From: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 18:07:57 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: [No joke] The Feds may legally gas us
In-Reply-To: <3.0.32.19961214221317.00683ea0@netcom14.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <v03007800aeda5f274ca5@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 10:21 PM -0800 12/14/96, Lucky Green wrote:
>At 06:09 PM 12/14/96 +0000, The Deviant wrote:
>>True, but the point still stands -- They can't, legally.
>
>I am not certain that the chemical weapons prohibitions apply to a
>country's own civilians. IANAL.
>

I have no opinion on whether the government has the legal authority to
perform CBW experiments on its citizen-units, but clearly what the laws
authorize and what is done are two entirely different things.

Consider that two major, long-lasting, very damaging wars were fought by
U.S. troops--without the "Declaration of War" so prominently included in
the Constitution.

I refer of course to the Korean War and the Vietnam War, both of which were
treated by the U.S. government as "something else" ("police action,"
"recent unpleasantness," :-}, etc.). When the intent of the Framers can be
so skirted by calling a war something besides a war...well, I rather doubt
the CBQ experimenters would worry too much about some obscure law.

As to experiments on U.S. citizen-units, this seems much less likely than
before. First, there are lots of whistle-blowers, journalists, etc.
(including perhaps some who might use our remailers to let out details).
Second, there are now several dozen "captive nations" under the thrall of
the U.S., especiallly with the U.S. the only remaining superpower. In many
cases, their governments may take a bribe to allow experimentation on their
citizen-units.

--Tim May


Just say "No" to "Big Brother Inside"
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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