"Dear Newt" Letter...

[rah@shipwright.com (Robert Hettinga)]

My, *this* looks interesting...


Cheers,
Bob Hettinga



--- begin forwarded text

Date: 20 Nov 1995 11:21:01 -0800
Subject: please fwd to cpunks if you
To: "Bob Hettinga" <RAH@shipwright.com>

     The Ad Hoc Taxpayer Coalition for Computer Privacy

                     November 8, 1995

The Honorable Newt Gingrich
Speaker of the House of Representatives
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515-6502

Dear Mr. Speaker:

 We are writing to express serious concerns about the
Administration's efforts to continue to restrict the ability
of computer users at home and abroad to protect their personal
and private information over electronic networks through the
use of encryption technology. The Administration seems
determined to ensure government surveillance of all electronic
information and communications. It began with President
Clinton's "Clipper Chip," but has not stopped.

 Consumers aren't happy with these proposals, and neither is
the business community nor civil libertarians. In fact, it's
hard to find anyone supportive outside the Administration
except for the few that would benefit from the
Administration's "proposed relaxation" of the nation's export
policy.

 The Administration refuses to let American computer hardware
and software companies sell products with good encryption
worldwide unless the U.S. Government is guaranteed access to a
key that unlocks that information. The Administration is
trying to leverage these companies' need to export -- they
derive more than half their earnings from sales abroad -- and
desire to develop a single product worldwide, to force them to
include a feature in products they sell in the U.S. and abroad
that will allow government access. Administration officials
also have said that if American companies do not "voluntarily"
include such a feature, then they will seek legislation making
such a feature mandatory.

 The Administration's approach is the wrong policy for today's
marketplace.

 It's anti-consumer. Computer users will not entrust their
sensitive information to computer networks unless its security
and privacy are assured. Without good privacy protection,
there simply will not be a Global Information Infrastructure
-- and America won't be in the lead.

 It's anti-marketplace. There is no consumer demand for
encryption products that give the government easy access. The
Administration has come forward with a typical big-government
approach -- a government designed solution for a government
problem. This completely overlooks the realities of a
free-market.

 It is anti-American business. The Administration's current
policies are seriously harming the continued competitiveness
of one of our fastest growing and most successful industries
-- the computer hardware and software industry. Computer users
are demanding good encryption but American companies are not
allowed to supply it. Yet there are hundreds of foreign
encryption products manufactured and encryption programs are
widely available on the Internet.

 Finally, it is anti-progress. Wishing that there was no
encryption available will not make it so. The technology is
widely understood and available -- you can't put this genie
basic in the bottle. Government policies should not encumber
the American computing industry as it leads the world
technology revolution.

 We strongly urge you to oppose attempts to limit the ability
of Americans to use whatever encryption they wish and to
support the immediate relaxation of harmful export controls on
American products and programs with encryption features.


     The Ad Hoc Taxpayer Coalition for Computer Privacy

Americans for Tax Reform
Association of Concerned Taxpayers
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Citizens for a Sound Economy
The Business Leadership Council
The Small Business Survival Committee
Citizens Against a National Sales Tax/VAT

Virginia Postrel, Editor, Reason magazine
Sheldon Richman, Senior Editor, The Cato Institute
Tanya Metaksa, Executive Director, Institute for Legislative
 Action, National Rifle Association
Kellyanne Fitzpatrick, The Polling Company
Donna Matias, Institute for Justice

=+=+=+=+
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.

This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is
available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org,
gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org,
mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message)

Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the
NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.

--- end forwarded text


-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com)
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA (617) 958-3971
"Reality is not optional." --Thomas Sowell
The e$ Home Page: http://www.webstuff.apple.com/~vinnie/Rah
>>>>Phree Phil: Email: zldf@clark.net  http://www.netresponse.com/zldf <<<<<