A year ago I griped to you about hassle at the Federal Building. I also wrote to the home office of US Marshals, as well as to the three relevant legislators:
Monday, as a favor for a friend, I went to the Federal Building in San Francisco to drop off a paper. I was denied admission, not having thought to bring along a “photo I D”. I hurried home, picked up my passports both internal and external (just for good measure), and hurried back — nine minutes too late for my errand, though the building was still open.
The Marshals at the metal-detector glanced at my document to verify that I had one, and that the face shown resembled mine, but did not make a note of my name nor check it against a list.
I write in the hope that one of you can tell me what this harassment is meant to accomplish. If I get no reply other than platitudes, I will assume that the purpose is not security but obedience, assuring that the cattle are duly tagged.
At long last, patience was rewarded, in a form not entirely surprising:
From: <senator@feinstein.senate.gov>
To: <bronto@pobox.com>
Subject: Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 19:33:38 -0500April 1, 2003
Mr. Anton Sherwood
41 Sutter Street #1143
San Francisco, California 94104Dear Mr. Sherwood:
I am sending you a copy of my latest newsletter because you have written me recently about issues that concern you before the U.S. Senate. . . .
So I wrote back, pointing out that nothing in the newsletter relates in any way to the question that I had raised.
There must be a new broom in DiFi’s office, because it took less than fifteen hours to zip me another copy of the damn newsletter.