On Wednesday, I bought the following at the Borders on the corner of Coldwater and Coliseum
"Settling Accounts: Drive to the East" by Harry Turtledove
"Against the Tide of Years" by S.M. Stirling
"On the Oceans of Eternity" by S.M. Stirling
and a CD entitled "Our Time in Eden" by 10,000 Maniacs.
See, Borders gave me a discount card, so that I would swipe it every time I bought something in that store. This allows them to write down and record everything that I buy. I figure that if Borders knows what I bought on Wednesday, everyone else should too.
Seriously though. If you want to protect your privacy, pay cash. I did not mind using the discount card because I don't care if people know that I read alternate history or listen to sappy music from the 90's. However, Borders may accumulate a list that reflects my reading habits. Some of what I have read contains nudity (National Geographic). Some of it contains violence. (the Old Testament) And some of it could be considered subversive (the Bill of Rights) Under the Patriot Act, the government can request a copy of that list. So I will probably take care to make I don't buy the wrong things with my discount card.
This Patriot Act was intended to fight terrorism. Actual terrorist pay cash when they buy a copy of the Koran and "Anarchist's Cookbook". This law was never mean to track them at all. It is designed to see who is buying Al Frankin's books and DVD copies of Fareinhiet 911. Some Republicans may think that this ability of the government to spy on leftists is a good thing. They should be concerned about what will happen if, God forbid, Hillary wins in '08.
My advice to the Republicans is to repeal the PAtrioit Act while they still have the majority. I'm worried that the Democrats have no intention of repealing this bill themselves....
Wow- Turtledove. It's amazing, I can't read them as fast as he writes them. Stirling's a better pick, in my opinion. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteHave you read any of AJ Quinnell's thrillers? As the genre goes, they are top of the heap.
I'll have to look into AJ Quinnell.
ReplyDeleteHere, Mike. Can you name the "Guns of the South" characters who made a cameo appearance in "Conquistador"?
When you apply for one of those frequent shopper cards don't give them your real name.
ReplyDeleteMy Kroger card has a name and address I just made up. Works fine to get me the discount at the gas pump as well as the lower prices in the store.
I read a story a few years ago that said some New Yorkers, as a party game, would try to see who was able to get the best name on a frequent shopper card. Winners were folks who were able to show cards like Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Ayn Rand.