From: Alex Strasheim[ (...)But I don't necessarily look at the NSA as an enemy. Right now we're on opposite sides of an important issue, and I think they're doing a lot of damage. But I tend to think that they believe what they're doing is in the national interest. They're trying to defend democracy -- our democracy, at least. "The" NSA is not a constant, a body which remains the same regardless of the individuals working within it. The character of the agency, I expect, would change with the individuals. The agency is not designed to be dangerous to citizens. But their mileage could vary depending upon the leadership, upon their grasp of its purpose. That's what this list is all about: we're trying to impose certain civil liberties on the world using a strategy that's based on anarchy theory. That theory tells us that if we can distribute tools and establish standards we'll secure privacy and free speech rights regardless of what governments do. That's a very startling idea, and I believe it's sound. I believe that it's possible to impose the first ammendment on the entire world by distributing crypto software. But realize that these software tools and what they make possible (first amendment ideas, anarchy) are not being "imposed" - they're being selected/accepted by the users by a process of conscious individual decision, not by a blanket policy imposition handed down from 'above' (you *will* use crypto, and you *will* like it). I don't think the NSA is out to suppress our liberties. They're trying to protect the nation. Their problem is that they're operating under an old, obsolete paradigm. (.......) But the question is, why are they operating under obsolete paradigms? Why aren't they paying attention to what they are doing, to what is intelligently appropriate, to the philosophical ideals of the nation they're representing? (and therefore who or what are they *really* trying to protect) .. Blanc