Here are a few thoughts on the letter we will send to Bill. [A] We should make up a key for the whole group with an insanely long password and all get together and sign it in person. [B] We should send our message to Bill _heavily_ encrypted and as anonymously as possible (I'm talkin' to you remailer studs), and we should send the key under a separate 'envelope.' I suggest that this will definitely get the White House's attention (probably a lot of other people at the No Shit Association too, but hey...). [C] Beyond a congratulatory notes that he has actually bothered to take the Presidency "online," the letter might focus on two main areas: 1. Technology/Privacy: - Privacy and how important it is to the preservation of Democracy. Mentioning the White House email situation to bring it home. - Advancement of technology and how the Government can support us by getting the fuck out of the way and/or providing R&D support (hear, hear, Crunch). I.e let's get those data highways rolling along. - How we feel about the various Intelligence Services of the US Government and how taming them might improve our international reputation. And tell them not to fuck with our mobile phones, etc. Politics: We might also mention how nice it is that he supports Family Values (unlike Bush and rich Cronies), how savvy he is to leave gays in the military alone (unlike most of the GI's I have ever heard of, who mercilessly harrass women), what a good thing it is to house homeless people in unused military barracks and how important it is to send aid to Russia before they come over here and try to live in our unused military barracks, stuff like that. [D] Let's make it a nice letter, full of support, good vibes and humor. We are an interesting group of engineers, artists and creative people and he should be reminded that we are watching him and that he has some support. The guy has a tough job cleaning up all the shit the Bushmen left behind. He deserves some goodwill. [E] ? dave
Politics: We might also mention how nice it is that he supports Family Values (unlike Bush and rich Cronies), how savvy he is to leave gays in the military alone (unlike most of the GI's I have ever heard of, who mercilessly harrass women), what a good thing it is to house homeless people in unused military barracks and how important it is to send aid to Russia before they come over here and try to live in our unused military barracks, stuff like that.
Why don't we just stick to privacy and encryption and leave out everything else? There is no way I'm going to affix my name to a letter expressing any of the above opinions. -- Bruce Fancher -+- dead@phantom.com
I applaud the Clinton administration for making itself available via email. I do not think it advisable, however, to send a single cypherpunks letter. Rather I urge all interested parties to compose their own letters, and send them in separately. Stress privacy, and technological defenses thereto. At risk of offensively stating the obvious, I also urge the following general writer's guidelines: 1) Engage brain before typing. Think about the one thing you want to talk about, and talk about that. 2) Do not be paranoid. Do not rant. These are a sure ways to indicate that more money should be budgeted for public relations. 3) Be brief. If you cannot summarize your argument into a single paragraph, neither will the reader of the mail. The mail system is already overloaded, and concision indicates politeness. 4) Write in standard English. Use a spelling checker, and use complete sentences. 5) Offer to help. Offer to make timely review of proposed policies. If they accept your aid, keep your promises. 6) Have someone else read your letter for content and for form. You can do this yourself if you put the text aside for a week or two. Remember that obsession with keeping every cleverness you think up in a text is the surest way to ensure that it never improve. Eric
participants (3)
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dead＠phantom.com -
deltorto＠aol.com -
Eric Hughes