This story, if true, is fascinating to say the least.

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.
“I tell my students to go to the direct source, and so he asked for the official Peking version of the book,” Professor Pontbriand said. “Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring inter-library loans, because that’s what triggered the visit, as I understand it.”

Freedom Sight has more thoughts.

UPDATE: 12/27/2005. Not surprisingly, this student was making the story up.

Additional comments from Wal-Mart indicate they have an inkling that this is a political attack…

“The Washington, D.C.-union leader campaign is failing. With sales up 4.3% last month and 10 million people visiting our stores in just the first six hours of Black Friday, the union leadership is resorting to desperate and divisive attacks. The American people are becoming increasingly incensed by the nature of this campaign and are still wondering why the union leadership is obsessed with attacking a company that creates jobs and provides affordable health insurance to working families.”

Wal-Mart could be describing the condition of the Democrat Party and the actions of Democrat politicians. It is right on the money so to speak. And Wal-Mart is right. Americans are getting fed up with the nature of the Democrat campaign and wonder why a major political party is so obsessed with attacking and destroying our country which is growing, reaching out, and helping the less fortunate here and around the world.

Hang in there Wal-Mart. You are on the front lines of the battle here at home. Stay the course. Victory will be yours.