From: Ray Arachelian <sunder@brainlink.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 05:00:42 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Memme: Crypto=Bullet Proof Vests
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.970813162912.7599P-100000@beast.brainlink.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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I came up with this while on a bio break....

ITAR classifies crypto as munitions, but this is the same thing as telling
someone who wishes to travel to a warring country that they may not buy a
bullet proof vest, but they may buy an vest that will stop pebbles being
thrown at them.  This is equivalently reasoned that such vests could be
used to rob banks and the theives could get away from the police - but how
many bank theives have you known that were shot by the cops and not caught
by other means?

It believes that only the USA has bullet proof vests and it is a matter of
national security that no one else have bullet proof vests.  These aren't
tactical weapons equivalent to 20MegaTon nukes, these are devices that
help save lives.  Meanwhile other countries have also created bullet proof
vests, some that protect against high velocity bullets.

We can understand that vest piercing bullets kill policemen and that they
are reasonably outlawed, but if someone built a vest that would stop those
we wouldn't be able to mail them to those fighting for democracy outside
of the USA.

In the case of crypto, crypto is a tool that saves your privacy.  Why are
we not allowed to have the ability to ship the tools needed to help
protect privacy of say the students in China (for example) where any
suspicion of disidence would be instantly punishable by death.

For a country that is intent on making the world safe for democracy,
we are sure doing a very bad job.

Sure, a bullet proof vest can be used to protect a pornographer or a
terrorist, but it will also save the lives of citizens, freedom fighters
and children.  How many parents who live in bad neighborhoods would object
to their kids being able to wear bullet proof vests, could they afford
them, while going to school?

The recent bills thrown around in congress are attempting to do the
equivalent of outlawing bullet proof vests, and only allowing pebble proof
vests to be sold, or bullet proof vests that can be pierced by police.
Would you want your kid to wear a vest that can be pierced by police fire?
Maybe a stray bullet aimed at a drug dealer hitting your kid?   Or maybe a
criminal getting their hands on the same type of ammo and shooting your
kid?  We need our kids to wear Strong Bullet Proof vests!

Next time they yell "But if it saves the life of one child" give them
this.  "But if strong crypto can save the life of one child
freedomfighter, who are we to limit its use?  Support strong crypto and
protect the kids of the world!"

(Preaching to the choire of course, but who knows maybe the crypto=bullet
proof vest arguement will be useful to someone who can talk sense into the
crypto clueless cognresscritters.)

=====================================Kaos=Keraunos=Kybernetos==============
.+.^.+.|  Ray Arachelian    |Prying open my 3rd eye.  So good to see |./|\.
..\|/..|sunder@sundernet.com|you once again. I thought you were      |/\|/\
<--*-->| ------------------ |hiding, and you thought that I had run  |\/|\/
../|\..| "A toast to Odin,  |away chasing the tail of dogma. I opened|.\|/.
.+.v.+.|God of screwdrivers"|my eye and there we were....            |.....
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