From: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 06:41:38 +0800
To: cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com
Subject: Re: Clinton's fake apologies (fwd)
Message-ID: <199809181143.NAA22431@replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



On Sat, 12 Sep 1998, Jim Choate wrote:

> I figure it's the fact that 'principles' are involved that is confusing
> everybody, no room to move like there is with relativism. Bottem line, he
> held a public office, while in that office he should commit *NO* crime or
> else he should loose that office. There was no abmiguity there in the minds
> of the founding fathers and there shouldn't be in yours either. If this
> confuses you then take it as an indication that you have a axiomatic
> contradiction in your world view and need to rethink things in a serious
> way.
> 
> As Jefferson said, if you hold a public office your public property.
> 
> Nail the son of a bitch to the wall, he did the crime let him do the time.
> 
> It's a pitty he doesn't have this sort of empathy for all those people he's
> put in jail for consensual crimes during his tenure. The man has a base
> double standard, let him pay for it.

I agree totally, but this has a somewhat deeper point.

The idiots in government sign into law all sorts of unconstitutional or
nonsensical legislation. As far as I'm concerned, it ought to be a law
that for *ANY* crime they commit they are thrown out of office and
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Of course it would never
happen, but if it were to happen I think we'd see massive repeals of all
this bogus legislation.

"Senator, you have an encrypted file on your laptop. As per the Domestic
Cryptography Prohibition Act, I am here to seize your computer, the office
it is in, freeze your assets, and take you into custody. You will be
ejected from the Senate, effective immediately. If convicted, you will
spend the next five years at hard labor."

"But...But I didn't know it was there! It was a virus which put it there!"

"Ignorance of your violations of the law are no excuse. It says so in that
Act."

"Who is the idiot who passed this?!"

"You introduced it, sir. It was something about protecting the children
and how anybody who uses cryptography is a pedophile or something like
that."

Later that night, on the news: "Senator X was ejected from the Senate,
arrested, jailed, and charged today with unlawful possession of random
numbers. Later it was announced that former Senator X was charged with
trafficing in child pornography."

The next day: "In a daring no-knock morning raid, a flurry of automatic
weapons fire occured and former Senator X's family was killed in the
exchange. An FBI agent was quoted as saying, 'She was wielding an assault
baby and we had to take her down.'"

"It has just been announced that former Senator X is being charged under
the Domestric Cryptography Prohibition Act, which he sponsored, with
'crypto in a crime.' This carries an additional penalty of 10 years. When
asked what crime the cryptography was used in, an FBI representative
answered, 'Given what Senator X argued on the floor of the senate when he
introduced this bill, we're sure there is child pornography there
somewhere. Like he said, the only reason to use cryptography is if you
have something to hide, like child pornography or plans for widespread
global armageddon. Because he used cryptography, we don't know where or
what that porn is, but we're sure it's there somewhere.'"

Three years later: "Former Senator X was convicted today of one count of
'crypto in a crime,' five counts of possession of cryptography without a
license, eight counts of child porn (one for each encrypted file), and one
count of intent to use weapons of mass destruction. In a swift action, he
was sentenced to six consecutive life terms, to be served at hard labor."

"Jim, isn't all this agaist the Bill of Rights?"

"Well, Tom, it used to be, but since they repealed it..."

*fade to black*