A Victory for Common Sense

Jack Stephens at Conservator brings word that the ACLU has dropped its lawsuit against Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. Section 215 is the so-called "library provision" of the Patriot Act, even though it doesn't even mention the word libraries and there is no evidence that it has ever been used in a library setting.

To quote the ACLU's press release:

“While the reauthorized Patriot Act is far from perfect, we succeeded in stemming the damage from some of the Bush administration’s most reckless policies,” said ACLU Associate Legal Director Ann Beeson. “The ACLU will continue to monitor how the government applies the broad Section 215 power and we will challenge unconstitutional demands on a case-by-case basis.”


Considering how the ACLU has done so much to contribute to the climate of uninformed hysteria that has come to surround the Patriot Act, it is gratifying to see at least some movement towards common sense on their part. Hopefully the American Library Association will follow suit.