Now, maybe I missed something, but I have yet to see the secret service raid ftparchive.blah.edu, or UNM where I work, for 'pandering'.
You missed it. It has happened. MIT used to run an alt.sex.bondage stories server. Someone would read a.s.b., cull out the stories and make them available for anonymous ftp. Well, a while ago (2-3 years) a guy named Joe Abernathy from the Houston Chronicle wrote a story about the Internet, and mentioned the asb archive. This got up to the highest level of the NSF management, and MIT was threatened to take down the server, or have their connection cut. This was a big deal within MIT, since MIT is extrememly progressive about virtual data. They have a policy to take the ECPA seriously, and they really did regard this as censorship. But the NSF did not seem to be bluffing, so MIT told the organization running the server that it had to be taken down, and why. The organization agreed, since they didn't want to be cut off the net either. It takes an extremely strong idealist to stand up to this sort of pressure, and MIT just wasn't up to it. I really can't blame them. Today, maybe they could do it, since the net is much more in the public's eye, and there are organizations like EFF and CPSR to support them. So, don't feel singled out. The gov't isn't just targetting the little guys.
1) who gave the govt the right to distribute this material, and deny others to do so (for whatever reason) - these universities ARE part of the govt.
Laziness, not intent. If someone made a big stink, unm would feel it, I promise.
2) why is the govt scapegoating BBSs? Are we THAT 'dangerous and subversive'?
No, you're easy targets, and closing down kiddie porn distribution looks real good on the personnel evaluation.
3) why is it that people in general cannot see this BS for the BS it is? Is it REALLY so hard to see that "terrorism" and "kiddie porn" are not real threats, but that stomping all over our privacy rights IS?
People in this country are soft. They don't see the government as a threat. They also smoke too much and rot their brains with TV. "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
4) why is nothing much really being done about these civil rights violations? The SJG case is a case in point. EFF did plenty to help out, but where was the ACLU?
The EFF did a fine job. The ACLU wasn't needed here. If they were, I hope they would have done something. The fact is, you haven't experienced any civil rights violations, and the Clipper Chip, although enabling them, does not cause them. You can't take the government to court because you think they're evil. They have to screw up first, and they are, in general, careful about provably screwing up.
I try to do my part in distributing crypto, and get legal threats from a govt. contractor...
They have rights to that software. Plaster the universe with DES software; nobody will touch you. RSA does not want to cut off all crypto; they're just trying to make money off what they own. Would you be upset if Playboy's lawyers sent you a letter ordering you to get the digitized centerfolds off your BBS? It's exactly the same thing.
What gives?
Look at the newspaper. Open to a random page. Do you see a story about public service in your town, or about a police officer who got shot yesterday? Happy, peaceful, nice doesn't sell. The media focuses on death, violence, and stuff like that because it's what people want to watch. Nazis (Oops. It's a flame. The Nazis got mentioned :-) and pornography are just the equivalents in the networking world. People could care less about all the good things that happen. They want to be reminded about all the bad things in the world, so their own lives seem a little less miserable.
How far is this going to go?
Too far. It already has. I wish I could tell you when it would stop. Marc