Reading about the recent arrests of 17 men
who were allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in Southwest Ontario,
this brief line by RCMP assistant commissioner Mike McDonell at the end
of the article caught my eye:
“They can be inspired through
the use of the Internet, though library, through books and through
their own proselytizing to each other and recruiting and radicalizing
individuals.”
Maybe I should have a category called “Irresponsible Comments By
Canadian RCMP Officials”? I mean, if you’re going to cite libraries as
an inspiration for terrorists, you might as well hit the entire list
and mention television, music, movies, video games and possibly stage
plays.
You might as well complain about cars causing traffic
accidents, bowling causing school shootings and barbeques causing food
poisoning.
To twist the NRA slogan, “Books don’t kill people. People kill people.”
(cross-posted at www.librarianactivist.org)