Antispam Bills: Worse Than Spam?

[Jim Choate]

On Sat, 2 Aug 2003 mindfuq at comcast.net wrote:

> I somewhat agree here.. but probably on different grounds.  Such an
> effort may be taxes well spent under the right circumstances, but if
> the same people who would enforce spam who are also enforcing the
> current telemarketing laws, it would be money wasted, because these
> people are unmotivated.

You seem to miss the fundamental point of what 'law' is for in a
democracy.

> I can't quite agree here.  I'm 100% for free speech, and if a spammer
> wants to print a newspaper, I have no objection.  But if the spammer
> wants to deliver this newspaper by walking into my home and dump a
> stack of newspapers on my keyboard, we have problems.

What if all he's doing it dumping them on your front porch?

Your comparison of your email inbox and your living room being equivalent
is flawed on several layers. The first is the concept of 'privacy', you
have it in your living room because you have a door and locks. You don't
have any of that in an electronic mailbox. An electronic mailbox is like
ones front porch, inherently a place with -public- access.

> We need more law.

No, we don't. All law will do is make life more complicated and reduce the
concept of individual choice. What you propose is to let others decide and
it is clear that they will decide based on their desires and wants and not
yours.

There are no angels among men.

> Example- I sue telemarketers on a regular basis
> using the tort law written in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
> This is practically a hobby for me now.  I have won every case, and
> I've been well compensated for my troubles.

You just shot yourself in the foot and in the process demonstrated your
lack of understanding of what a democracy is about.

<sigh> Democracy (and the USA) is dead.


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