From: Jonathon Fletcher <jonathon.fletcher@psych.stir.ac.uk>
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 94 01:19:28 PST
To: jamesd@netcom.com
Subject: Re: Breaking into girlfriend's files
In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.89.9412240055.A24470-0100000@netcom10>
Message-ID: <9412240917.AA23894@oss.stir.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



James A. Donald writes:
> The criticism was that the proposed use of the knowledge was wrong
> -- not that the knowledge was wrong.
> Then there was a larger debate -- is morality a threat to liberty,
> or is coercion the only serious threat to liberty.

or that liberty is it's own enemy. One individual's concept of liberty
may infringe on anothers to the point where one individual feels
restricted by the other. The discussion could go on for hours.

My point was not that breaking into your girlfriend's files because you
haven't got the guts to ask her something directly is somehow
acceptable, personally I think it isn't acceptable. My point was that
the list adopted the position of censor in deciding whether or not to
'release' information to the enquirer. That is what I disagree with.
The 'I should be able to read her files in case she's cheating on me'
argument is only a matter of steps away from the 'I should be able to
tap her phone in case she's cheating on me'.

> Now if you are eighteen or so, or if you have retarded emotional
> development,

I can't remember the former, and I can't associate with the latter, so I
won't comment ;-)

This is terribly off-topic. Responses by email - no more waste of list
bandwidth please.

-Jon

--
  Jonathon Fletcher, 
  j.fletcher@stirling.ac.uk