From: nobody@huge.cajones.com (Huge Cajones Remailer)
Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 15:18:53 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Banking Secrecy and Nazi Gold
Message-ID: <199705080652.XAA28596@fat.doobie.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Tim May wrote:
> 
> I try to deconstruct events, to determine what the real issues are.
> 
> Take the case of the ongoing flap over Switzerland and claims that Swiss
> banks hid gold, jewels, and other forms of money for high-ranking Nazis.
> Adding to the flap--actually, making it a newsworthy event--is the
> allegation, probably true, that some of the gold was taken from Jews and
> others sent to extermination camps.

  When I caught this on the news I immediately shifted my attention
to viewing the announcement from the perspective of the people 
involved not really giving a rat's ass about the Jews.
  What was left of the announcement once the banner of "mom's apple
pie and freedom and justice for all" was removed was a shallow 
justification of a mugging technique I call "extortion by guilt."
 
> the notion that "Switzerland must do something!" is pernicious and
> inimical to banking secrecy and basic privacy issues. A drumbeat is
> building which will serve to undermine banking secrecy around the world.

> I suspect the U.S. pressure on Swiss banks has a political dimension
> related to forcing a New World Order on international banking.
 > The clamor to break banking secrecy and
> "force" the banks to disclose all records is part of a larger political
> game.

  It's a muscle job designed to weaken the mark for the next level
of extortion. Today the Swiss are guilty of collusion in the 
holocaust and tomorrow they will be guilty of collusion with
drug dealers and pornographers. Only next time the Swiss will
fold their hand behind closed doors in order to save themselves
the global embarassment that has so sleazily been heaped on them.
 
{Somewhere deep in the bowels of D.C. there is someone working
late into the night in an attempt to link the holocaust to 
cryptography.
Headline: DEATH CAMP TATTOOS PROVEN TO BE EARLY FORM OF 
                   128 BIT ENCRYPTION
}

  What I find frightening is a sudden rise of obvious power plays
by government without bothering any longer with the formality
of engaging in a lengthy campaign to create a threat to the
citizens in the minds of the public.
  It's no wonder that the list conspiracy theorists have been
quiet as of late. Once the power mongers are kicking in your
door, then it's rather late to wonder if they are tapping
your phone as well.

  How long can it be before the government no longer feels
the need to inform us about the details of who they are
saving us from, and why?
  I am worried about falling asleep tonight. I fear that I will
go to sleep in my bed and wake up in a prison cell, with a
jackbooted guard informing me, "It's OK. You're safe now."

(.)(.)