From: Toto <toto@sk.sympatico.ca>
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 01:40:53 -0800 (PST)
To: blanc <blancw@cnw.com>
Subject: Re: Cyphernomicon by Tim May
Message-ID: <199702020940.BAA15622@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


blanc wrote:

> Toto, I'm surprised at how seriously you take the underlying anarchist
> philosophy of the list; you identify so closely with it, and have responded
> to its moderation as though it really would be "the end of freedom", even
> though you seem to have appeared, or else come out of lurking, only
> recently.   Is this because you value anarchy, or free speech, or the
> existence of the Cypherpunks as a unique group of stray cats [ :>) ]?

  I value Reason (big 'R'), humor (small 'h'), and A/ambiguity (take
your
pick).

  Anarchy is only a pause between dictators. Fascism is necessary to
remind
us not to take freedom for granted.
  One should call for 'order' during the rein of anarchy and for
'freedom 
during times of Fascism.

  I have 'appeared' and/or 'come out of lurking' on the CypherPunks list
at various times since it's inception, under various personas. Few have
noticed, and fewer, still, have ever accurately described, as you have,
what I truly value about the CypherPunks--"a unique group of stray
cats."
  The CypherPunks have, over the years, weathered varying sorts of 
'problems' in the development of the list, as a result of various
'voices
of Reason' prevailing in the setting the list's direction--even when
those 'voices' were diametrically opposed in their beliefs.
  What currently threatens the list, in my opinion, is not the
dissension,
but the rise of a cliquish sheep-mentality and the resulting dismissal
of the opinions of people of Reason (and the opinions of 'anyone', in 
general, whom 'I' perceive as being on the 'other side' of an issue).

  If the day comes when I am able to file away the CypherPunks list
under this-or-that category, then I will put a tombstone in the file, as
well, and put flowers in it once a year.

Toto
> Side note:
> Since Tim isn't on the list and hasn't been for a month, I've been
> wondering if it had anything to do with the moderation experiment, although
> it is unlike him to have left without either an argument or at least some
> kind of statement about it.
> 
>     ..
> Blanc