From: "Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 94 13:20:22 PST
To: danisch@ira.uka.de (Hadmut Danisch)
Subject: Re: Oh No! Nazis on the Nets
In-Reply-To: <9402102018.AA08946@deathstar.iaks.ira.uka.de>
Message-ID: <199402102100.QAA20373@snark>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Hadmut Danisch says:
> > I will note, however, that the U.S. has far better press freedoms than
> > almost any other country on earth, and that Germany is pretty damn bad
> > about freedom of the press. I can walk into any book store in America
> > and buy a copy of Mein Kampf -- and although I hate Adolf Hitler's
> > works, I am happy that I can read them if I so choose. I cannot do
> > things like that in Germany.
> 
> I don't know at the moment whether it is allowed to sell "Mein Kampf",
> but what is the question: One says that in Germany nobody cares
> about the right-wing, the other says that you can't buy such books.
> What do you expect? Shall we care or not? We can't fight again
> right-wing people and sell such books!

Incorrect. Those who do not understand freedom think that by
oppressing Nazis and preventing them from speaking you have somehow
protected freedom. However, in doing so, you have used the methods of
the Nazis. Becoming what you wish to stop is not an effective
strategy. If only certain ideas are permitted to be expressed, you
have reduced freedom, not increased it.

You can fight Naziism by spreading information about the evils of
Naziism. You can fight it by vigorously prosecuting those who commit
acts of violence. You can fight it by keeping your legal system free,
and not by doing things like giving in to the right wing by
prohibiting immigration to Germany. You cannot fight it by emulating
it, and censorship is one of the basic tools of Naziism.

> I'm sure that american press freedom is not better than german ones.

Untrue. In the U.S., I can start a newspaper without any licenses from
the Government, and I can print anything I wish in that newspaper
without fear of government prosecution. (I might be sued by a private
party for libel if I intentionally lie about someone, but thats quite
different.) In Germany, I cannot just open a newspaper and print, say,
Nazi editorials in it.

> Seen from Germany, american presidents elections look like a mixture
> of a football game and a tv show.

Yes, but that is a statement that the press in the U.S. is bad, not
that it is unfree. Freedom and quality are orthogonal.

> In Germany I can get my Cryptosoftware from whereever I want,

Actually, you can do that here, too. We just cant send the software
overseas.

Perry