From: Rich Burroughs <richieb@teleport.com>
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 04:11:42 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: SEVERE undercapacity, we need more remailer servers FAST
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19960517170447.00a9b780@mail.teleport.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 07:38 PM 5/16/96 -0500, snow <snow@smoke.suba.com> wrote:
[snip]
>	No, rich is a good excuse for _not_ doing it, unless it can be
>done with total anonymity. If I set up a remailer, on my home computer, as
>an individual, then I am a very little target. I have nothing (well, damn
>little) for anyone to sue me over. What would be the point? They threaten
>to sue me for what? They would spend FAR more than they could ever get out
>of me, and as long as I don't violate any laws, I _might_ be able to get
>"big guns" like the ACLU, EFF etc. on my side to make it a nasty fight for
>no return. 
[snip]

This assumes that they are trying to win.

Hubbard said, "The purpose of the suit is to harass..."

CoS has a huge legal coffer, and they've used it against people who weren't
rich before.  They're not after the money from the lawsuits, IMHO -- it's
miniscule compared to the amount they make in their bait-and-switch scheme
(where they sell people on Dianetics and then lead them down the path to
ridiculous OT powers).  That's what they're fighting to protect.

>From this perspective, the person without money is a much easier target,
IMHO -- they don't have the resources to fight back against sustained and
intense legal pressure (as well as illegal harassment by PI's and other
agents) and will probably cave.  That's the return.

Judge Brinkema, in an opinion last November in the "Church's" case against
the Washington Post, DGS, and Arnie Lerma, wrote:

  "The Court finds that the motivation of plaintiff in filing
   this lawsuit against the Post is reprehensible.  Although
   the RTC brought the complaint under traditional secular
   concepts of copyright and trade secret law, it has become
   clear that a much broader motivation prevailed--the stifling
   of criticism and dissent of the religious practices of
   Scientology and the destruction of its opponents.  L. Ron
   Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, has been quoted as
   looking upon law as a tool to

                [h]arass and discourage rather than to win.
                The law can be used very easily to harrass and
                enough harrassment on somebody who is simply on
                the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is
                not authorized, will generally be sufficient
                to cause his professional decease.  If 
                possible, of course, ruin him utterly."

CoS are the biggest threat to the remailers right now, and it's a mistake to
view their use of the legal system  based on how you or I might use it --
their purpose is to crush their opposition by whatever means necessary.
They have to handle things that way, because Hubbard said so.  Paulette
Cooper, whose "crime" was writing a book critical of CoS, had 19 lawsuits
filed against her at the same time by the "Church."

Your plan would work if tons of people set up remailers, but barring that,
rich people are actually worse targets for CoS, IMHO, as they have the
resources to fight back, especially if the suit doesn't have any merits.
And the support of the "big guns" is definitely dicey -- they've not
provided counsel for any defendant in a CoS case, AFAIK.  Groups like ACLU
and EFF don't have the resources to deal with every problem they'd like to,
and people shouldn't expect to be rescued by them (you said _might_, I know :)

I would encourage anyone who is concerned about the remailers, that doesn't
have much info on CoS' legal tactics, to spend some time on
alt.religion.scientology or on Ron Newman's excellent web site
http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/scientology/home.html (he has a ton of info
there and you can do Excite searches).

I think that if people are not willing to stand up to CoS, the remailers are
history.



Rich

______________________________________________________________________
Rich Burroughs  richieb@teleport.com  http://www.teleport.com/~richieb
See my Blue Ribbon Page at http://www.teleport.com/~richieb/blueribbon
New EF zine "cause for alarm" - http://www.teleport.com/~richieb/cause