Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!noc.near.net!uunet!tessi!george
From: george@tessi.com (George Mitchell)
Subject: Re: Organized Lobbying for Cryptography
Message-ID: <1993Apr28.153640.17413@tessi.com>
Organization: Test Systems Strategies, Inc., Beaverton, Oregon
References: <1r74ta$hcs@transfer.stratus.com> <1993Apr23.195051.16862@news.clarkson.edu> <374540341DN5.61R@tanda.isis.org>
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1993 15:36:40 GMT
Lines: 25

marc@tanda.isis.org (Marc Thibault) writes:
>        Looking at it from up here in the Frozen North, it looks like
>        you could do worse than get the NRA involved. They have a
>        kindred problem, a large number of voters, the right attitude,
>        and lots of funds.

They also have a lot of the other voters really irritated at them.

>        From an ethical _or_ constitutional viewpoint, I haven't seen
>        a good argument for cryptographic rights that doesn't also
>        support the NRA position on guns (and vice-versa).

Okay, folks, I know I'm in the minority on this issue, but I can't
let this assertion go unchallenged yet again.  I'm going to say this
ONLY ONCE, in the hopes of NOT starting a flame war off of the main
topic.

Guns are offensive.  Cryptography is defensive.  See the difference?
The only way you can use a gun is to hurt somebody else.  Crypto-
graphy helps prevent other people from hurting you.

Sorry for the digression.  Let's not forget the issue that we DO
agree on: We want continued access to crypto technology of our
choice, without key registration.
-- George Mitchell (george@tessi.com)
