From: "James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 06:23:13 +0800
To: ericm@lne.com
Subject: Re: free speach and the government
Message-ID: <Pine.BSD.3.91.960206082523.15126B-100000@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


 
 
  Eric, 
 
 
  On 02 03 96 you say: 
 
     In the US the media is by and large controlled by huge media con- 
     glomerates with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo and 
     delivering up their audience to their advertisers in tidy packages. 
 
     The government is along for the ride, being part and parcel of the 
     same system.  They won't rest until net-speech is by and large con- 
     trolled by huge media conglomerates all busy delivering up the net- 
     public to advertisers in tidy packages... I'm not saying that there's 
     a Black Heliocopters type conspiracy, or any other for that matter. 
     There doesn't have to be, there are huge political forces moving 
     things this way.  So there might as well be a conspiracy, as the end 
     effect on us is the same. 
 
 
  Your analysis is excellent.  Thank you. 
 
  Often "anti-statist" conspiracy theorists have the bare facts right, but 
  explain those facts from the same point of view as statists: the State 
  is all-powerful; it is THE conspirator! 
 
  "The" State tends to the monopoly of force; but THIS State is dependent 
  on taxes, for it exists in THIS capitalist economy led by huge "conglom- 
  erates"  (the word may not be exact but it will do) that tend to control 
  the supply of taxes (by splitting up, by dumping loyal workers, by crea- 
  tive accounting, by moving away, by influencing the bureaucracy through 
  a maze of advisory panels, by directly staffing the upper reaches of that 
  bureaucracy, by timely contributions to journalism schools, by...ingenu- 
  ity). 
 
  In its preeminent meaning, politics refers only to the State. However, if 
  we gracefully relent, 
 
        ...there are huge political forces moving things.... 
 
  Generally, this overall movement is not a conspiracy. 
 
  Specifically, the movement involves an unbreakably large number of "per- 
  manent" and temporary alliances, coalitions, blocs, nods and winks, in- 
  siders, cliques, rings, gangs, and...you name it. 
 
 
  Cordially, 
 
  Jim