Re: here we go and then some ....

Michael Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Sat, 10 Jan 1998 15:35:13 -0500


Eugene Leitl wrote:
>
> On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Lee Daniel Crocker wrote:
>
> > [...]
> > What is it that they fear? What can we do to assuage that fear or
>
> That fear is caused by ignorance. Obviously cloning, even human cloning is
> very small beer with what we are to expect next. What we have here is imo
> the first instance of (state-backed) neoluddism, with _more_ to come. Once
> the mainstream gets wind of the whole progress Pandora package... Is this
> the first shadows of Butler's Jihad? Such a thing would certainly delay
> the Singularity significantly.
>
> > (often more effective) to ridicule it?
>
> Alas, education is not something that can be administered by force.
>

Depends. If I and others refuse to obey any new law against cloning, and
get cloned, what can they do??? Kill the kid??? Since WE don't have to
exert force, we can be protected by our civil disobedience rights. We
just have to be willing to practice them, be willing to take the
persecution, untill the public sees that we are willing to fight for our
rights, and that it is they who are being the immoral ones, much as was
done during the civil rights struggle here in the US. People respect you
and your position once you prove you are willing to fight for it. Look
at the PLO, its pretty well respected now, after having worn down the
Isreali lobby after several decades of struggle.

The point of any civil struggle is to demonstrate to the populace the
brutality they must exert to enforce their prejudices. SInce most people
don't like to see suffering, they will give up on their prejudices
rather than continue the repression. At least thats how it can work with
a relatively free press.

-- 
TANSTAAFL!!!
			Michael Lorrey
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mailto:retroman@together.net	Inventor of the Lorrey Drive
MikeySoft: Graphic Design/Animation/Publishing/Engineering
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