From: JR@ns.cnb.uam.es
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 21:38:40 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: [RANT] Giving Mind Control Drugs to Children
Message-ID: <960709120112.21003a36@ROCK.CNB.UAM.ES>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>
>Yeah, you know, I bet your body doesn't get infected for lack of
>penicillin, either. I suspect that taking Penicillin prepares you for
>drug dependancies. Why, next, you might take insulin to deal with
>diabetes, or worse!
>
	Or worse! You could take penicillin for an infection. Why the
hell do you think we need doctors? And antibiotics beyond penicillin?
Just because too many damn schmuck take it for almost anything, and
have been creating resistences giving the rest of us worst, resisting
diseases that were originally easy to treat and are now letal.

>Thank god most of those heroin addicts never had Ritalin as kids -- you
>never know how much worse off they might be now. And if they'd gotten
>antibiotics, why, forget it.
>
>Quit from modern medicine cold turkey. Its the only way.
>
>Perry

	The thing to remember is always that there's a place for everything
under the sun, but that one shouldn't allow it to extend beyond reasonable
ground or look upon it as some magic solution to everything.

	There's a place for crypto. It's been OK while only a few guys
used it because only a few guys needed it. But when we talk about allowing
the government to impose a crypto policy that will allow them to have
more power than needed, we are stating the basis for future, worst
diseases.

	You speak of insulin. Most diabetics can just manage with a good
diet. Even insulin dependant ones can make dietary excesses from time to
time if they know how to. Giving those who don't need it insulin or
forbidding the occasional party to those who depend on insulin -as has
been done by doctor for years- is teaching people to depend on "doctor's
control magic" or "drug control magic".

	It's as bad encouraging people who don't need a drug to take it as
encouraging people to believe doctors won't make mistakes. It's as bad to
let people believe that strong crypto for them will solve their problems
as encouraging them to believe that they should leave all crypto control
on the government's hands because they won't make mistakes or abuses.

	So what? We need strong crypto as we need strong antibiotics, but
we also need to teach people when and how to use it, what its pros and
cons are, and form people into a more conscious use of technology and
not to believe in crypto- drug- or technology-magic at all.

				jr