From: Douglas Decicco <dad@TranSeed.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 06:51:46 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Disection of Politics
Message-ID: <349D9A75.735D@TranSeed.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



There is that word "FREE" which has a scope similar to the
other massively abused word "LOVE".  As far as I'm concerned
the term "FREE WORLD" is as ambiguous as the sentence "I LOVE
YOU."

Sometimes people mean by freedom that the government penalizes
those who impinge upon the civil rights of others or the
attitude of the people under that government tends to uphold
such civil rights willingly because of the prevalent ideology
of that social group.  This freedom is important to me, and why
I am grateful to have been born into this century under a
fairly civil-minded constitutional government.

When it comes to monopoly issues it is not civil freedom that
is under question, not the rights of free speech, belief system,
assembly or the simple choices of spouse or educational
objective.  It is the right to secure control over hoards of
assets that is in question.  I think that successful business
people who seek monopolous control are actually sick with an
insecurity which underlies their apparent love of money.

It is clear to me that even though the human mind does not
appear to be up to motivating itself for the good of the whole
which many of the non-free-enterprise economic systems have
proposed, free enterprise has many deficiencies.  It is
inefficient and it encourages lack of humility, greed, theft,
dishonesty and, above all, gluttony.  Take a walk through a
shopping area in a Christmas-celebrating country at this time
of year and just watch.  People are buying hoards of useless
items.  The fallacious conjecture is that this "stimulates the
economy".  No, it distracts the workforce from work that could
benefit people in meaningful ways.

The reason I believe in the dissemination of cryptographic
technology and mailing lists like this one is that it assists
the continuance freedom of speech, a freedom which invites me
to practice restraint and exercise responsibility.  I am
torn between joy over Internet communication and disgust
in the ugly creatures that free-enterprise has nourished while
funding this communication mode.  When I find myself reading
the manipulative legal statements of any of the large
corporations I loath myself for being so willing to purchase
their products, even if it pays my bills.