From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 09:22:11 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: [WAS xs4all.nl] Terrorists
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19960909182918.008a40e0@panix.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 01:49 AM 9/9/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote:
>I don't worry overmuch about a few thousand or even a few million people
>dying as a result of something we have had an influence on developing,
>anymore than the developers of many technologies need to worry about how
>others use their technologies.
>
>And the net effect of crypto anarchy is to destabilize and marginalize
>central governments, which is a net positive effect. If some eggs get
>broken in the process, the biological imperative will generate more eggs.
>No big deal.

Particularly since governments murdered 160 million in the last 100 years
while we civilians have only managed to murder a paltry 20 million or fewer.
A savings of 160 million deaths leaves a lot of room for a non-harmful
increase in private murder.  We could increase the private murder rate by 8
to 10 times and still break even.  

Note too that most terrorism is aimed at governments (even if practiced on
civilians).  In the absence of government, terrorist incentives may be reduced.

DCF

"I don't know if we ought to trust governments with the Net, they might use
it to nuke Hiroshima or conquer Europe or something."