From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 11:33:37 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Crypto-ban will pass Commerce cmte next week, from Reuters (fwd)
Message-ID: <199709190342.WAA04760@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

> Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 22:55:02 -0400
> From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
> Subject: Crypto-ban will pass Commerce cmte next week, from Reuters

> So much for the millions of dollars industry wasted on crypto-lobbying. The
> lobbyists (and high-tech executives) should have realized long ago that
> legislatures often are enemies of civil liberties. Civil liberties are
> anti-majoritarian, and usually unpopular, by their very nature. Look at
> what happened with the CDA -- it took the Supreme Court to undo Congress'
> bad work.

I think you are confusing 'blatant self-interest without regard to others'
with civil liberties. There are no 'gay rights' or 'womens rights' or any
other sort of 'minority' rights, there simply are rights that each and every
human being holds. All this special interest crap is just that, blatant
self-serving crap at the expense of others.

Civil liberties are inherent rights human beings have by simply being human
beings. They are not a statistical effect or dependant upon who happens to
hold the current reigns of government. Their respect however, does depend on
not only the minority but the majority realizing it is in their best
long-term interest to support them. The bottem line is that it really
doesn't matter what kind of government it is, as long as everyone goes along
reasonably willingly.

What truly amazes me is that, for example, the anti-gun lobbiest have not
pushed modifying the 2nd Amendment. Shows a serious lack of character and
follow-through. Oh yeah, that would get either the states or the people
directly involved...imagine that.

Seems to me that the best way to play poker with an equal player is to go
for table stakes. Perhaps the answer is a Crypto Amendment movement, take
the political ante all the way...why mess around with some pansy-waisted
politicians in Washington...lets get 50 governors or several hundred million
Americans involved. You'd at least get PSA's and 'equal time' out of the
deal. It'd probably cost less to influence 50 governors than several hundred
congress persons.


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