Re: ACLU/EPIC: First Amendment Pledge Campaign

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 2:38 PM -0700 6/16/97, William H. Geiger III wrote:

>>               ACLU, EPIC Call on Congress and Clinton to
>>                   "Take the First Amendment Pledge"
>
>The sad thing is that we need them to do it a second time. They already
>made this pledge once before, it's called the oath of office.
>
>If the ingore it after the first time why should they honor it a second
>time?

Indeed, it looks to be just press release jive.

If they "take the pledge" on the First, why not the Second? And all the others?

In any case, they can all take this "pledge" with a clear conscience--not
that I expect many to respond to a PR stunt like this--and say "I do."
After all, their arguments for things like the CDA are not based on
overturning the First Amendment: what they will always claim is that the
law is one of the many "exceptions" to the First Amendment. (There are
many...I presume I don't have to make a list here, do I?)

And will EPIC then withdraw its support of Pro-CODE, which says that
certain forms of speech when used in furtherance of a crime, or to hide a
crime, are criminal?  Would EPIC support a law which said that Spanish is
legal to speak or write in the U.S., unless it is used to further or hide a
crime? How about Pig Latin? How about Rot13? How about whispering? How
about RSA?

So, EPIC, why don't _you_ take the First Amendment Pledge and then
immediately withdraw all support for Pro-CODE so long as it contains this
pernicious language criminalizing certain modes of speech?

I didn't think so.

--Tim May

There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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