From: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 18:48:27 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: More on "Raised Awareness"
Message-ID: <ad7e50ff1a021004d4d0@[205.199.118.202]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 6:30 AM 3/27/96, Rich Graves wrote:

>At some point in this exercise, though, we might be "raising awareness"
>among the wrong people, to cite Tim May. I wouldn't want NAFTA, the WTO,
>and so on enforcing ITAR.

I'm glad to see that some people are internalizing this point about how
"raised awareness" almost always results in new legislation. And new
legislation, even if seemingly well-intentioned, almost always extends the
tendrils of government into what were once ignored or private areas.

There are many examples outside of crypto. Health care reform was the
latest case of "raised awareness." Pornography access on the Net was
another.

The systemic reasons for this are clear.

"Leaving well enough alone" and "Don't make waves" are old aphorisms that
capture this sentiment.

--Tim May

Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^756839 - 1  | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."