Terrorism

In case you haven't noticed, incidences of terrorism are becoming more common in the United States. Between Unabom and the recent Oklahoma City bombing committed by Tim McVeigh, awareness of American terrorists operating inside the U.S. has never been higher.

The death, destruction, and tragedy wrought by terrorists is devestating and terrible. I cannot imagine the depth of sorrow and anger the survivors and loved ones of victims feel, nor can I begin to appreciate the frustration and sense of powerlessness the FBI agents involved in the Unabom case must feel. However, it would be an even greater tragedy if these events led to not only loss of life for those destroyed by terrorism, but to loss of liberty for those of us who must help heal those who have been hurt. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the FBI plans--it wants to limit and control the use of cryptography in the United States. To be perfectly honest, I would rather be safe from my government than safe from terrorists. A government with little or no respect for the privacy of its citizens scares me far more than any possible terrorist ring. To quote Benjamin Franklin, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

I implore Louis Freeh, Director of the FBI, to adopt alternatives to abridge the rights of U.S. citizens to communicate with privacy.

I implore each and every person to:

1. Get a copy of a good encryption program, such as Pretty Good Privacy
2. Make a public key
3. Distribute it as widely as possible
4. Send a few encrypted messages to a few friends to see how the process works

I implore all others who may be considering using violence to achieve their ends to consider this: if you don't like being forced to do something or give up certain rights, how are you superior to your enemy if you attempt to do the same thing in larger measure with less precision? Bloodshed leads to more bloodshed. Greatness inspires further greatness. There are mechanisms built into our system of government to allow your voice to be heard if your convictions are strong enough. Do not let your impatience and anger destroy this modest, quasi-democratic experiment. Destroying the current system will lead to widespread starvation and disease. The infant information revolution we are experiencing is the final great opportunity for equalizing individuals and small groups with governments and broadcasters. Do not miss this one opportunity to peacefully change the course of history in a positive direction.

Information on the following is available:

Unabom

• Unabom's Letter to the New York Times
• Brock Meeks on Unabom
• Unabom's Manifesto
• Other Unabom sites
• Unabomber Information Center

Other Wackos

• The guy who shot up the abortion clinics
• The FBI's plan to ban encryption
• The Japanese Doomsday Cult's Plan to Distribute LSD
• The Japanese Doomsday Cult Assembles PCs

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