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Re: cypherpunks and guns
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At 05:28 06.01.98 -0500, Ryan Lackey wrote:
><[email protected]> (Wei Dai) writes:
>
>> I don't understand why there is so much talk about guns here
lately.
>> Unless someone comes up with a weapon that has some very unusual
economic
>> properties, individuals cannot hope to compete with governments in
the
>> domain of deadly force. If we have to resort to physical violence,
we've
>> already lost!
>>
>> Think about it: if we can defend ourselves with guns, why would we
need
>> crypto?
>
>I am fairly certain that as an irregular army soldier I could
inflict
>a substantial amount of damage upon an occupying military. With
maybe
>$20k in equipment and several hundred hours of training, you could
make
>life very difficult for any luckless squad that happens your way.
Multiply
>that by 100 million armed citizens and you see that armed civilian
>resistance *can* defeat an occupying army.
>
I'm not sure I am convinced by this argument.
The "enemy within" seems to be the main focus of the discussions in
the CP list. When the 'luckless squad that happens your way' is
manned by your countrymen at the command of their (and your)
government, what then?
As far as I can see, the result would be a *very* bloody civil war.
The outcome may indeed be less obvious than in a 'conventional' (i.e.
unarmed populace) civil war, but the cost much higher.
This is from the standpoint of a 'sissy' European. I admit I am
poorly equipped to comment on the American Zeitgeist. However, my
experience of civil war victims (refugees from the E-bloc) suggests
that we should be concentrating on social revolution before we tool
up for military. There is more to be won, with a potentially much
lower cost.
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