From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 07:55:27 PST
To: CYPHERPUNKS@toad.com
Subject: Re:  4th ammendment and C
Message-ID: <199402011550.AA14431@panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


W >it's also the one place where I've seen a recent 3rd Amendment case.

The Third Amendment.  Answer to the question "What Amendment of the Bill 
of Rights *doesn't* the US Government violate thousands of times a day?"

W >but the general public just barely tolerates duck hunting and
W >really has no desire for violent revolution, and frankly, neither do 
W >I.

Not violent revolution.  Just an alternative source of authority or 
defense.  A reality check on tyranny.  A badge of sovereignty.  You can't 
be sovereign without weapons.

W >We're trying to go for their hearts and minds here, and issues like
W >privacy, freedom of speech, and Big Brother tapping your phone
W >are a lot more attractive to most people.

The whole point of this list is that we can achieve a technological fix 
for the "problems of human interaction."  We can free ourselves and others 
without changing anyone's mind.  That changes of ideology can follow new 
technologies and the social institutions they spawn.

W >Even the ideas that private communications can make government obsolete
W >and that obsolete institutions can fail are pretty scary to people
W >who've been educated in government schools, and associating
W >crypto-privacy with the more extreme radically-correct side of the Gun
W >Nuts will lose them.

Then the bulk of the population has a lot of frights coming and we are 
providing a public service by letting them confront their fears early in 
the game.  

What we are doing is predicting not advocating.  If social changes 
increase people's personal liberties, their liberties are increased 
whether we point them out or not.  

In any case, our sort of analysis is creeping into the straight business 
press (particularly Forbes) and when C. Wright Wriston (former Citibank 
CEO) writes a book like "The Twilight of Sovereignty" how off the wall can 
we be?

W >especially when there *are* legitimate concerns about use of
W >anonymity and digicash for blackmail, ransom, and funding of real 
W >terrorists, plus the government's favorite drug dealer scare.

These people could use existing techniques but mostly don't.  Can you 
*believe* the WTC bombers getting their dough by an open wire transfer 
from the BRD?

W >Besides, walking around making unattributed quotations from the
W >writings of the Founding Fathers tends to get you treated like
W >David Koresh or at the very least Michael Milken....

I don't remember Mike quoting the Founding Parents.  His only mistake was 
copping a plea.

DCF

Western Civilization didn't invent tyranny, slavery, racism, or the
oppression of women.  What it did do is eliminate those evils (to the 
extent they have been eliminated).  The rest of the world should be damn 
grateful and if they're not we should return them to the ancient tyrannies 
from which we so recently rescued them.  Would serve them right.

--- WinQwk 2.0b#1165