This week's class lecture is on policies and this, combined with the recent inauguration has led me to an issue which wanders through my mind from time to time. It is not strictly library related, but certainly relates to intellectual freedom in it's broadest sense, and my own fears and thoughts around the same.
Some months back, I came in in the middle of a program on the History Channel dealing with terrorism. I was very interested in the part about the man who wrote the book which has been credited with inspiring Osama Bin-Laden. This particularly struck me, as the author was "inspired" while attending the University of Northern Colorado, where my father did some graduate work, I attended several summer programs and another good friend went to school. The book would have appealed to my sense of curiosity regardless, but the personal note made it extra interesting -- Was there something specific about the small town of Greeley, CO that exemplified the "wrongness" of American culture to this man?
Unfortunately, I didn't hear the name of the book or the author. And this is where the issue ties into intellectual freedom in my mind. I have, thus far, been too cowardly to instigate the kind of search necessary to track down this book. I'm not worried about librarians looking at me askance, but rather, the FBI knocking at my door. An additional area that intrigues me is that my sister and her significant other saw the program, but have the same problem with recall of the title. He is a naturalized US citizen, but was not born in this country, which provides him with an additional degree of worry in trying to hunt this book down.
With potential changes to the Patriot Act in the air, I may decide to be brave enough to try and find this book. Or, since I'm taking this class on Intellectual Freedom, maybe I should put my money where my mouth is, and try to find it anyway.