RE: Let's all ask for the book

["Matt Hale" <husunzi@hotmail.com>]

I second that proposal, and I will suggest it on other lists as well.

Matt

*****
Matthew Allen Hale
Anthropology Department
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
*****
"I have never let my schooling stand in the way of my education"
(Mark Twain)

>From: Henry Noble <hjnoble@igc.org>
>To: YAN Hairong <yhairong@uiuc.edu>, zhongguo@openflows.org
>Subject: Let's all ask for the book
>Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 19:20:01 -0800
>
>
>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.