Declan wrote: [to cypherpunks for no apparent reason]

...

None of this is news to Declan of course. I just get disappointed when I see industry mouthpiece after industry mouthpiece without a single goal in mind except maximum profit. Libertarianism in action - corporations sell your ass down the road for a dollar and some stock options.

I'm sure Michael was upset and not typing clearly. He knows as well as anyone that libertarians are not pro-business; they're pro-individual rights.

Except, of course, that *businesses* count as individuals in a libertarian world. Yes, the corporation, that creation wholly of government, becomes a sort of super-individual - and of course all individuals are equal, but some are just a bit more equal. When I see a libertarian calling for an elimination of all forms of corporations and a return to sole proprietorships and straight partnerships as the only form of business, then I'll know he's ideologically consistent. Until then, pro-business is the only reasonable way to describe the twisted rationale behind libertarianism. Which brings me back to my original point - the AIM representation at the aforementioned hearings. In Libber-land, there's nothing reprehensible there. Corporations are lobbying for their "individual rights", one of them being the right to make maximum profit by eliminating/marginalizing competitors. Of course the rights they are lobbying for may infringe on some others' rights, perhaps in schools or libraries which receive federal funds, but hey, that's life for you. Every individual has an equal chance. And after all, freedom to speak and receive information is just a preference - some people prefer to receive more of it than others.

Libertarians spend quite a bit of time complaining about the Republican habit of funding corporate subsidies.

But very very little time complaining about the *existence* of corporations whose primary function is to shield the important folks who run and fund the corporation from the consequences of their actions. Come on! This should be a primary offense! Individuals with no responsibility!

The pursuit of profit in the free market is not to be discouraged -- without it, we wouldn't have the Internet we have today.

Heavens, Declan, you're right! All those companies selflessly creating a network between universities and defense sites, not seeking a return in five years but looking well into the future..... Let us praise the foresight of those companies. What were their names again? -- Michael Sims