Perry Metzger writes, about the reaction to the "junk bits" file I posted in a controversial new group, "alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.children":

Michael Ross says:

...

Tim,

That was very manipulative, and did not achieve much.

I wholely disagree. Tim's post to alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.children was a valuable exercise even given its limitations.

Of course I agree with Perry, though I also respect the others who have posted disagreements (sometimes strong!) here on this List or in the various newsgroups...that's what free speech is all about. Bear in mind that most of the "Cypherpunks agenda," to the extent we can identify it, is likely to provoke ordinary citizens into _outrage_. Talk of anonymous mail, digital money, money laundering, information markets, data havens, undermining authority, transnationalism, and all the rest (insert your favorite idea) is not exactly mainstream. While I don't personally care for the "kiddie porn" I've seen (the David Hamilton photos of young girls and the occasional Mapplethorpe photos in news reports), the issues raised in this area are of great importance. (I don't plan to argue for or against these images in this forum, though.) If we back down every time a censor screams "Illegal!," then very few of our agenda items will ever see the light of day. So long as physical violence or coercion is not involved, I see no reason to restrict the activities of others. I completely reject the concept of "class-based crimes," such as: - conventional erotica and pornography should be banned because it is degrading to women, objectifies them, etc. (ironically, unless of course it is "made by and for wimmin," a loophole added by Andrea Dworkin and her supporters after they discovered their anti-porn crusade in Canada and elsewhere would put an end to Lesbian porn mags like "Yellow Silk"!). - I put "child porn" in this category because only the actual coercion of children--if it is happening--should be stopped. (And even this is confusing, as coercion of children happens all the time--we call it "parenting.") A mere image carries no proof that this coercion has happened, for the many reasons I have cited and others have cited (e.g., the child may have willingly participated, the "child" may be 18 and merely look 15, the images may have come from other countries where the customs and laws are different, the image may have been computer-generated or morphed, and so on). - "racist jokes" are being targeted for elimination in many of the Usenet groups, by halting the carrying of "offensive" newsgroups. Legal purists will of course note that this is not "censorship" in the legal/government sense. IMHO, the English language needs a new term for something between the one extreme of government censorship and the other extreme of personal choice, perhaps something like "institutional censorship." Being a free market sort of person, I have no problems with, say, Apple Computer deciding not to carry "alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.children" or "rec.humor.funny.cripples," but it still a _form_ of "institutional censorship." [especially when they are acting so as to head off legal action, as I describe below] - read the "academic freedom" group (I forget the exact title...search for "acad-free" in your newsreader) and you'll see that more and more universities are using the "sexual harassment" laws/codes to stop certain newsgroups, to halt the distribution of sexually oriented images, and to take disciplinary action against students (mostly male) who have put GIFs on their computers or workstations (apparently female students who walk past an office in which female models are used as startup screens have decided they are being "sexually assaulted" or "harassed"). [An important point to make here is that many of these institutions are taking actions largely because they fear that if they don't, the plaintiffs will take their case to the _government_ legal system, perhaps by suing the university for "condoning an atmosphere hostile to womym and other people of color." <insert smileys here, lest I be sued for insulting colored people> If there was no threat of ultimate legal action, much of this "institutional censorship" would vanish, and people could just concentrate on doing their jobs, with or without calendars of "Miss Usenet" gracing their walls.] - discussion of ways to undermine the State, via crypto anarchy and strong crypography, are likely to be targets of future crackdowns. Sedition laws, conspiracy laws, RICO, etc. How long before speaking on these matters earns a warning letter from your university or your company? [Again, I think it's the "big stick" of ultimate government action that spurs these univeristy and company policies. Apple fears being shut down for having "involvement" with a terrorist plot, Emory University fears being sued for millions of dollars for "conspiring" to degrade wimmin of color, etc.) - how long before "rec.guns" is no longer carried at many sites, as they fear having their universities or companies linked to discussions of "assault weapons" and "cop-killer bullets"? [Prediction: Many companies and universities, under pressure from the Feds, will block groups in which encrypted files are posted. After all, if one encrypts, one must have something to hide, and that could expose the university to legal action from some group that feels aggrieved.] So, free speech is under assault across the country. The tort system is being abused to stifle dissentinting views (and lest you think I am only a capitalist, only a free marketeer, the use of "SLAPP suits"--"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation"--by corporations or real estate developers to threaten those who dare to publicly speak against their projects is a travesty, a travesty that the courts have only recently begun to correct). We are becoming a nation of sheep, fearing the midnight raid, the knock on the door. We fear that if we tell a joke, someone will glare at us and threaten to sue us _and_ our company! And so companies are adopting "speech codes" and other such baggage of the Orwell's totalitarian state. Political correctness is extending its tendrils into nearly every aspect of life in America. Time to fight back. -Tim May -- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: by arrangement Note: I put time and money into writing this posting. I hope you enjoy it.