🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct30.144059.387@cs.ruu.nl> piet@cs.ruu.nl (Piet van Oostrum) writes:
}>>>>> jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala) (JK) writes:
}
}JK> But the strong anti-gun-control argument which convinces me is the one
}JK> of insurance against government oppression - which many say is exactly
}JK> the reason why the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution is there.
}
}But how many times, say in the last 200 years, have guns be used against
}government oppression in the USA, compared to being used to shoot innocent
}people?
}Maybe in the Civil War by the Southerns? But then they did not succeed.

Widely distributed firearms ownership is an insurance policy against tyranny.
Insurance policies shouldn't have to be used to be justified.

}I think comparing cryptography to guns is counterproductive, as it may give
}people the impression that cryptography's main use is to hurt other people.

I sympathize with your desire to portray cryptography positively to people,
but there is necessity to defend freedom of communication here and now.  Did
you know that the US State Department is preventing the former Eastern Bloc
from leapfrogging us to fiber-optic cable because it's too difficult for them
to bug?


Tim Starr - Renaissance Now! - Think Universally, Act Selfishly
starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu

"True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten
oneself and others." - Voltaire