Plans to show ACLU's film on Patriot Act causes concern

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Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Kenneth Robison wants the Great Falls Public Library to scrap plans to show a film criticizing one aspect of President Bush's war on terror.

The movie, "Beyond the Patriot Act," is distributed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Not one dime of Great Falls taxpayer money should go to promote the agenda of the ACLU," Robison wrote in a letter to Great Falls Library Director Jim Heckel this week.

Robison said the film does "a hatchet job" on the act, which he believes protects the public.

But Heckel said the show will go on.

"I think the name ACLU sets some people off," Heckel said Wednesday.

Robison said the ACLU has done "many great things" over the years, but he believes it has leaned sharply to the left the last few years.

Heckel took notice of the film when the Montana State Library in Helena planned to show it and then backed off last month after a few complaints from residents and state employees. The Lewis and Clark Library in Helena promptly scheduled a showing of the film on its own.

"To me, that says there's some interest in the film," Heckel said. "There is a lot of interest in the Patriot Act."

Heckel said Montana's 2005 Legislature passed a resolution criticizing portions of the Patriot Act. In one example, Heckel said the act gave the Federal Bureau of Investigation the power to enter the Great Falls library and, without a warrant, seize a list of books a customer has checked out.

Congress recently passed a revised Patriot Act by wide margins.

Neither Heckel nor Robison has seen the entire film.

A debate over the anti-terrorism Patriot Act would be healthy, Heckel said. Tuesday night's showing will be followed by an open discussion.

Heckel said he called a local Republican to try to get him to speak in favor of the Patriot Act after Tuesday's showing.

"He had issues with the Patriot Act as well," Heckel said. But Heckel still wants to find someone who likes the act and who would speak about it after the showing. Call Heckel if you're interested.

Robison said he would not want to argue in favor of the law after an audience watched a "very biased" film.

He said he particularly objected to two things: that the wording on a library flier used ACLU wording and that initially the library, not a private group, was the event's sponsor.

Heckel on Thursday said he called the ACLU Montana office and got the group to sponsor the showing. Heckel thinks that arrangement is more appropriate.

This isn't the first time a film to be shown at the library has produced controversy.

Seven or eight airings of an anti-Wal-Mart film, presented by a private Great Falls group, late last year prompted a Sam's Club employee or two to complain to the city. At that time, Heckel had said a pro-Wal-Mart group would be welcome to show a film extolling the company's virtues.

Heckel said he would be happy to show a pro-Patriot Act film, too.

A "minimal" amount of taxpayer money will be spent on staff time at the ACLU film, Heckel said.

The library did not pay for the film. Libraries across the state were given free copies by the ACLU.

Heckel said a mild controversy over the Wal-Mart movie helped ensure strong attendance at those showings.

And he predicted Robison's call for the movie to be yanked in Great Falls probably will improve attendance for "Beyond the Patriot Act."