From: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 11:20:02 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Your "RIGHT" to Speak to Big Brother
Message-ID: <199710210313.WAA01353@wire.insync.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Today Janet "The Bitch of Waco" Reno held a news conference
announcing that, in her not-so-humble opinion, Microsoft
Corporation was in violation of a consent decree by virtue of
bundling Internet Explorer with Windows '95, and that she was
asking for a $1 million a day fine.
 
Ho Hum.
 
However, one tiny item in her news conference caught my
attention.  It wasn't related to IE or Windows, but to company
secrets protected by non-disclosure agreements.
 
Even though Microsoft has indicated that it does not intend for
its non-disclosure agreements to be binding in a way which
prevents persons from disclosing anything they like to the DOJ in
a criminal investigation, the Feds apparently want the concept of
non-disclosure to the government scrapped.
 
Everyone, they claim, has a "right" to speak to the government on
any subject whatsoever, which cannot be abrogated by anything as
flimsy as a contract or agreement, designed to protect anothers
secrets.  After all, the government is your friend, and is here
to help you.
 
This was made clearer when The Bitch of Waco introduced her
minion, Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein.
 
    "We're asking the court to order Microsoft to tell
     everyone who has signed or who in the future will sign
     a non- disclosure agreement, that it doesn't apply to
     the government, period. We won't allow anyone to
     interfere with the people's right to provide
     information to their government."
 
And there you have it.  The people's right to provide their
neighbor's proprietary information their government shall not be
infringed.  How Constitutional-Sounding.

--
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"