From: waynec@csr.UVic.CA (Wayne  Chapeskie)
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 95 17:38:13 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Crisis Overload (re Electronic Racketeering)
Message-ID: <199507140038.RAA20869@clipper.csc.UVic.CA>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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On Jul 13, 11:10am, Timothy C. May wrote:
>
>Every couple of months there's been a new legislative attack on what were
>once basic American freedoms. (Sorry to focus on America. I'm sure you
>folks in the liberty-loving paradises of, say, Germany, are gloating over
>our hand-wringing.)
>
>We're losing the war. We can send in donations to the NRA and EFF, offer
>our support to the ACLU and EPIC, but the tide just keeps rolling in,
>washing away our efforts. The full-time lawmakers in D.C. can proliferate
>new repressive laws much faster than we can fight them.

The current legislative situation regarding computer encryption and
communication technologies is one that firearms owners in the
US and other places have for many years been familiar with.
Every congressional session, a US Representative introduces a bill to
repeal the Second Amendment.  Almost every session, a bill to
prohibit handguns is introduced.  Every session, nearly a dozen or
more bills are introduced which infringe in some way on the rights of
Americans to own and use firearms, through registration, taxation of
ammunition and firearms, licensing of owners, restrictions on imports,
restrictions on dealers, bans of certain types of ammunition, and on
and on and on.

As the NRA might say:  Welcome to the party.  Get used to the heat,
because it isn't going to get any better.

As computer people, we have for some decades now been able to carry
on with our activities essentially unnoticed by the people
Perry Metzger has quite precisely referred to as fascists.

No longer.

Fortunately, most bills introduced into the US congress die without
becoming law.  This is the nature of the US legislative process.
This has included most (but not all) anti-gun rights bills, and will
likely include most anti-crypto and anti-free-speech bills as well.
(As was pointed out, this particular bill has no co-sponsors, and
is unlikely to proceed out of committee).

Unfortunately, proponents of secure and private communications, as
well as proponents of free speech over computer communications
networks, are likely to find themselves under constant legislative
and executive attack for the forseeable future, just as American
gun owners have been.

Wayne Chapeskie

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