Boston: In Loco Policia?

[Donald Barclay]

Here's a true story:

A college student worked for a grocery chain for many years.  One night he
sold beer to an underage police operative.  The college student was
arrested, fined, and fired.  He had to drop out of college (in his last
semester) and otherwise put his life on hold while he regrouped.

As of today (February 28, 1997) the same sort of thing can happen to store
clerks who sell cigaretts to anyone under 18. (Though, of course, the
wealthy guy who created the multi-million dollar Joe Camel ad campaign
won't be a co-defendent with the minium-wage clerk.) 

I don't think it's good for minors to drink or smoke, but it scares me
that our society seems to be turning us all into auxillary police officers
and punishing us for failing to carry out our duties.  You probably see
where I am going with this: Will it be long before some states or
localities pass laws that not only turn librarians into Internet police,
but also punish us if we fail to enforce the law?  Will there be police
operatives in libraries trying to sting librarians who fail to protect
minors from virtual sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Will the old jokes
about "Information Highway Patrol" become our reality?

Maybe I'm being alarmist.  But I remember when I was a seasonal worker for
the U.S. Forest Service ($6.00 an hour and all the smoke you can eat). 
One morning the bosses announced that they wanted us to patrol for
marijuana plantations on public lands.  One of my co-workers roused
himself from his daily hangover and declared, "If I wanted to be a cop,
I'd of joined the f***ing troopers."

My sentiments exactly. 


Donald A. Barclay
Coordinator of Electronic Services    always the beautiful answer
University of Houston Libraries       who asks a more beautiful question
DBarclay at uh.edu                               --e.e. cummings