view from Australia (Re: United States as Northern Ireland)

[Bob Smart <smart@mel.dit.csiro.au>]

In Australia the gun lobby are now deeply distrusted. During the
current crackdown on high powered and repeating weapons they have made
many statements, at all levels of their movement, that indicate that
they want the guns in order to kill people and to give themselves the
option of insurrection. Unlike the US this is not an activity that is
supported by the constitution and the people are strongly against it.

If we assume that the gun lobby will lose, [please I am not discussing
whether it *should* lose and I'm not interested in arguments on this
so send them to the list not to me], then supporters of privacy and
freedom through cryptography do the cause a great disservice by
associating themselves with the gun lobby.

In fact we are passing up a great chance to sell the cause of
communication freedom through cryptography by arguing:

  Communication privacy through cryptographic technology is a 
  necessary counter-balance to the inevitable increase in state 
  control of public spaces [in an age when weapons technology
  permits weapons that can kill large numbers of people to be
  easily concealed].

  Secure electronic communication is the freedom that carries no 
  direct risk to other people. It is the one that must be preserved 
  in a free society.

  The 1990s is the decade of the bloodless revolution built on
  the freedom of communication. Preserving free communication is
  the vital step in countering out-of-control governments and criminal
  organizations, and cryptography is the way to keep communication
  free.

I don't think this line of argument will appeal to cypherpunks but
if there are other organizations running this line I'd be keen to
support them.

Bob Smart