From: Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 21:57:10 +0800
To: cypherpunks@einstein.ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: RE: Bic-Assassins Convicted (fwd)
Message-ID: <199811031315.HAA04306@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

> Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 23:35:32 -0800
> From: Bill Stewart <bill.stewart@pobox.com>
> Subject: RE: Bic-Assassins Convicted (fwd)

> >Where is 'lawful authority' defined?
> 
> Not sure, but it means that the Feds aren't terrorists if _they_
> threaten or conspire to use weapons of mass destruction,
> but you would be if you did.  It also probably means that 
> foreign governments aren't covered here, but foreign NGOs are,
> e.g. the IRA.

That's truly funny....

"We the people in order to form a more perfect union...."

How does the federal government gain priviliges and immunities (ala 16th)
that aren't defined in the Constitution or an amendment? (see 9th and 10th)

> >> interstate commerce
> The standard clause used to give the Feds jurisdiction over things;
> given Roosevelt-era courts deciding that a farmer feeding his own grain
> to his own hogs affects interstate commerce, surely email or the
> World Wide Web counts as interstate, as does killing anybody
> who might cross state lines or buy some product that does.
> (Of course, given the number of politicians who are for sale,
> removing a few of them from the market can pretty legitimately
> be called affecting interstate commerce :-)

Read the last sentence of the rubber-clause.....any action or law that
derives from it is required to respect the remainder of the Constitution in
full (simply crossing a state border doesn't annul the Constitution). Since
that includes the 9th and 10th (in toto) they have themselves a quandry.

Personaly, I would trust an individual handling these technologies before
I'd trust a bunch of power-happy gun-toting morons acting in concert who's
answer to everything is "my boss told me to do it" and willingly deny their
duties as individual citizens in order to play their three-initial games.

I saw a comment the other day that the government (those who support these
world views I suppose) doesn't trust the people. I wonder why after reading
laws that are this poorly constructed. Whatever the hell the intent was it
wasn't to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.



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