[79330] in Cypherpunks
Re: Rejecting Dialog with Government Vermin
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tim May)
Wed Apr 30 23:52:21 1997
X-Real-To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.95.970429212717.11982B-100000@well.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 21:51:05 -0800
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Cc: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Reply-To: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
At 8:33 PM -0800 4/29/97, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>Perhaps that's why it's hard, sometimes, to be a columnist here. If I call
>up the FDA, ask them why they're considering regulating the Net, then
>blast them in a column -- well, they're not going to return my phone calls
>next time. The TIME affiliation helps, but bureaucrats aren't entirely
Exactly. This is how folks get pulled into the Whole Sick System. They
realize there is no alternative except to Play the Game.
The few "dissident" lobbyist groups, like the NRA and Cato, survive only by
being entertaining court jesters for evening television, sound bite
generators for "Crossfire" and "Nightline." Thus, the NRA replaces its
leadership with more media-entertaining, soundbite-generating spokesbimbos.
(Apologies for almost lapsing into Youngspeak.)
>As for the Congress, Tim's overlooking one thing they _can_ do: repeal
>some of the wackier, unconstitutional laws passed in previous sessions.
Which doesn't refute my point that Congress and the President only tend to
make things worse. Your point is that some of the later folks clean up a
few of the messes made by earlier folks (besides making their own, and
don't forget the lives ruined by the earlier mistakes belatedly corrected).
>Apart from that, I agree that the country might remain more free if
>Congress were to go home for a few years. The trend, as groups like the
>ACLU, Cato, EPIC, and NACDL have chronicled, is towards greater erosion of
>civil liberties, not greater protection of them.
The ACLU is, sad to say, a net detractor of basic rights. They fail to
understand the importance of so many things....too large an issue to get
into right now.
>I agree that Leahy is far from a friend of the Net, and I've had repeated
>arguments from folks in advocacy groups who would like to position him as
>such. If I recall properly, he's taken disturbing positions not just on
>Digital Telephony but also on copyright -- and his crypto-bills are far
>from perfect.
Indeed. Anybody who follows what Leahy has done would put him almost right
up there with the She-Satan Herself, Swinestein. He speaks soothing
platitudes, but is consistently for more and more government.
>Net-regulation events tomorrow. Looks like we'll get a committee vote on
>the SAFE bill in the afternoon, and Hill staffers tell me the "furtherance
>of a crime" provision will stay in.
What else did you expect? This is part of the Grand Plan to outlaw crypto.
Everyone who votes in favor of this has earned the ultimate sanction. I
pray for the deaths of these criminals.
Lock and load.
--Tim May
There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."
