Cory Doctorow/Little Brother/85
She shook her head at us like we were being very stupid. "The Maybe everything had changed.
'revolutionary' founding fathers shot traitors and spies. They
didn't believe in absolute freedom, not when it threatened the "I believe you know where Mr Benson's office is," she said to
Republic. Now you take these Xnet people " me. "You are to present yourself to him immediately. I will not
have my classes disrupted by disrespectful behavior. For someone
I tried hard not to stiffen. who claims to love freedom of speech, you're certainly willing to
shout down anyone who disagrees with you."
" these socalled jammers who were on the news this morning.
After this city was attacked by people who've declared war on this I picked up my SchoolBook and my bag and stormed out. The
country, they set about sabotaging the security measures set up to door had a gaslift, so it was impossible to slam, or I would have
catch the bad guys and prevent them from doing it again. They did slammed it.
this by endangering and inconveniencing their fellow citizens "
I went fast to Mr Benson's office. Cameras filmed me as I went.
"They did it to show that our rights were being taken away in My gait was recorded. The arphids in my student ID broadcast my
the name of protecting them!" I said. OK, I shouted. God, she had identity to sensors in the hallway. It was like being in jail.
me so steamed. "They did it because the government was treating
everyone like a suspected terrorist." "Close the door, Marcus," Mr Benson said. He turned his screen
around so that I could see the video feed from the social studies
"So they wanted to prove that they shouldn't be treated like classroom. He'd been watching.
terrorists," Charles shouted back, "so they acted like terrorists? So
they committed terrorism?" "What do you have to say for yourself?"
I boiled. "That wasn't teaching, it was propaganda. She told us that the
Constitution didn't matter!"
"Oh for Christ's sake. Committed terrorism? They showed that
universal surveillance was more dangerous than terrorism. Look "No, she said it wasn't religious doctrine. And you attacked her
at what happened in the park last weekend. Those people were like some kind of fundamentalist, proving her point. Marcus, you
dancing and listening to music. How is that terrorism?" of all people should understand that everything changed when the
bridge was bombed. Your friend Darryl "
The teacher crossed the room and stood before me, looming
over me until I shut up. "Marcus, you seem to think that nothing "Don't you say a goddamned word about him," I said, the anger
has changed in this country. You need to understand that the bubbling over. "You're not fit to talk about him. Yeah, I
bombing of the Bay Bridge changed everything. Thousands of our understand that everything's different now. We used to be a free
friends and relatives lie dead at the bottom of the Bay. This is a country. Now we're not."
time for national unity in the face of the violent insult our country
has suffered " "Marcus, do you know what 'zerotolerance' means?"
I stood up. I'd had enough of this "everything has changed" I backed down. He could expel me for "threatening behavior." It
crapola. "National unity? The whole point of America is that was supposed to be used against gang kids who tried to intimidate
we're the country where dissent is welcome. We're a country of their teachers. But of course he wouldn't have any compunctions
dissidents and fighters and university dropouts and free speech about using it on me.
people."
"Yes," I said. "I know what it means."
I thought of Ms Galvez's last lesson and the thousands of
Berkeley students who'd surrounded the policevan when they "I think you owe me an apology," he said.
tried to arrest a guy for distributing civil rights literature. No one
tried to stop those trucks when they drove away with all the I looked at him. He was barely suppressing his sadistic smile. A
people who'd been dancing in the park. I didn't try. I was running part of me wanted to grovel. It wanted to beg for his forgiveness
away. for all my shame. I tamped that part down and decided that I
would rather get kicked out than apologize.
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