on Communism called "The Little Red 
> Book."
>
> Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn 
> Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them 
> he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's 
> interlibrary loan program.
>
> The student, who was completing a research paper on 
> Communism for Professor Pontbriand's class on fascism and 
> totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving 
> his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. 
> He was later visited at his parents' home in New Bedford by 
> two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the 
> professors said.
>
> The professors said the student was told by the agents that 
> the book is on a "watch list," and that his background, 
> which included significant time abroad, triggered them to 
> investigate the student further.
>
> "I tell my students to go to the direct source, and so he 
> asked for the official Peking version of the book," 
> Professor Pontbriand said. "Apparently, the Department of 
> Homeland Security is monitoring inter-library loans, because 
> that's what triggered the visit, as I understand it."
> Although The Standard-Times knows the name of the student, 
> he is not coming forward because he fears repercussions 
> should his name become public. He has not spoken to The 
> Standard-Times.
>
> The professors had been asked to comment on a report that 
> President Bush had authorized the National Security Agency 
> to spy on as many as 500 people at any given time since 2002 
> in this country.
>
> The eavesdropping was apparently done without warrants.
> The Little Red Book, is a collection of quotations and 
> speech excerpts from Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung.
> In the 1950s and '60s, during the Cultural Revolution in 
> China, it was required reading. Although there are abridged 
> versions available, the student asked for a version 
> translated directly from the original book.
> The student told Professor Pontbriand and Dr. Williams that 
> the Homeland Security agents told him the book was on 
> a "watch list." They brought the book with them, but did not
> leave it with the student, the professors said.
> Dr. Williams said in his research, he regularly contacts 
> people in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other Muslim hot spots, 
> and suspects that some of his calls are monitored.
> "My instinct is that there is a lot more monitoring than we 
> think," he said.
>
> Dr. Williams said he had been planning to offer a course on 
> terrorism next semester, but is reconsidering, because it 
> might put his students at risk.
>
> "I shudder to think of all the students I've had monitoring 
> al-Qaeda Web sites, what the government must think of that," 
> he said. "Mao Tse-Tung is completely harmless."
>
> Contact Aaron Nicodemus at anicodemus@s-t.com 
> <mailto:anicodemus@s-t.com>
>
> This story appeared on Page A9 of The Standard-Times on 
> December 17, 2005.