[free-sklyarov] OPEN LETTER: Tragedy followed by travesty. (fwd)

[Jay Sulzberger]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 18:25:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay D. Dyson <jdyson at treachery.net>
To: President George W. Bush <president at whitehouse.gov>
Cc: Cryptography List <cryptography at wasabisystems.com>,
     InfoSec News <isn at attrition.org>
Subject: OPEN LETTER: Tragedy followed by travesty.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Dear Mr. President,

	I am writing you to express my thanks for your sincere and
thoughtful remarks on today's national tragedy.  Like you, I offer my
condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this horrific
attack.  I also write you on behalf of potential victims of a growing and
unreasoned response to this travesty.

	Interspersed with the reports on today's national tragedy, I have
been hearing other news that is as disconcerting as the senseless loss of
life.  Namely, that Federal Law Enforcement Agency spokespersons are
talking of limiting not only civil liberties of free passage, but veiled
references to endorsing the curtailing of privacy-enabling technologies,
all of which are cryptography-based.

	It seems that those who truly care about freedom and all that it
entails are being afforded no time to mourn this day's losses.  I believe
it no product of wild speculation to suggest that many policiticians and
media pundits will once again renew their calls for limitations on public
access to strong cryptography.  These movements will be built on the
graves of the dead in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.  The claim
will ultimately be made that if cryptography had not been so readily
available, our intelligence agencies would have been able to detect and
summarily thwart today's attack on the contintental United States.

	Suffice it to say that I can no sooner embrace such notions than I
can embrace the terrorists who brought this tragedy to our nation's
shores.  And anyone suggesting such a course of action should be met with
resistance equal to that which you call on us to muster against the forces
of terrorism.

	The day we sacrifice our liberties in the name of "security" is
the day that the terrorists' goals will have been achieved.  To reiterate
the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, if we surrender our liberty in the name
of security, we shall have neither.

	It is unfortunate that it seemed necessary to compose this note
less than twelve hours after this day's attack, but it is every citizen's
duty to take every possible action to avert national disaster; especially
one in the making.

	Thank you for your valuable time.  It is my hope that the
perpetrators of this crime against the United States will be swiftly
brought to justice.  God bless America.

Sincerely,

Jay D. Dyson

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