## From: sherbock@remailer.net -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Crypto-anarchy, many-to-many communications, inter- national/cultural communications, bandwidth price plummet, computer ubiquity, philosophical/ideological evangelism, freedom of speech/trade/association and other factors talked about on this list are together heralding huge transformations. With this as background together with the statement that I am somewhat of a "Frissell/Sandforth Optimist," let me present a short essay and ask a single political question. I want to propose that a change to more of a Snow Crash society with anarcho-capitalism as the norm is not necessarily being _caused_ by pressures listed above, but, rather, fit a grander historical destiny. What we are seeing and will see in the information age has been bound to happen all along. It is an inevitable follow-on phase to our industrial age. One way to view our (Cypherpunks) work is "lead, follow or get out of the way." What's happening is going to happen. I just want to be in the center of it! (I could write much more in support of this. Read Gilder, Rees-Mogg, etc. and much of the techno Sci-Fi suggested by Cypherpunks.) Hindsight is 20/20. Many experts have analyzed the collapse of the USSR. Many are quick to claim that the dissolution was inevitable, historical, even. Consider the possibility that the dissolution of large, centralized federal republics is also inevitable. (The Frissel/Sandforth Optimists have been arguing this exact point.) As an interesting specific, consider parallels in the roles of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gorbachev, by self-proclamation, was a communist first and foremost. He was in no way a destructionist. In fact, it can be argued that he never intended to weaken the central power of the Supreme Soviet. He introduced liberalization reform (parestroika?) with the intent only of heading off the foreboding economic collapse of his State. Gorbachev's reforms were little baby walking steps in a direction that the Bear already was poised to _run_. Mr. Gingrich is a REPUBLICan. From what I can see, he loves the Constitutional government process of the United States. His proclaimed intentions are for downsizing and deregulation. However, he does not seem to desire the dissolution of federal, central government. He has not openly claimed to be libertarian or anarcho-capitalistic. :) Will Newt's deregulatory reforms be baby walking steps in the direction Uncle Sam (and the world) is already poised to _run_? G. del Sherbock - -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.2 mQBNAy8RoncAAAECAK5jkuO+3qNE4veGXrwKqgJs9GhJibpNBOOacLN/OueiDX4R w0+fvCNCwIGT49T6acJvgSb/Kej3BcJViw4fkRUABRG0D0cuIGRlbCBTaGVyYm9j aw== =RPy1 - -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQBVAwUBLxKvjAXCVYsOH5EVAQEXHQH+IT6n/vth2UcQrhJ9faEn8nfwU/XA/OyL 3qfXso1b7/NoivfSiuAvI8wQHasXQsWOheSwTE9c/TI7w6gAX4Yltw== =TJqU -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----