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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.tv.da
Subject: re: Re: How to Decrease the Chances of Total Destruction
Message-ID: <355@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 8-Dec-83 02:44:25 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.355
Posted: Thu Dec  8 02:44:25 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Dec-83 09:04:01 EST
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 34

...Mike Kelly reports:
>Right on, Jim!  But wait until you see the stream of
>rationalizations that come streaming in from all the nuke
>reseachers and military software engineers.  Reminds me of a line
>from the recent film, "The Big Chill".  One character suggests that
>rationalizations are more important than sex.  "Ever try to go a
>week without a rationalization?" he asks.  What about it, military
>researchers?  Ever try that?

This is a simple "McCarthyism" to preempt debate.  You assume that 
whatever group is "bad" (military researchers?), then suggest that any
response from this group will be "rationalizations" (or somehow,
invalid) because they have a vested interest in being in that
group.  So, e.g., the pope can't talk about Catholicism, or, at
least, we should a priori dismiss anything he has to say on the
subject, because of his vested interest in the subject ("just wait
'til the pope comes back with some preachy platitude about...").

As a simple student (with no income from any defense-related
activity--is that a prerequisite for you to listen to me, Mike?), 
I see unilateral disarmament as ineffective and, quite possibly,
dangerous.  That's my current opinion, but I see no reason to
prejudge any arguments to the contrary, or to try to discourage
responses (isn't "open discussion" a reason for having the net?).
Nor do I view military research, per se, as "bad".  You are welcome
to express a different opinion, Mike; I just wish you wouldn't be
so self-righteous about it.

                                 Sam Hall
{decvax}!ucbvax!bitmap@ucbtopaz

"Now just wait until Mike Kelly or his ilk comes back with some
asinine, sneering remark", right?