Honored librarian speaks against Patriot Act
Horn has a history of dissent, including going to jail
instead of testifying against the Harrisburg Seven
BY TYLER GRAF
FREELANCE REPORTER
Librarian activist Zoia Horn spoke
about her efforts to advocate on behalf
of intellectual rights during a speech
entitled “From the Harrisburg Seven to
the Patriot Act” on Thursday morning
in the Knight Library Browsing Room.
According to Judith Krug, the director
of the American Library Association’s
Office of Intellectual Freedom, Horn was
the first librarian to “spend time in jail
for the value of our profession. ”
In 1971 Horn was in the public spot
light after the United States govern
ment subpoenaed her to testify against
the Harrisburg Seven, an anti-Vietnam
War group charged with 23 counts of
conspiracy, including plotting to kid
nap Henry Kissinger. The government
asked Horn to divulge confidential pa
tron information about Fathers Dan
and Philip Berrigan, two peace activist
Catholic priests.
The prosecution took more than five
weeks to present its case against the
Harrisburg Seven; the defense, led by
former U.S. attorney general Ramsey
Clark, took less than five minutes.
“Your Honor, the defendants shall al
ways seek peace,” Clark said, after the
judge asked the defense to present its
first witness. “They continue to proclaim
their innocence. The defense rests. ”
Ironically, as Lyndon Johnson’s at
torney general, Clark had prosecuted
the Boston Five, a group of anti-war
protesters similar to the Harrisburg
Seven. Clark would later serve as legal
counsel to an array of controversial fig
ures, including former Serbian Presi
dent Slobodan Milosevic and Libyan
leader Muammar Qaddafi, on whose
behalf Clark sued the United States
and British governments for the 1986
bombing of Ttipoli, which left a num
ber of Libyan civilians killed and
wounded. Clark lost the case.
Horn said that prior to her testimony
she had pangs of conscience.
“What would happen if I refused
to testify?” Horn asked her lawyer.
She said a bemused look crossed his
“boyish” face.
When Horn finally took the stand,
she had a statement already prepared.
“Your Honor, it is because I respect
the function of the court to protect the
rights of the individual that I must re
fuse to testify,” Horn said. “I cannot in
good conscience lead myself to this
black charade.”
Horn was taken from the witness
stand, shackled and given an ultima
tum: She could either testify or spend
the remainder of the trial behind bars.
She refused to testify, believing that the
trial would last three months. Ultimate
ly, Horn spent only 20 days in jail, in
cluding her birthday, before the trial
"fizzled to a end,” in part due to Clark’s
unorthodox five-minute defense. In the
end, the Harrisburg Seven was convict
ed only of the minor charge of smug
gling letters out of prison.
During Horn’s time in jail, the
American Library Association refused
to stand behind Horn because she was
“challenging a duly constituted court
of the law,” Horn said.
However, for her lifetime of ac
tivism, Horn has won numerous
awards, including a California Library
Association Award, a Jackie Eubanks
Award and a Robert B. Downs Award
Currently, Horn spends her time
speaking against the Patriot Act, which
she believes usurps intellectual freedom
and targets dissenting voices. Horn said
that the Patriot Act provides “those in
power with the tools they need. ”
In Horn’s opinion, the most offen
sive part of the Patriot Act is Section
215, which pertains to libraries and li
brarians. Section 215 requires libraries
to divulge their patrons’ checkout
records without their patrons’ consent.
Prior to the Patriot Act, the government
needed a warrant and probable cause
to access such information.
Horn, who immigrated to North
America from Russia in 1926, drew
parallels between the Patriot Act and
the tactics of Nazis and Stalinists.
“Do you remember the Gestapo in
Germany? They had a group of people
in neighborhoods in charge of spying,”
Horn said, a reference to the Terrorism
Information Prevention System.
Proposed in conjunction with the
Patriot Act in the wake of the Sept. 11
attacks and since scrapped, the TIPS
program would have asked commu
nity members to report suspicious ac
tivity to local law enforcement.
In the future, citizens will have to
be more critical of governmental poli
cies that restrict intellectual rights,
Horn said.
“It would be good to repeal the
USA Patriot Act,” Horn said. “We can
do better, but it’s not likely.”
Miss Oregon: Contestants say there are misconceptions about pageant
Continued from page 1
“She’s been in a lot of these and has a
lot of experience,” Leon McKenzie said.
The contestants competed in a
bathing suit competition, an evening
wear competition, a causal wear com
petition and a talent competition.
For her talent, McKenzie sang a trib
ute to Tina Tlirner.
“When she puts on the Tina Tlirner
wig and the Tina Tlimer outfit, she ac
tually looks just like her,” Leon
McKenzie said.
Marberry sang "It Don’t Mean a
Thing,” from the Broadway musical
“Sophisticated Ladies.” Marberry has
been singing for many years.
“I’ve been singing as my talent since
I started,” Marberry said.
Each contestant also advocates for a
“platform” — an issue that the contest
ant is involved in.
McKenzie’s platform is about
helping kids learn life lessons
through sports.
To advance this platform, she has
volunteered with numerous groups,
including the Boys & Girls Clubs
of America.
McKenzie’s interest in youth athlet
ics began with her father, who is a high
school track coach.
“She’s been doing track since she
could barely walk and soccer since she
was five,” Leon McKenzie said.
When Marberry learned that pag
eant contestants must represent a
platform, her brother, who has cere
bral palsy, came to mind.
“My platform is supporting and ad
vocating those with developmental
disabilities,” she said.
“I thought about my brother,” Mar
berry said. “I thought about how I
could help break down the barriers
facing people like my brother.”
She has volunteered with several
agencies that support people with
developmental disabilities, includ
ing The Arc.
Years ago, Marberry told her
mother that someday she would be
competing in pageants like the
women on television.
Marberry said there are a lot of
misconceptions about the Miss
America Organization.
The pageants focus less on appear
ance and more on stage presence, ac
cording to Marberry
“It’s really about communication,”
she said. “We need someone that’s
beautiful inside and out. It’s all about
poise and grace.”
Marberry said there is also a percep
tion that pageant contests treat each
other poorly.
“Really, these girls have become like
family to me. I’m really very honored
to be on the same stage as these 22
women I’m on stage with,” she said.
Marberry said Miss Oregon is not
just a beauty pageant but a “scholar
ship program for young women. ”
Leon McKenzie spoke about the
financial advantage to pageant partici
pation. His daughter has probably
earned about $6,000 toward her edu
cation through pageants, he said.
McKenzie is a journalism
major. Marberry is a pre-med and
psychology student.
Fleck won a $10,000 scholarship in
addition to the right to compete in the
Miss America pageant in Atlantic City.
The only Miss Oregon to win the
Miss America pageant was Katie
Harmon in 2002.
Neither Sarah Warner — Miss
Lane County — nor the Miss Ore
gon Scholarship Program could be
reached for comment.
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