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From: spp@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Stephen P Pope)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.legal,net.misc
Subject: Re: Autodialing Falwell - a different perspective
Message-ID: <11434@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Fri, 17-Jan-86 14:49:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.11434
Posted: Fri Jan 17 14:49:22 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jan-86 03:49:23 EST
References: <1225@mtuxo.UUCP>
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 31
Xref: watmath net.religion:8887 net.legal:2730 net.misc:9131
Summary: Civil Disobedience



> I cannot find words to express how senseless I think this auto-dialing
> prank is.  A man who supposedly supports the American Civil Liberties Union
> is performing illegal acts to suppress Jerry Falwell's right to freedom of
> etc.
> Is this the kind of democracy he wants to live in ?
> 
> 		Ken Cochran		mtuxo!kwmc

Have you ever heard of "civil disobedience" Ken?  This is where
an individual or group of concerned citizens acts illegally,
but non-violently and without hurting anyone, to obstruct 
the activities of an oppressive and harmful institution or
authority.
    Civil disobedience is an important part of democracy.
You may not agree with the politics of harrassing Falwell,
but recall he advocates all sorts of violent things
such as abortion clinic bombings.  Defending his
"freedom of speech" has little to due with his fund-raising
activies which, of course, support all sorts of
arch-conservative exploits.
    You may not agree with the above viewpoint, but if you
accept that a large number of people share it, then maybe
you can accept that this autodialing business is not a 
senseless attack on democracy.
    The whole point of civil disobedience is that society
allows enough personal freedom that people can break the
law, and will do it if they have a good enough reason.

steve pope