From: "Ed Carp [khijol SysAdmin]" <erc@dal1820.computek.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 10:07:38 +0800
To: bal@martigny.ai.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Zimmermann case is dropped.
In-Reply-To: <9601120040.AA03530@toad.com>
Message-ID: <199601120100.TAA02304@dal1820.computek.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


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> 	   We've made no progress. Phil has lots lots of time and gained
>    lots of grey hairs, and everyone who donated to his defense fund lost
>    money.
> 
> To the contrary, Phil won big.  He avoided going to Federal court as the
> defendant in a felony case.  That's what matters most.  Yes, a lot of
> time, money and effort was spent reaching this outcome, but none of it
> was wasted.
> 
> 	   The US can still harass people if they want, and make their
>    life hell.
> 
> Of course they can; they're the U.S. government.  No possible outcome of
> Phil's case would have changed this fact.  If the Federal government
> wishes to make your life miserable they can always do so.
> 
> The legal challenges to the ITAR regulations will continue forward in
> the various Federal courts, but that fight will no longer be on Phil
> Zimmermann's back.  

Mike Godwin can speak to this a lot better than I can, but I believe that 
by abandoning their case against PRZ, they have seriously weakened their 
case against anyone else that they feel has violated the ITAR in a 
similar manner - it's called "selective enforcement" and courts have been 
taking a dim view of that sort of thing.

I predict that you will start seeing a *lot* of crypto software showing up
on FTP sites within the next 24-48 hours, as news of this spreads. 
- --
Ed Carp, N7EKG    			Ed.Carp@linux.org, ecarp@netcom.com
					214/993-3935 voicemail/digital pager
					800/558-3408 SkyPager
Finger ecarp@netcom.com for PGP 2.5 public key		an88744@anon.penet.fi

"Past the wounds of childhood, past the fallen dreams and the broken families,
through the hurt and the loss and the agony only the night ever hears, is a
waiting soul.  Patient, permanent, abundant, it opens its infinite heart and
asks only one thing of you ... 'Remember who it is you really are.'"

                    -- "Losing Your Mind", Karen Alexander and Rick Boyes

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