ABFFE UPDATE

August 11, 2009 Previously in ABFFE Update Volume 11, Number 6

Patriot Act Fight Resumes

Congress is furiously wrestling with the USA Patriot Act again, including the infamous Section 215, which gives the FBI the authority to secretly search bookstore and library records. The American Booksellers Association and the other members of the Campaign for Reader Privacy last week endorsed two bills that would restore the safeguards for reader privacy that were eliminated by the Patriot Act. The Justice Act of 2009 (S. 1868) and the Patriot Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009 (S. 1692) would limit the use of Section 215 orders to the records of suspected terrorists. Currently, the government can search any records that it deems “revelant,” including the records of people who are not suspected of criminal acts.

Congress has resumed the debate over the Patriot Act because Section 215 and two other provisions are scheduled to expire on December 31. It is likely that all three sections will be renewed for at least several years, but the need for reauthorization creates an opportunity for critics of the Patriot Act to win the changes they have been seeking for almost eight years.

The Campaign for Reader Privacy is asking its supporters to immediately contact their senators and urge them to support S. 1868 and S. 1692. Both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have already held hearings, but the Senate is the farthest along in considering legislation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on S. 1692 for today.

The ABA asks booksellers to call or fax a note on store letterhead to their senators’ district offices. Their contact information is available on the Senate Web site, http://www.senate.gov

ABFFE President Chris Finan discussed Patriot Act developments in a recent column in Bookselling This Week.

ABFFE Joins Protest Over Deletion of Images of Mohammed

ABFFE has joined the National Coalition Against Censorship and 10 other groups in protesting a decision to remove images of Mohammed from a book that is being published by Yale University Press. Jytte Klausen’s The Cartoons that Shook the World, describes the controversy that erupted when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting Mohammed that some Muslims considered blasphemous. Yale University Press originally intended to include the cartoons in the book as well as other images of Mohammed. The manuscript was accepted by the publisher following both scholarly and legal reviews.

However, a member of the administration of Yale University expressed concern that the book might provoke violence, which had occurred in some places after the Danish cartoons were originally published. Although there were no threats against the book or the university, a special committee that was formed to consider the security question recommended the removal of the images. Yale University Press decided to remove not only the Danish cartoons but all the images of Mohammed.

In a Sept. 14 letter to Richard C. Levin, the president of Yale, ABFFE, NCAC and the other groups criticized Yale for interfering in the decision of the Press to publish the cartoons and other images in the book. “Giving in to the fear of violence only emboldens those who use threats to achieve their ends,” the letter said. “This misguided action establishes a dangerous precedent that threatens academic and intellectual freedom around the world.”

 Virginia Prison Book Program to Continue

A program that has put hundreds of thousands of books into the hands of inmates in Virginia prisons over the past 20 years will continue after ABFFE, the Association of American Publishers and other groups protested a decision by prison officials to end it. Under the program, which was created by Kay Allison, owner of the Quest Bookshop in Charlottesville, prisoners are able to seek specific titles and create their own small personal library. The books are donated by churches and other groups. After the Washington Post reported on September 10 that the program was being ended for security reasons, protests poured in from individuals and groups across the country. In a joint letter to the Governor of Virginia, ABFFE and AAP urged a reversal of the decision. “To deprive prisoners of the ability to request and own their own books is terribly short-sighted. The interests of society as well as our shared human concerns can best be served by allowing this visionary program to continue,” the letter stated. The director of Virginia’s Department of Corrections reversed the decision and will allow each inmate to request up to three books a month.
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Sale of Reading Glasses Boosting ABFFE

Thousands of bookstore customers are not only reading with less eye strain but supporting free speech because of a new partnership between ABFFE and 2020 Vision USA, a Sarasota, Florida, importer of reading and sunglasses. In an undertaking launched at BookExpo America this year, 2020 Vision USA is contributing $1 to ABFFE for every pair of glasses it sells to independent bookstores. “Bookstores have ordered almost 6,000 pairs of glasses since BookExpo, and everyone reports that they are selling very well. Some bookstores are already reordering,” ABFFE President Chris Finan said.

ABFFE has created point-of-sale signs to help bookstore customers make the connection between the purchase of the reading glasses and support for free speech. But booksellers report that most customers don’t need additional incentives because the glasses are stylish and priced right.

Booksellers at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association trade show will be able to examine 2020 Vision’s product line in person. The glasses will be on display at the 2020 booth in the sidelines section.

To view the entire collection of 2020 Vision eyewear, accessories and wholesale prices, please visit the company website, http://www.2020visionusa.com.


Show Your Support for Freadom!

ABFFE's popular "freadom" t-shirts, buttons, bookmarks, bumper stickers and more are available during Banned Books Week and all year round. 

To order online, visit the ABFFE store.