While I agree that the cypherpunk list is too fragmented and informal to pass off as a coherent lobbying group, there remains a very deep need to get information out to the "general public" (read as, "people who might have heard about something the NSA is doing, but don't quite remember what....") Lets face it. For all the successful lobbying EFF and CSPR and individuals have done, upwards of 75% of the population won't recognize the word Clipper. This needs to change, since the NSA depends on the masses to be uninformed for Clipper to become reality. Press kits and making the cypherpunk label known are steps in the right direction, but we need to go more directly to the people. And sadly, probably the most successful way to stimulate debate and educate in the United States is best demonstrated by... "Harry and Louise" You know, that annoying commercial the insurance industry ran? That Bill was concerned enough about to parody? It's time the Clipper debate got one too. Mind you, we'd keep ours factual and non-sensational, but interesting enough to catch the eye of Joe and Mary Blow at the dinner table. An interesting concept: it would be (to my knowledge) the first time a grass roots campaign went prime-time. Problem is, getting airtime over the hours our target audience is likely to be watching isn't cheap. But hey, the software industry hates this as much as cypherpunks do. Pass the hat. And for that matter, if you think you're concerned enough to read this list, chip in $20 bucks to the currently non-existant (EFF? CSPR? Cypherpunk Nonproft Foundation for Truth?) Fund for Commercials. You want to get attention? THAT'S the way you do it in the US. It's unfortunate, but if you want to stop Big Brother, you're going to have to play with the big boys by their rules: who dominates public debate wins, not who's right. And the anti-Clipper movement needs to quit the discussion-group mode and move into action. Very, very soon. Comments encouraged. Robert Hoff. -- -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.3a mQCNAi1cCbwAAAEEAM3mH6Wm+DjLAZHHaKAPEE6BpQpE6cCsI46HJzEekyQca18Z nnNJpVbFfs21P+nkzT02ZQ7HJ5lnQz8TGWN0LSJ8f45DSR5VElTO3MkOCrYSoZ3c WO3IxW4oxm4fWx+3ipN+KKrB/0oooT7n4u0LV0aaImIn2Uzm7I8jOOi7F8jFAAUR tCpSb2JlcnQgTS4gSG9mZiA8cmhvZmZAYmx1ZS53ZWVnLnVpb3dhLmVkdT4= =JUO8 -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----