From: attila <attila@primenet.com>
Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 21:10:28 +0800
To: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Subject: Re: Why Leahy is No Friend of Ours
Message-ID: <199605070558.WAA25921@primenet.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Addressed to: E. ALLEN SMITH <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
              Cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>

** Reply to note from E. ALLEN SMITH <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU> 05/06/96  8:47pm       
= To: attila@primenet.com 
=  
= From:	IN%"attila@primenet.com"  "attila"  5-MAY-1996 21:36:54.93 
=  
= >        how many _truly_ "populist" presidents have we elected?  
=  
=  SMITH: 
= 	Given the numbers of times that a democracy has done more harm than 
= good to civil liberties (Prohibition, the election of Islamic Fundamentalists 
= in Algeria, etcetera), we don't _want_ a "populist"/demagogue president. We 
= want someone in charge (to whatever degree that someone has to be in charge) 
= who will respect civil liberties. The masses aren't going to elect such a 
= person; they prefer protection to liberty and always will. 
=  
= ATTILA: 
 
	democracy is _never_ the ideal government. the difference in the
    American government is that it is a _republic_.  the problem with a 
    republic in the techno age is that the press and/or advertising 
    creates the images --and can be bought, stolen, coerced, etc.

        my intent is to "lament" that the American voters do not 
    influence the choice of candidates --who are vetted my money, or 
    money's interests. 

        most mat not wish to consider the hidden importance of the CFR 
    and related groups --it is not a conspiracy; it is just another
    group with an agenda --except they have the money and influence to
    _buy_ the agenda over time --amd on their schedule.
 
 
= >  ATTILA: 
= >           "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little  
= >               temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." 
= >                        --Ben Franklin (Historical Review of PA -1759) 
= > 
= >    and, the bottom line is: 
= > 
= >              "It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen 
= >                  from falling into error;  
= >               it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government  
= >                  from falling into error." 
= >                             --Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), U.S. Judge 
=  
= 	Quite. 
= 	-Allen

--
Overseeing first-rate programmers is a managerial challenge 
  roughly comparable to herding cats.