Re: Children and the Net

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

Mike Duvos, speaking for cretins everywhere, writes:
> Timothy C. May, speaking for parents everywhere, writes:

Please, Mike, let's not resort to winning arguments with comments such
as yours above. I think I was reasonably polite in my response to you,
even foregoing my intended spoof (along the lines of Christian
Fundamentalists demanding the right to speak to the children of
Heathens and Jews, a point consistent with your point that parents
have no right to stop such sources of outside information).

> might decide to "raise" you.  Too bad when they decide that
> paying the nursing home to pamper ol' Grandpa Tim is dipping too
> deeply into the family vacation budget.

Most of us have a simple answer to this one: if "Grandpa Tim" is using
"his" money, he can spend it as he wishes. If he's using his son's
money, then his son can cut back on the "pampering." Simple, and
common sensical. Not 'perfect," in that various unhappy situations may
occur, but the best solution, for lots of reasons. I don't want
outsiders interfering in such decisions.

> Social Darwinism carried to its logical extreme is not a pretty
> sight, even for one fond of viewing the misfortune of others as
> "evolution in action."

Personal attacks are not welcome on this list, Mike. Not by me, at
least. If you persist, your comments will get no further answer from
me. (This may sound like Sternlight. Sternlight falters because he
_claims_ to have kill-filed someone, then can't resist responding.)

> Parents have control in the home.  Children have access in lots
> of other places, like libraries, which have historically resisted
> any attempt to censor any but the most egregious reading material
> based solely on the age of their clients.

My children are not allowed to visit public libraries, as I dislike
having them exposed to the collectivist ideas therein. When they have
read all the books in our home, preferably twice, then perhaps I will
allow them to visit a library. I also school them at home. Perfectly
legal.

I'm not sure what Mike proposes to do about this situation. I know
that anybody insisting on access to my children to give them
"alternative views" will not be met kindly.

> Had it not been for the fact that having children covered with
> scars, welts, and bruises is not considered child abuse in the
> state of Texas, all the children would have been removed from the
> compound prior to the raid, and only the adults would have been
> toasted.

It's well-established that David Koresh could have been picked up
easily on any of his trips into Waco or on any of his morning jogs
around the Branch Davidians ranch. A former Sheriff who once served
papers on Koresh has said the same thing: merely walking up and
knocking on the door would almost certainly have worked.

The Waco massacre has been debated many times in many groups, and I
don't intend to get into it here. The connection with crypto exists,
but is a bit of a reach.

The connection of the recent comments by several folks who argue that
Cyherpunks should support forcible reeducation of children, either
pro-Christian or anti-Christian (the comments about "Funny
Mentalists"), is stronger to the themes of this list.

Anyone who supports censorship of one view or another, who supports
forcible intervention in family and group culture, probably will not
care for the inevitable implications of strong cryptography.


--Tim May


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