How many points does it take to plot a curve?

[redkitty]

from American Libraries - the magazine of the American Libraries Association:

Quote:

Santa Fe Police Detain Library Patron over Chat-Room Visit

A St. John?s College Library visit by a former public defender was abruptly interrupted February 13 when city police officers arrested him about 9 p.m. at the computer terminal he was using, handcuffed him, and brought him to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, police station for questioning by Secret Service agents from Albuquerque. Andrew J. O?Conner, 40, who was released about five hours later, said in the February 16 Santa Fe New Mexican, ?I?m going to sue the Secret Service, Santa Fe Police, St. John?s, and everybody involved in this whole thing.?
According to O?Connor, the agents accused him of making threatening remarks about President George W. Bush in an Internet chat room.

Concern about threats to individual privacy under the USA Patriot Act has prompted New Mexico legislators in both houses to propose resolutions urging state police not to help federal agents infringe on civil rights. The resolutions also encourage libraries to post prominent signage warning patrons that their library records are subject to federal scrutiny without their permission or knowledge.

http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2003/030224.html

from ABCNews.com:

Quote:

Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt

March 4 - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer was arrested late Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace that he had just purchased at the mall.
According to the criminal complaint filed on Monday, Stephen Downs was wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "Give Peace A Chance" that he had just purchased from a vendor inside the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, New York, near Albany.
"I was in the food court with my son when I was confronted by two security guards and ordered to either take off the T-shirt or leave the mall," said Downs.
When Downs refused the security officers' orders, police from the town of Guilderland were called and he was arrested and taken away in handcuffs, charged with trespassing "in that he knowingly enter(ed) or remain(ed) unlawfully upon premises," the complaint read.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20030304_651.html

More bad news about libraries, bookstores and the Patriot Act:
Librarian and Information Science News -- http://www.lisnews.com/index.php?section=Patriot_Act

Oops! I've fixed that last link, now. Pasted the wrong one in before.