Re: So, what crypto legislation (if any) is necessary?

[jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>]

The following is a comment of mine that Unicorn didn't respond to.  My 
comments are included as well. I repeat this because I just saw a quote from 
Lysander Spooner which was appropriate under the circumstances.  Those who 
read Unicorn's notes will notice that he frequently ignores embarrassing 
gaffes that he makes.

[beginning of re-quote]


At 08:56 PM 3/30/96 -0500, Black Unicorn wrote:
>> Naturally, you won't address this 
>> problem, but the man-on-the-street is more realistic about his own privacy.  
>> How many times must I raise this issue?  How many times do you ignore it?  
>> Face it, people are smarter than you give them credit for.  They will simply 
>> not tolerate any more shit from the government.
>
>Funny, the latest primary has been one of the highest voter turn outs in 
>quite a while (except in Deleware).  Considering those are the law-and-order 
>types who are most likely to invade personal liberities, I think its a 
>bit hard to make the case that the temper of the country is anything but 
>very pro-political process.

Unicorn again displays his cluelessness.  

If people know that the system is sick, and they believe (even wrongly) that 
the only way to fix the problem is through "the political process,"  they 
can reasonably be expected to take one last, desperate effort at fixing the 
situation.  That doesn't make anybody "pro-political-process," in fact they 
could be disgusted with the lack of progress that this system produces.  
They simply believe that they have no alternative.

To put it in simple terms that even you should be able to understand, the 
fact that a drowning person moves his arms and legs around a lot doesn't 
mean that he LIKES to swim, it may merely mean that he likes drowning even 
less.

[end of re-quote]


Spooner's quote follows:

  "Doubtless the most miserable of men, under the most oppressive
government in the world, if allowed the ballot, would use it, if they
could see any chance of thereby meliorating their condition.  But it
would not, therefore, be a legitimate inference that the government
itself, that crushes them, was one which they had voluntarily set up, or
even consented to."

Lysander Spooner