From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1996 12:47:26 +0800
To: Mike Fletcher <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Guns Don't Kill People, IP Does
Message-ID: <199609110201.TAA29131@mail.pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 10:37 AM 9/10/96 -0400, Mike Fletcher wrote:
>> Sorry for my bad English, perhaps I got misunderstood.
>> Would you run a WWW site where the (say there where some)
>> terrorist who shot down (a wild assumtion too) the TWA plane
>> claiming it was right and all people should fight 'evil
>> America'. Because of your web site there are other bomb
>> attacks in the US (or somewhere else, the country is not that 
>> important) (although it's of course impossible to proove that
>> this bombings are 'inspired' by your web site).
>> Would you support the freedom of speech in this way ?
>
>	Call me crazy, but maybe if "terrorists" had a web page to 
>use to get out their particular message they wouldn't need to go out
>and blow things up to get noticed (well, except for the ones in it
>just for the sake of blowing things up).

That's the RIGHT answer!  Historically, governments have wanted to deny 
dissident-type people the freedom to spread word of their opposition to the 
rest of the population.  This just made the problem worse, ensuring that 
they'd have to use violence to get the word out.   The problem fed on itself 
until these people became "terrorists."  The best way to stop this cycle is 
to allow these people to talk to us, and the web page is the modern form of 
talking.

Be _very_ suspicious of anybody who wants to continue to isolate people he 
calls "terrorists."



Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com