Nicole Brodeur / Times staff columnist
Watch out! He's packin' an almanac

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I should be safe here, at a table by the window.

Any number of passers-by would surely see if Mike Selinker jumped up from his jambalaya to cover my mouth with chloroform.

It could happen, if you believe what the FBI tells us.

Selinker is a successful game inventor whose eight years at Wizards of the Coast included the launch of everything from Pokémon to Simpsons card games, endless crossword puzzles and even a trip to London, where he met with author J.K. Rowling to develop the Harry Potter trading-card game.

But Selinker, 36, is also a suspected terrorist: He carries an almanac.

Late last month, the FBI warned police nationwide to "be on the alert" for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the reference books could be used for terrorist planning.

"I was outraged," said Selinker.

He flies some 15 times a year to attend gaming events around the country — events that often require an almanac to solve puzzles.

"An almanac contains knowledge," Selinker said, "not instructions on how to create a nuclear bomb or things that relate to terrorism."

The FBI disagrees. Its intelligence bulletin acknowledged that almanacs may be used for "legitimate recreational and commercial activities" but noted that the practice of using them to research potential targets — dams, for instance — "is consistent with known methods of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations."

Selinker scoffs: "That's like saying that what I do, because it involves the increasing of knowledge, means that I am dangerous.

"That isn't the America that I signed up for," he continued. "I don't like living in a climate of fear-mongering."

Better get used to it, my friend. The global is getting more personal every day.

Not long ago, I called my insurance company. After taking my name and member number, the rep asked: "Are you a U.S. citizen?"

"Sorry?"

"We're updating our system," the woman said. "Something having to do with the Patriot Act. I suppose someone thinks it will help."

Help ... how? Other than to make me feel as breezy as a New York rabbi at a Carolina pig-pickin'?

"I don't know," the woman sighed.

I caught a clip in her voice.

"Where were you born?" I asked.

"Trinidad," she said. "But that's a whole different issue."

Not really. All of us are now seeing the suspect in ourselves, since we're being painted with the government's "you seem fine, but ... " brush.

Even an admitted geek like Selinker.

He will test the new policy soon, when he flies to Boston for a gaming event.

Selinker is the only one on his team who will pack an almanac. The rest, he said, don't want the hassle.

Selinker understands but refuses to play the government's game: One that requires him to give up what he sees as legitimate, harmless behavior — and his freedom.

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Reach her at 206-464-2334 or nbrodeur@seattletimes.com.

More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.

Her heart belongs to Spiderman.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company