Ashcroft Tells Libraries to Destroy Citizen-Friendly Publications

[donsu]

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/04/08/ale04025.html



Statement regarding DOJ request for removal of government publications by depository libraries

The following statement has been issued by President-Elect Michael Gorman, representing President Carol Brey-Casiano, who is currently in Guatemala representing the Association:

July 30, 2004

Statement from ALA President-Elect Michael Gorman:

Last week, the American Library Association learned that the Department of Justice asked the Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents to instruct depository libraries to destroy five publications the Department has deemed not "appropriate for external use." The Department of Justice has called for these five these public documents,
two of which are texts of federal statutes, to be removed from depository libraries and destroyed, making their content available only to those with access to a law office or law library.

The topics addressed in the named documents include information on how citizens can retrieve items that may have been confiscated by the government during an investigation. The documents to be removed and destroyed include: Civil and Criminal Forfeiture Procedure; Select Criminal Forfeiture Forms; Select Federal Asset Forfeiture Statutes; Asset forfeiture and money laundering resource directory; and Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (CAFRA).

-snip-

Librarians should note that, according to policy 72, written authorization from the Superintendent of Documents is required to remove any documents. To this date no such written authorization in hard copy has been issued.

Keith Michael Fiels
Executive Director
American Library Association
[phone] ext.1392
-------------------------------------------

I'm too angry to speak

[redqueen]

1. Unbelievable...

Cheneying unbelievable.

And to think ... Larua was a librarian.

[Walt Starr]

2. Yep, and they would never "abuse" the powers fgranted by the Pat Act

How Cheneying ridiculous!

[goclark]

3. Shocked!

another jaw dropper!

[Dying Eagle]

4. Ashcroft....

Has the matches and gasoline ready....time for a good old 1930's Book Burning.

SIEG HEIL!

[ladjf]

12. Bye, bye America.

The price of ignorance is dictatorship.

[ladjf]

13. Bye bye America.

The price of ignorance is dictatorship.

[Q3JR4]

5. Anyone have PDFs of any of them? EOM.

[KCS72000]

10. Links and update in this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x723907

[napi21]

6. Does he have the authority to do this?

He takes the same oath that all Fed executives do...to uphold the Constitution. Does the DOJ actually have the legal right to issue this order? I'm not too sure. Any atty's out there that know the answer?

[Bluzmann57]

7. My sister is in management at a local library

I'll ask her what she thinks about this and if they are going to actually comply. If its up to her, it won't happen at that particular library. Cheyney, no wait, Fuck you Ashcroft!

[el_gato]

8. An Update

ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 13, Number 55
August 2, 2004

In This Issue: UPDATE: Dept. of Justice Rescinds Withdrawal/
Destruction of Publications

Thanks to everyone for your work on this issue. We are happy to convey
the following message from Judy Russell, Superintendent of Documents:

As you know, on July 22, 2004, a notice was posted to FDLP-L advising
depository libraries that the Department of Justice had requested the
withdrawal of five publications that were intended for internal use
only.

In response to the Government Printing Office's further inquiry into
this matter, the Department of Justice has requested that I advise
depository libraries to disregard the previous instructions to withdraw
these publications. In making this request, the Department of Justice
said, although these materials were "intended only for the internal
training use of Department of Justice personnel and, as such, were
inappropriately distributed to depository libraries through an
administrative oversight,"
the Department has determined that these materials are "not
sufficiently sensitive to require removal from the depository library
system."

Since 1995, GPO has issued recall letters for 20 publications at the
request of the publishing agencies. Seven of these publications were
recalled because they were for official use or internal use only, as
occurred in this instance.

Both GPO and the Department of Justice regret any inconvenience
resulting from the initial request for withdrawal.

[Bo]

9. Im to angry to think

When will they all just leave us alone

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Yikes!

[Ms. Clio]

14. I want one single valid reason for this--just one

Hey, you lurking conservatives--doesn't this just fry your circuits??? Don't you worship your private property along with your guns?

Sounds like the DOJ must be planning to take a lot of property away from a lot of people in the near future, don't you think?