At 8:19 AM -0800 5/11/97, Declan McCullagh wrote:
Here's another good idea for a cypherpunks project: *don't* use the Eternity Server to post even more bomb-making instructions all over the Web and Usenet.
You might remember I wrote recently about the DoJ report released this month that calls for new legislation to ban bomb-making info online. Now Feinstein's office tells me she's going to introduce a bill.
No need to throw red meat to the hounds.
(Hmmm. Looking back at my message, I'm essentially saying "censor yourself or the government will." Not sure I like that argument.)
You've been in D.C. too long if you're falling for this line of reasoning. "Book publishers: learn to restrain yourselves or the government will." "Tom Paine: learn to censor yourself, or Ye Olde King surely will." "Cypherpunks: hold back on discussions or the Ministry of Truth will shut you down." I can't believe Declan is calling for self-limitations on online discussions of that which is freely available in books, on Web sites, and (obviously) in government publications. The proper response to those noting that bomb-making instructions are on the Net is "So?" --Tim May -- [This Bible excerpt awaiting review under the U.S. Communications Decency Act of 1996] And then Lot said, "I have some mighty fine young virgin daughters. Why don't you boys just come on in and fuck them right here in my house - I'll just watch!"....Later, up in the mountains, the younger daughter said: "Dad's getting old. I say we should fuck him before he's too old to fuck." So the two daughters got him drunk and screwed him all that night. Sure enough, Dad got them pregnant, and had an incestuous bastard son....Onan really hated the idea of doing his brother's wife and getting her pregnant while his brother got all the credit, so he pulled out before he came....Remember, it's not a good idea to have sex with your sister, your brother, your parents, your pet dog, or the farm animals, unless of course God tells you to. [excerpts from the Old Testament, Modern Vernacular Translation, TCM, 1996]