Re: Crypto export legislation defeated in House Intelligence Cmte.

[Bill Frezza (via RadioMail) <frezza@radiomail.net>]

On 6/17 John said:

<If you have any ideas on just how to do this, I'd sure be interested.

We've been talking to all the involved people, from NSA "special
assistant to the director" to the White House to the Justice Dept to
the Intelligence Committee staff to the senators and representatives
who are fighting this battle.  If they have something that they won't
tell us, claiming the info is classified, what do you recommend that
we do to change their minds?>

I recommend that we give up the battle and go fight the real war. We are
totally outgunned if we stick to this approach and are wasting our time.

What the entire net community should do is focus it's energies on chopping
NSA's budget, period. That's what these guys really care about after all. 
Let's go on the offense rather than play a losing defense. Make them 
squirm in appropriation committee hearings, embarrass them for their
intelligence failures, and put them on notice that we are going to hit 
back where it hurts. And don't even bother raising the "freedom of
encryption" or free trade issues. Forget it. It's going to happen 
anyway and they can't stop it. Focus on defecit reduction and downsizing 
the intelligence community in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Keep the attack very broad and avoid specific "national security" issues.
Get the investigative journalists to write exposes on the huge spending
black hole these guys have created. Whine about all the other worthy things
taxpayer money can be spent on <gag> if we stop giving it to spooks and
weirdos.

Of course, this strategy may be tough for the EFF if you are simultaneously
urging increased government involvement in the "Information Superhighway". 

Regards,

Bill Frezza
DigitaLiberty