From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM)
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 1997 06:40:19 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Rejection policy of the Cypherpunks mailing list
Message-ID: <s0B41D29w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Toto <toto@sk.sympatico.ca> writes:

> paul@fatmans.demon.co.uk wrote:
> >
> > John Gilmore is free to appoint
> > whoever he wants to moderate his list, he is free to censor all
> > messages which criticise him and his censorship, however, subscribers
> > to the list should be told they are being censored on these grounds
> > and not on some facade of "crypto relevancy" or another thin veil
> > drawn weakly over content based censorship to protect a certain class
> > of list members.
>
>   It became rather glaringly obvious after moderation was announced
> that class structure would be the defining feature of moderation.
>   Those who felt themselves to be in the 'upper class' made no
> bones about it.

That's a very insightful obeservation. "Cypher punks" are not opposed to
the system. They don't want to change the existing social order. They
want to join the upper class and enjoy its privileges (such as privacy
and anonymity). They don't want to extend these privileges to the "hoi
polloi" (unwashed masses). Jim Bell is a boor, but he had some very
interesting ideas that upset the "cypher punk" crowd because he advocates
dismantling the system they hope to join one day. This reminds me of
a U.S. populist politician from the 1930's whose name I forgot, who
advocated expropriating individual wealth above $5M. Why did his
disenfranchised supporters want to leave the rich with $5M? Because each
one hoped one day to have the $5M.

Here's the $64K question: if you were approached by a LEA and offered
a huge consulting fee to help break a code to obtain evidence in a
criminal case, would you do it? I suspect most "cypher punks" would
agree both for the money and for the glory, but no one would ask them
because very few people on this list can break codes. :-)

[No I would not, irrespective of the fee and the nature of the case.]

---

Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps