Re: Know Your Net.Enemies Project

[Rich Graves <llurch@networking.stanford.edu>]

On Thu, 11 Apr 1996, Timothy C. May wrote:

[Nothing I disagree with -- DAMN!]
>
> No apology needed. I just think it's a destructive, negative idea, one that
> I think could cast the Cypherpunks as a bunch of small-minded people.

Are you seriously trying to suggest that we're not? :-)

> A research page having detailed links to their positions _might_ be useful
> to those who will be facing them in court or in debates. You might ask
> Godwin, Barlow, etc. if this would be useful.
>
> But this is quite a different thing from an "Enemies List," which I rather
> doubt would be useful per se to Barlow, Godwin, and other civil liberties
> activists.

I concur. Lists of links sans unnecessary editorial commentary would be
useful; counter-propaganda is distasteful and counterproductive.

I hate to bring up those damn Nazis *yet again*, but hey, this is as an
example, not for their own sake. Compare the following approaches to "bad
ideas."

http://www.wiesenthal.com/watch/index.html
Does not provide any links. Just says "look out, they're out there." IMO
ineffective, begging too many questions.

http://www.web.apc.org/~ara/
"Let's make the 'bad guys' look good by comparison!"

http://www.almanac.bc.ca/other-sites/
Lists of links with minimal editorial comments. Pretty good IMO.

http://www.almanac.bc.ca/cgi-bin/ftp.pl
Voluminous primary documents, with no editorial comments. Excellent.

http://www.vir.com/Shalom/hatred.html
Has the effect of glorifying the opposition. A very popular site among the
Nazis. Sheesh.

-rich