More Men of Zeal

By way of my brother John, who saw this on BoingBoing:

Agents’ visit chills UMass Dartmouth senior

NEW BEDFORD — A senior at UMass Dartmouth was visited by federal agents two months ago, after he requested a copy of Mao Tse-Tung’s tome on Communism called “The Little Red Book.”

Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library’s interlibrary loan program.

The student, who was completing a research paper on Communism for Professor Pontbriand’s class on fascism and totalitarianism, filled out a form for the request, leaving his name, address, phone number and Social Security number. He was later visited at his parents’ home in New Bedford by two agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the professors said.

The professors said the student was told by the agents that the book is on a “watch list,” and that his background, which included significant time abroad, triggered them to investigate the student further. …

No further comment needed.

3 Replies to “More Men of Zeal”

  1. Should recent purchases of Bo Belinsky AND Joe Pepitone biographies lead me to expect a drop-in from Uncle? (They were divisive characters in their time. Lefties too!) Or should I just be grateful no one has mobilized the butterfly net?

  2. Well, now I am reading that this story could be a hoax. Yeah, the guys with the butterfly nets indeed.

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