Library / No Fly / & Banking

LOCAL HEROES: LIBRARIAN, MAYOR REFUSE FBI WARRANTLESS SEARCH

DAN ATKINSON - Law enforcement and Newton Free Library officials were
embroiled in a tense standoff for nearly 10 hours last week when the
city refused to let police and the FBI examine library computers without
a warrant.
Police rushed to the main library last Wednesday after it was determined
that a terrorist threat to Brandeis University had been sent from a
computer at the library. But requests to examine any of its computers
were rebuffed by library Director Kathy Glick-Weil and Mayor David Cohen
on the grounds that they did not have a warrant. While one law
enforcement official said he was "totally disgusted" with the city’s
attempt to hold up a time-sensitive investigation of potential terrorist
threat, Cohen is defending the library’s actions, calling it one of
Newton’s "finest hours." "We showed you can enforce the law . . . 
without jeopardizing the privacy of innocent citizens," Cohen said. . . 
Cohen was asked by FBI officials to turn over information on all the
computers, but said he could not without a warrant. It took U.S.
attorneys several hours to finally get a warrant, Glick-Weil said, and
they took the computer from the library at about 11:30 that night, after
the library had closed. . .

Nancy Murray, director of education for the Boston branch of the
American Civil Liberties Union, said she was surprised the FBI asked for
information without a warrant. "They couldn’t possibly expect to get
[the computer] without a warrant," she said. "Good for the library for
knowing more about warrants than the police."

http://www2.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=414573&format=text


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LEADING INTERNET JOURNALIST, BUSH CRITIC, PUT ON NO FLY LIST

[Not surprisingly, the major media has paid no attention to one of their
colleagues be treated in this fashion]

DOUG THOMPSON, CAPITOL HILL BLUE - When my wife’s favorite aunt died
last November we immediately made plans to head for St. Louis for the
funeral. We drove the 700 miles to St. Louis. I am not allowed to fly on
an airplane within the United States because the Department of Homeland
Security and the Transportation Security Administration consider me a
threat to the security of the United States. Yep. I’m on the official
“no-fly” list, along with some 80,000 other Americans.

Most people don’t learn they are on the list until they get to the
airport and attempt to get a boarding pass. I’m lucky. A longtime friend
who works for an airline tipped me several months ago that I’m on the
list. So I don't even bother trying to fly.

Those who don’t know in advance are allowed to buy an airline ticket and
make the often long trek to the airport only to be told that they are
not allowed to board a plane and must call an “800” number to see if
they can be cleared to board the plane. Some are, some aren’t but the
process takes so much time that many who are cleared end up missing
their flights anyway.

As a known enemy of Uncle Sam, I’ve got a lot of co-conspirators: U.S.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., U.S. Rep. John Lewis D-Ga., and even
actor David Nelson from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.  Each found
themselves having to prove they are not terrorists before getting on a
plane.

But my favorite partner in crime is Edward Allen of Houston, Texas. . .
Edward is four years old and was stopped along with his mother when they
tried to board a plane over the holidays. . . "Is this a joke?" Eddie’s
mom, Sijollie Allen, told Continental Airlines agents at, of all places,
Bush Intercontinental Airport. "You can tell he's not a terrorist." But
Continental’s agents weren’t laughing and told young Eddie he would have
to be cleared by TSA before getting on the plane. They allowed him to
fly but he and his mom went through the same process when they tried to
fly back home to Houston. . .

Senator Edward Kennedy understands what little Edward had to go through.
He had to make multiple phone calls to get his name off the list.  So
did Congressman Lewis. If it takes a powerful U.S. Senator that much
trouble to get off the list, an ordinary person is doomed says John
Soma, professor of computer and technology law at the University of
Denver and executive director of its Privacy Foundation. . .

The TSA won’t tell anyone why they are on the no-fly list. That, they
claim, is “classified.” Yet the list seems to carry a lot of names of
people whose only crime is being critical of the Bush administration or
the Iraq war. People like Democratic senators or congressmen or James
Moore, co-author of Bush’s Brain, the best-selling book about Bush and
Karl Rove. Moore found out he was on the list when he tried to board a
flight a year ago. He hasn’t’ been allowed to fly since. When he tried
to find out how he got on the list, he was told that information wasn’t
available to him.

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/printer_8045.shtml

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BANK REFUSES TO MAKE LOAN FOR EMINENT DOMAIN DEVELOPMENT

DEE ANN DIVIS, DC EXMAINER - BB&T, one of the largest banks in
Washington area, announced Wednesday it will no longer lend to
development commercial projects that involved the seizure of private
property under eminent domain rules. "It's a philosophical decision
consistent with our values," said Ken Chalk, BB&T's senior executive
vice president and chief credit officer. "We think this is just not good
public policy.". . .

The bank is the third-largest in Virginia with some 405 branches. It has
nine branches in the District and 127 in Maryland. Nationally, BB&T
makes roughly $75 billion in loans a year, with half of that going to
commercial projects. . .

"I think there is a good change other banks will follow," said George
Nation III, and expert on commercial lending a professor of law at
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. "From a strictly legal point of view,
I think there is a good chance you may wind up with more litigation in
these types of projects," said Nation, who noted that there was also
little incentive to take on a project likely to generate negative
publicity. . .

"This is a unique move," said Susan Besaw, a spokeswoman for the
American Bankers Association. No other banks have implemented similar
policies, she said, but the announcement was very new.

http://dcexaminer.com/articles/2006/01/26/business/00business26bbandt.txt


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