Re: (fwd) Re: What's so bad about a Surveillance State?

[tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)]

Citizen-Unit Miller wastes more of the social body's time by writing:

> > Citizen-Unit Miller is to be commended for his
> > recognition that the common good is served when the state
> > fulfills its surveillance obligations.  
> 

> > [more funny stuff deleted]
> 
> I enjoyed Tim May's post.  I'm hoping you all realize my post was  
> simply an electronic stick jabbed into the hornet's nest.

Thanks, Unit Jim! This citizen-unit did indeed realize your
motivations, especially as you went on to explain them (in the section
I carefully elided!).

"What's wrong with a surveillance state?" is so easily answered with
satire, with an "if this goes on" analysis, that I couldn't resist.
All of the arguments are well-know to cypherpunks, of course, but Jim
posted his call for comments to various newsgroups, where the
arguments are either not as well known or are confused by comments
from didactic shills like David Sternlight and Steve Pope.

> I do *not* think a surveillance state is a good thing.  I  
> deliberately constructed my post to get people's attention.  I want  
> people (other than just Cypherpunks) to think about life in a  
> surveillance state.
> 

Good luck to Jim, I suppose. Me, I've been so opposed to the Big
Brother state since 1966 (when I first read "1984"), that I can't
conceive of sitting down to make arguments about the "benefits" of
such a surveillance state.

I'll stick to humor of color.


--Tim May


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