The corrections experts say some of the worst abuses have occurred in Texas, whose prisons were under a federal consent decree during much of the time President Bush was governor because of violence by guards against inmates and overcrowding. Judge William Wayne Justice of Federal District Court imposed the decree after finding that guards were allowing inmate gang leaders to buy and sell other inmates as slaves for sex.
The experts also point out that the man who directed the reopening of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq last year and trained the guards there resigned under pressure as director of the Utah Department of Corrections in 1997 after an inmate died while shackled for to a restraining chair for 16 hours. The inmate, who suffered from schizophrenia, was kept naked the whole time.
- Mistreatment of Prisoners Is Called Routine in U.S.; apparently, my quip about U.S. prison guards from a few days ago was sadly on the mark.
Library Privacy: Though it apparently has yet to be used, one aspect of the Patriot Act (How about if we agree to not use this name? It really isn't that patriotic, isn't just used to fight terrorism, in some respects is clearly inappropriate, and in some ways is probably counterproductive and divisive. Thus, "Uniting & Strengthening of American by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" is not quite right) that troubled many was its authorization to the government to violate the privacy of library records.
The provisions lowers the standard of proof required to examine such records in certain cases and overrides state privacy rules. As with other aspects of the general act and its application by this administration, oversight is hindered by secrecy furthered by the law itself, the character of those who enforce, and many of those in Congress who should provide an important oversight function. This includes statements from Attorney General Ashcroft that concerns about the law are "baseless hysteria." As is sometimes the case these days, strong concerns about the purity of our liberty was considered a vice.
The sanctity of library records is an example how important privacy is to our daily lives. As Justice Thomas might tell you, the privacy of the videos you watch is quite an important matter. The same applies to what you take out of the library, as I myself reflected on the way home from one recently. I have reserved various books lately, the most current The Clash of Fundamentalists: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity by Tariq Ali (picture of President Bush in fundamentalist beard and garb on cover). It is recommended, especially to gain a bit more insight into "them." [See here for an interesting mixed review.] I earlier reserved his book, Bush In Babylon: The Recolonisation of Iraq [smaller volume, also worth checking out]. Other reserves included an anti-Bush volume by George Soros, a call for reform of Islam by an outspoken Muslim lesbian, and a book on rats (no metaphor; it was really about rats).
I have read others of a less partisan nature, but you get the idea -- one's reading (and viewing) habits tell or at least imply something about one's beliefs and views. We have a zone of privacy to protect such things in this country from unwanted public view. The value of such privacy is understood by the general public, who largely take it for granted. The concern that such privacy will be honored, even if voiced in passionate tones that might be deemed exaggerated, should be respected. Those things we honor need to be reaffirmed, including in symbolic ways and with special reminders of their importance. Is this not a core reason why tomorrow is not just another Sunday?