ejo@world.std.com spoke thus: WARNING: The following post, I realize, assumes that we all agree that we should all have the right to buy and sell and take any chemicals we damn well please. In Extropians, you don't have to mention this. In the world at large, this elicits wide eyed stares, and sputtering noises of disbelief. ( I recall someone being willing to give up some privacy for 'less crack in the schools.' Sorry. Not a good enough reason to give up one whit of privacy.) End Quote. That was me. Specifically I said: I have a feeling that there are like minded people out there, people who can tolerate some violations of absolute privacy in exchange for feeling that every plane you ride on is not at risk because of some psycho, and that less coke is going to find its way to schools. But who cannot tolerate AUTHORATARIAN regimes, and practices to make these assurances. End Quote Sure, if YOU want to grow coco plants and harvest and process them for your own use, I don't have a problem with that. That's your business. If you want to process it into base, crack in effect, go ahead. I don't really have a problem with that either. Frankly I don't have a problem with the legalization of cocaine, I'm indifferent. I wouldn't use any, but I'm not going to stop anyone else from it. I am not quite libertarian enough however to support the sale of refined coke out there. I think this is a pragmatic point, based on what is practical as far as soceity goes. I WILL say that I can't support authoratarian moves to prevent it. Makeing exceptions for wiretap laws on drugdealers is bullshit. Follow the constitution at all times IMHO, no exceptions. If you can't catch em without invading privacy then they aren't enough of a public problem to worry about. To me this does NOT include drug sniffing dogs at the airport. I really am not much offended by THIS practice. Border control has been a standby for soverignty for as long as borders have been drawn. Fine. We're getting a touch out of the scope of the list however so I will finish by saying that it is entirely impossible to grant ABSOLUTE privacy, and I'm not asking for it. I just don't want to be numbered, tracked, watched, listened to when I am minding my own business in my house. uni