From: Declan McCullagh <declan@pathfinder.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 07:41:49 +0800
To: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
Subject: Re: It's not over
In-Reply-To: <199706202210.AAA28568@basement.replay.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.95.970620192332.25500A-100000@cp.pathfinder.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Perhaps there is more reason to be worried than Anonymous lets on.

This afternoon I stopped by the office of a Congressional staffer who
will, appropriately, remain anonymous. This person knows crypto, follows
it, even truly believes in it. But they were pessimistic about any good,
or even half-decent, crypto legislation leaving the Congress. Which
committee will insert it? And what good crypto legislation would pass a
presidential veto? 

DC crypto-lobbyists should have seen this coming. Instead of lifting
export controls -- or even leaving intact the status quo -- Congress is
about to make things worse.

Perhaps cypherpunks should turn crypto-rejectionist.

-Declan


On Sat, 21 Jun 1997, Anonymous wrote:

> Let's cut all the doom and gloom here.  The bill isn't passed yet.  It's
> got to go through at least one and possibly two more committees before
> it reaches the senate floor, where we'll have another chance to defeat it.
> 
> Even then the house has to pass similar legislation.  That will be yet another
> chance.
> 
> When Clipper was proposed, a wave of anger and opposition swept forth.
> The same thing needs to happen now.  This fatalism is self defeating.
> 
> Either you're part of the solution or you're part of the problem.  People who
> say there's no use fighting, who give up, who oppose the efforts of the
> crypto lobbying groups in the name of ideological purity, are not part of
> the solution.  They have no right to complain if this law passes.  By
> sitting aside and carping at the efforts of those who are trying to stop this
> kind of legislation, they are only helping to bring it about.
> 
> There is no reason this new bill should be any more acceptable or more
> successful than Clipper was.  We only have to fight it.
> 
>