Walter Mossberg, WSJ technology columnist, wrote yesterday about the need for the Internet coming to be treated like other forms of communication, that now is the time for its special treatment to end. He said to get rid of pseudonyms and anonymity, that people need to own up to who they are. Implied that national security is at stake. Weird, for Mossberg is usually level-headed, and the WSJ has recently been fairly critical of the power grab of the Bush government in the name of national security. You might think Mossberg has had a personal problem with anonymous criticism. Or lost a loved one in the recent tragedy. Or just wanted to take a swing at nobodies to strut his courage, bygod, courage to demand the world be safe and secure like it used to be before the Internet. Or maybe he got outed for using WSJ's servers, or his wife's PC, to eat some lonely guy porn.
On Friday, October 5, 2001, at 12:24 PM, John Young wrote:
Walter Mossberg, WSJ technology columnist, wrote yesterday about the need for the Internet coming to be treated like other forms of communication, that now is the time for its special treatment to end. He said to get rid of pseudonyms and anonymity, that people need to own up to who they are. Implied that national security is at stake.
The sheeple and the scribblers are falling all over themselves to sacrifice liberty. Mossberg, Young, and all of the other recent enemies of liberty don't understand that the right to keep private diaries, to speak in whispers, to draw the curtains, to meet in private, and to post anonymous handbills goes back to the founding of the nation. "Time for the special treatment to end" is a display of ignorance. Perhaps he should reread some of the pseudonymous writings in the Federalist Papers. I would write more, but what's the point? If they haven't grokked the essence of liberty before, our words can't help. Only technology can. As predicted by many of us over the years, the "Crypto Winter" is coming. --Tim May, Corralitos, California Quote of the Month: "It is said that there are no atheists in foxholes; perhaps there are no true libertarians in times of terrorist attacks." --Cathy Young, "Reason Magazine," both enemies of liberty.
Tim May wrote:
On Friday, October 5, 2001, at 12:24 PM, John Young wrote:
Walter Mossberg, WSJ technology columnist, wrote yesterday about the need for the Internet coming to be treated like other forms of communication, that now is the time for its special treatment to end. He said to get rid of pseudonyms and anonymity, that people need to own up to who they are. Implied that national security is at stake.
The sheeple and the scribblers are falling all over themselves to sacrifice liberty.
Mossberg, Young, and all of the other recent enemies of liberty don't understand that the right to keep private diaries, to speak in whispers, to draw the curtains, to meet in private, and to post anonymous handbills goes back to the founding of the nation.
"Time for the special treatment to end" is a display of ignorance. Perhaps he should reread some of the pseudonymous writings in the Federalist Papers.
I would write more, but what's the point? If they haven't grokked the essence of liberty before, our words can't help. Only technology can.
As predicted by many of us over the years, the "Crypto Winter" is coming.
--Tim May, Corralitos, California Quote of the Month: "It is said that there are no atheists in foxholes; perhaps there are no true libertarians in times of terrorist attacks." --Cathy Young, "Reason Magazine," both enemies of liberty.
Ain't gonna happen. Too late, the cat's out of the bag. People will get a grip. Meanwhile, to hell with wars on (some) abstract concepts. How many thousands of years ago were (some) whores and (some) thieves outlawed? jbdigriz p.s. Tim, intended to send to the list, not you in particular. My bad. Damn, twice today I did that.
participants (3)
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James B. DiGriz -
John Young -
Tim May