🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <470@sask.UUCP> brecht@sask.UUCP writes:
>DES and crypt are *already* out of American hands.  Export restrictions on
>those particular algorithms seem to be pointless hassling of American
>firms by the State Department.

People should realize that the Commerce Dept. etc. are not in a
position to make technical judgements on these matters, even though
they have been (or think they have been) tasked with enforcing the
export control regulations.  The way the U.S. Government operates
for the most part is under a heavy blanket of regulations that
pretty much must be followed by civil servants if they are not to
get themselves into deep personal legal trouble.

Rather than blaming the alleged stupidity of the enforcers, how
about attacking the root cause, which is the idea that ideas should
be regulated "for the public good".  Americans, let your congressmen
know that you want the original constitutional guarantee against state
encroachment on individual rights honored!  (Also let them know
that you reject the notion that your rights are granted only by
permission of the state.)