On Sat, 15 Sep 2001, Roeland Meyer wrote:
Personally, I have no problems with US State telling me I can't do business with terrorists. Do you?
Absolutely I do. I would have no problem with the USG placing people/countries/whatever on lists that I could use as a reference to make a *volutary* decision as to whether I wanted to do business with them, but to proscribe it is wrong. First of all, I may not necessarily agree with the USG on all of these "entries", secondly, the lists are obviously not compiled in a manner designed solely to cut of the "bad guys". For example, we have China as a "most favored nation". Right there the whole idea of an impartial list falls apart... Aside from the impartiality issue, I do not believe that the USG has a constitutional right to forbid me from engaging any person/place/thing in an otherwise lawful transaction.
-- R O E L A N D M J M E Y E R Managing Director Morgan Hill Software Company tel: +1 925 373 3954 cel: +1 925 352 3615 fax: +1 925 373 9781 http://www.mhsc.com
-- Yours, J.A. Terranson sysadmin@mfn.org If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they should give serious consideration towards setting a better example: Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate... This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers, associates, or others. Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the first place... --------------------------------------------------------------------