The Rest of the Story

[ksmith]

...as Paul Harvey would say.

A few weeks ago, a story whipped around various author newsgroups about a writer who claimed that the subjects she'd been researching for an upcoming book had attracted the attention of federal authorities, who were investigating her because said research into subjects like SE Asia terrorist groups and smuggling had triggered "Patriot Act alarms".



The Patriot Act contains some rather disquieting provisions which, if you are a writer, tend to fix your attention. I have books on my shelves that could elicit the occasional eyebrow crook--most adventure writers probably do. I've also checked out websites that could arch that crook even higher--many adventure writers probably have. So when you read an article about a writer who was apparently singled out because the subjects of her research drew untoward interest, you start wondering whether you need to stop buying books over the internet and start visiting the used books stores in cities not your own and paying for any purchases with small, unmarked bills.

However...

A few folks who read the initial articles remarked that in cases like this, you really need to see both sides of the story. Not being a fan of the current administration, I was inclined to believe the worst. But I also work in the sciences, and one thing that's drilled into your head in those fields is that you don't conclude ahead of your data.

So:

http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2004/11/19/798/

As the article states, the Patriot Act contains serious flaws, and someone claiming to be victimized by it in order to cover her own misdeeds does a great disservice to those who actually have been victimized as well as to those who are fighting to maintain our rights as citizens.

Comments

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the update.

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

When I first heard about the story, it wasn't even as dramatic as books about SE Asia terrorist organizations, or anything like that; the claim was that the books were utterly innocuous, focusing on some global hotspots, but not actually about anything controversial. I hope, in a weird way, that Booksquare is right and this is the same woman, because I'd hate to see people live in undue fear over this.

(Although, again, when I first heard about the story, I wondered if there was something else not going on, because of how innocuous she claimed the "offending" material was, I'd figure that the authorities would have their hands full investigating and raiding every college dorm and grad student apartment, not to mention adventure writers...)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

The versions I heard didn't mention the author's name. That bothered me a bit because without a name, you start slipping into urban legend territory. And the fact that actual research into terrorist groups was blamed as the trigger bothered me more than so-called innocuous material because, well, sometimes you dig into stuff like that.

Like you, I hope this is the same woman.

[jacardie.livejournal.com]

Like you, I hope this is the same woman.

It is. I know a lot of romance writers. :)

[windrose.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this. It makes me both sad and angry when people cry wolf, because it makes it that much harder for people who really have been victimized to be taken seriously.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Yup. The kneejerk response when someone complains about gov't intrusion into their lives is "what have you got to hide?" In this case, it was a legit question, and it does make it more difficult for those who unfairly investigated to avoid the 'where there's smoke...' label.

[jacardie.livejournal.com]

Makes a lot more sense now, too, as to why they confiscated =all= her writing-related material.