From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 23:47:37 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Fw: Jim Bell Sentenced (fwd)
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19971214154519.00b627ac@pop.pipeline.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



To add to Greg Broiles' excellent recap of the case.

What might be amplified is the way Jim's case was
gnoshed in the media and here, with more attention to AP 
than to the basic facts, as exemplified in the news report
on sentencing, as Phill did, as did the IRS spam of Jim's
arrest.

Fair enough, for that was clearly the purpose of AP,
as with all publishing and speaking in a manner to get
attention, whether by IRS-fed scare stories churned out
by its PR department, by we advocates of earnest causes,
and by the eager-to-oblige news, law and pol biz -- FC
not excepted.

Jim's case was happily churned by all parties, us foremost
among them, and Jim (with aid and abet by others) is to be 
congratulated for success with AP: Agent Provocative, 
Apt Promo, Avid Preening for and against. May he quickly
capitalize on his notoriety and beat the pack of envious 
competitors waving less risky, lawful docs which attract
zip.

Now, is it not true that we've self-censored ourselves into believing 
Jim is just a fool, rather than a gutsy guy willing to do what most
of us will not, instead preferring covert self-censorship over the 
all-too-easily opposed group-think kind.

If so, the IRS (with aid and abet by news, law and pol) has proven 
a gov-authorized version of AP and warning spam quite nicely
intimidates us into censoring ourselves into well-behaved
submission while believing its a shrewd move to protect careers
from wiser fools like Jim Bell.

Free Jim Bell, and pay lost salary and punitive damages!