Freematt357@aol.com wrote: [...]

Sterling makes a comment betraying what Ludwig Von Mises called the anti-capitalist mentality when he quipped to Godwin: "Sure, we hate Exxon because they're huge and they're everywhere."

He was pointing it out, not preaching it. I think over in Austin they do self-deprecrating humour, just like us English do.

Sterling is a capitalist in the same way that Brin is a libertarian. I think what it is, both are uncomfortable with really labeling what their true ideology is and therefore feel some need to candy coat their statism.

I think - but I don't know - that Bruce is a lefty, but not a statist. Anyway the real relevance of the viridian list to the cypherpunks list is that it is about technical fixes to apparently political problems. It's saying something like: "so you think cars (or fridges, or office buildings, or polyester pants) are destroying the world? Don't vote to ban them - all that will happen then is that only the rich (or the government, opr the military) get to own them. Instead design and build and sell better cars, kinder gentler fridges, healthier buildings, cleaner pants, whatever. And these days, cooler, stylish, and more fun, is part of what "better" means". (my paraphrasody of what I see Bruce's point as)