Re: A New Enemy

[Timothy Newsham <newsham@wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu>]

> 
> Hello, I just thought I would show one of my most hostile hate mail
> messages I have seen so far, from someone I didn't even know was my
> enemy. This was really painful.  This was posted to the public

painful is having all the hard work you've been doing for who
knows how long being trashed by bad public  opinion after some
deranged individual spread malicious propaganda about your cause
as far and wide as he can.

> cypherpunks list in Colorado moderated and founded by N.Sammons. I have
> met members at the first meeting and the more recent PRZ lecture. 
> 
> I have found I don't even have any friends in the Colorado group

no friends?  You?  I couldnt imagine why.

> either, despite my belief up to this point to the contrary. I was
> thrown off the list without my knowledge, supposedly because someone
> asked. I swear, I had not written a single annoying thing on that list
> in my LIFE and hadn't posted for MONTHS and I was censored.  This is
> really getting ugly, getting out of control. Whatever happened to, `its
> just ASCII text'?

a mailbomb is just ascii text.  I seem to recall you bitching pretty
loudly about receiving one.  What is 'its just ASCII text'  supposed
to mean?

> Look everyone, I apologized to every cypherpunk in the world in my
> posting, Embarrassment, Humiliation, Shame, and an Apology, for my past
> actions on this list. Please reread this to see that I was sincere.

hmm..  little tough having to live with the consequences of a
digital reputation now isnt it?

> These further efforts just amount to beating a man when he is down.

seems like the best time to me.

> This stuff is getting extremely vicious. I took a vacation and have
> really mellowed out, I assure you. Have you seen any disruptive

vicious?  Whatever happened to 'its just ASCII text' ?

> postings by me here at all? I have stopped! I'm just out in the
> newsgroups, nothing else. Not even touching your list. Do you begrudge

Oh,  so you attempted to trash the reputation and public support
for cryptography but now you "stopped" and that makes it all better?

> me even that? Please do not send me such painfully excruciating searing
> spiteful mail. I really do have feelings. I am just another human being.

You're not the only one with feelings.

> 
> By the way, I will let you in on a secret. I admit that I was really
> out of control a few weeks ago.  But you know what? Here is my dirty
> little secret. The only reason that I was able to harass you guys so
> much was that you reacted to it. If you trully followed your own
> philosophies, such as taking all text impartially (`there is only a
> message') I would have gone away a long time ago. 

Maybe we should harrass you more for having such a reaction to this
"spiteful mail".

[... more rants deleted...]