From: Eric Murray <ericm@lne.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 04:33:04 +0800
To: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Subject: Re: Feinstein wants controls on Internet, Books
In-Reply-To: <ae20e54404021004a690@[205.199.118.202]>
Message-ID: <199607281817.LAA01221@slack.lne.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Timothy C. May writes:
> 
> 
> One of my senators, Senator Dianne Feinstein, is now arguing on CNN for
> controls on information put on the Internet, on censorship of books and
> articles describing how pipe bombs work, and for making it easier to get
> wiretaps against those suspected of committing thought crimes.
> 
> One or two more major incidents on top of the recent ones (World Trade
> Center, Oklahoma City, Dharan, TWA 800, and Olympic Village) and I suspect
> Congress will simply vote to repeal the Bill of Rights and just be done
> with this whole experiment in liberty.

Yes, but it won't be nearly that blatant.  In classic Orewllian
Doublespeak, it'll be called the "Terrorist Victims Bill
of Rights and Freedom of Information Act" and will merely
'abridge' the Bill of Rights with the "right" of the government
to investigate, wiretap, arrest and detain without trial
any suspected "terrorists" and "drug kingpins".

Cancelling the Bill of Rights would be too obvious, and probably
isn't the outright goal of any but a few extremists in government.
Rather, the majority of bureaucrats/elected officials want to
redefine the Rights to only apply to "good citizens", for somewhat
varying definitions of "good".  "They" won't suddenly stage a fascist
coup, instead it will (and has been) a long step-by-step process.
I don't think that most policy-makers are even aware
of what they're doing (DiFi certainly isn't) they're
just responding to preceived public pressure and trying
to stay elected.

The ugliest phrase in American lexicon: "There oughta be a law".



-- 
Eric Murray  ericm@lne.com  ericm@motorcycle.com  http://www.lne.com/ericm
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