:: Anon-To: whitehouse.gov Andy Dustman wrote:
On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, Robert A. Costner wrote:
At 10:05 AM 11/12/97 -0500, Andy Dustman wrote:
FYI, here is the list of things blocked at cracker: ... Addresses: whitehouse.gov (ONLY address in .gov domain).
Anonymous political speech is one the most highly protected forms of constitutional speech. I think that whitehouse.gov should be unblocked.
Well, I agree, and since it's your ass, it's done.
Dear Bad BillyC, Realizing that a plethora of death-threats were undoubtedly sent your way through the Georgia Cracker remailer even before the ink on Andy's computer screen had dried (only two of them were from me--I'm beginning to like you), I thought I would dash off a quick note to you, hopefully arriving before you send the National Park Janitors SWAT Team out to Bob and Andy's cities of residence in order to raze them to the ground. Outwardly, I am a fool and a cynic, but inwardly, I am a fool and a secret believer in Truth, Democracy and the American Way (TM). (God, the Flag, Mom's Apple Pie, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"...) Although I am a member of a CryptoAnarchist non-organization which requires all of its non-members to have "NUKE DC" tattooed on their foreheads in invisible ink (paranoid enough , nonetheless. to make certain it is covered by our cleverly designed aluminum foil hats), I still have a small ember of hope burning deep inside that perhaps there is still someone within the belly of the Great Beast (that consumes the souls of all elected officials) who remains capable of reading the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution, and saying, "My God, what have we done!" The Anonymous Remailers are a public service provided by those who believe that "_mostly_ free speech" =/= "free speech." The anonymous remailer operators are willing to risk abuse, loss of ISP service, prosecution, and a host of other headaches in order to provide a mechanism by which those who fear retribution for speaking freely can raise their voice anonymously, just as our country's founding fathers did. No matter how eloquent the speech of those who claim that words spoken by free men must be stifled if they are 'dangerous' to the goals of democracy, national security, etc., the fact remains that if the citizens are not allowed full freedom of speech, then there is no democracy to defend, and no nation worth securing. Nothing personal, but if you have your hand resting on the Big Red Button and still feel the need to call out the militia every time someone tells you to "Beware the Ides of March.", then maybe you ought to lift weights, or something, and see if you can't raise your level of confidence in your physical security. Has no one in DC ever heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones will break my bones...?" Never seen Kato, in "The Pink Panther?" Personally, I think that you should institute National Death Threat Week, where everyone is encouraged to send death threats in one form or another to their legislative representatives, employers, workers, family, neighbors, et al. Why? Because I don't believe that the first indication of a 'problem' should be seeing the muzzle flash and, if one is lucky, hearing the shot. The Founding Fathers did not write the Constitution 'off the cuff.' They did not fail to consider someone shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. They were aware of the existence of words such as "nigger" and "cocksucker." Yet they still wrote that the right to free speech should not be abridged. Figure it out... What has democracy come to when quoting those who wrote our country's defining documents has become a cause for being labeled a fanatic, radical terrorist/pedophile/drug-dealer (and a Horseman To Be Named Later)? Why does it take me half a day to find copies of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence when searching government web sites, but only a few minutes to find by searching the sites of those declared by the government to be guilty of uttering 'dangerous' free speech? I know that it can be just as thankless being President as it can being an anonymous remailer operator, so you, above all, should recognize that they are trying to keep the alligators off their ass while still remembering to drain the swamp. I have no doubt that there are several hundred laws that you or others could use to force the Georgia Cracker remailer operators to block anonymous email to whitehouse.gov, but I hope that you realize the value, in your position, of having at least one forum where people can communicate with you at a level that goes beyond ass kissing, fear of retribution, etc. My final offering of wisdom: Have "NUKE DC!" tattooed on your forehead. I have no doubt that this would create a groundswell of popular support for you that would result in the citizens storming Congress to have you declared "President For Life." Then you could have some *real* fun, without worrying about political fallout. ("Did I say 'inhale'? I meant 'exhale'! Hee...hee...") Your pal, TruthMonger "It's not FUD until *I* say it's FUD!"