Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!sequoia!attdso!ssc!fyl
From: fyl@ssc.UUCP (Phil Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix
Subject: Re: USENIX and South Africa
Message-ID: <806@ssc.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jun 90 17:44:08 GMT
References: <1990Jun4.141811.1075@world.std.com> <13051@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Organization: SSC, Inc., Seattle, WA
Lines: 24

In article <13051@smoke.BRL.MIL>, gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) writes:
> In article <1990Jun4.141811.1075@world.std.com> peter@world.std.com (Peter Salus) writes:
> >I see no reason why I should (even indirectly) help a 
> >police state gain better control through transaction 
> >processing programs, for example.

> I wasn't aware that USENIX membership elected officers to do their
> political, social, or religious thinking and value judgment for them.
> Why don't you stick to functionally relevant business.

Personally I appreciate organizations I join having a conscience.
Helping "a police state ..." is clearly taking sides.  By not being
willing to help you are staying neutral.

I don't want USENIX (or any other organization) to actively overthrow
any governments.  Further, I encourage them to tell me that such a
decision has been made.  That means that if (1) I want to support a police
state I can send them my own money or (2) I don't want to support it I 
now have more information and can decide not to support organizations that
support it.

-- 
Phil Hughes, SSC, Inc. P.O. Box 55549, Seattle, WA 98155  (206)FOR-UNIX
     uunet!pilchuck!ssc!fyl or attmail!ssc!fyl            (206)527-3385