Re: Why no action alert, coalition opposing S. 974?

["Shabbir J. Safdar" <shabbir@panix.com>]

[From http://www.cnu.edu/~patrick/taoism/suntzu/suntx10.txt]

Sun Tzu?  SUN TZU you say?

>5. The general, unable to control his irritation,
>    will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants,
>    with the result that one-third of his men are slain,
>    while the town still remains untaken.  Such are the disastrous
>    effects of a siege.

Let's not lay siege to this bill prematurely.  Should we call grass roots
supports too early, people will become aggravated with being asked to
act on bills that aren't really a threat.

> 6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's
>    troops without any fighting; he captures their cities
>    without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom
>    without lengthy operations in the field.

Let's give the DC folks a chance to convince *those that control the
Congressional schedule* to keep this bill from going anywhere.

>17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials
>   for victory:
>   (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when
>       not to fight.

Now is not the time to fight this with "call in campaigns".  We haven't
even had time to digest the analyses.  Sure we understand the crypto part,
but should we call Grassley's office, you'll probably get back, "but there
are so many other holes in current law that this bill fixes, how can
you be opposed to it?"

Unaware of the rest of the bill, we'll be caught flat footed.

Look, every net-civlib group in DC is committed to the availability of
strong crypto.  There isn't a one of them who has ever ignored a fight
yet against crypto restrictions.  If several of them (who have really
good resources inside the capital, better than all of us) say that
the bill is NOT going anywhere, and that the best thing to do right now
is to study it and get ready in case it does move, what better
information do you have that convinces you that they're wrong?

We should read the bill, and we should be pissed.  But calling the wrath
of the net down on this bill is wasteful at this stage.  Sure it may get
thrown in as an amendment, that's always possible.  But if that's Grassley's
strategy, no amount of call-in support is going to help, because nobody,
not even that Senator you just called who promised you s/he opposes
AER will know what happened until it is too late.

Let's read the bill and get ready for a fight.  We should hold Grassley
accountable for this next election.  But we're spinning our wheels by
acting against every bill that affects one of our issues.

-Shabbir