From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 12:15:51 -0800 (PST)
To: Sean Roach <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: RE: Fighting the cybercensor
Message-ID: <199701302015.MAA14691@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


What you're presented (included in its entirety below) is what I've come to 
call an "AP story problem."   I've worked through many of those myself; 
their main problem is that they don't carefully describe why _each_ person 
in the "play" you've described would be motivated to do what it's claim he 
does, and why he DOES NOT do other things to fix the situation he's in.  
Remember, I'm not merely talking about the main character, but also the ones 
who are (apparently?) incidental.  

For just one example, you said:    "conventional bodyguards could be 
included, ones with no real pay but with the fore knowledgethat they will be 
buried with the tyrant."

What motivates these people?  Are they hostages?  If they're hostages, then 
presumably that means they're motivated to seek the death of anyone who is 
holding them.  What about their relatives; don't they have any sympathy for 
those who are taken?  Why don't they donate to AP to see the lead guy dead?

Etc. Etc.    



At 04:36 PM 1/29/97 -0800, Sean Roach wrote:
>This may be true, but the example was to show how easy a defensive line
>could be thrown up around the powerful.  For example, conventional body
>guards could be included, ones with no real pay but with the fore knowledge
>that they will be buried with the tyrant.  These body guards could be ten
>children out of each local village.  Merely a human shield.  In an attack,
>they would scatter, but the parents would know that the children would die
>if a successful action were taken against the tyrant.  Also, the tyrant
>could put an open bounty on anyone caught trying to harm him.  Just bring
>the decapitated head of the assassin along with a VHS cassette of the
>attempted action for a big reward.  
>
>By layering the defenses, it becomes increasingly difficult for anyone to
>get through.
>
>Obviously the castles walls are the first line of defense, so a reward is
>given for anyone caught using any entrance to the fortress except those that
>are provided.
>
>The household is told that their participation will result in the
>extermination of their families.  They are then told that if they know of an
>impending action and fail to report it or attempt to stop it, they are
>considered party it those actions.
>
>A human shield of innocents is "given the privaledge to live in the fortress
>with our great leader" so that actions by concerned parties is limited further.
>A standing bounty is placed on the head of the assassin, who so ever brings
>in the head of the assassin and all children parented by that person after
>the assination will be given a reward of some set sum.  Probably 110%.
>
>A bounty is set on security breaches, this bounty would probably be 110% of
>the death mark on the tyrant.
>
>A series of more conventional boobytraps are layed in normally inaccessable
>areas, the layers of these either being prisoners who have unknowningly been
>condemned to die, the tyrant himself, or some other disposable or trustable
>deployment device.  The most common of these would probably be a mine field
>between the two outer most walls of the fortress, and maybe a funnel-gun
>parimeter inside of that.
>
>An inner sanctum with self contained air, water, and food is maintained for
>the tyrant and h[is/er] closest relatives/advisors.  This sanctum would be
>accessed by biometrics and only used in a percieved emergency.
>
>All dissent is declared illegal with capitol punishment for the mere
>discussion of the impending death of the tyrant, exceptions to this would be
>persons in the direct company of the tyrant with the tyrants full awareness,
>and permission.
>
>
>
>
Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com