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From: jho@ihlpa.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Soviet and American Human Rights:re to Yoshi
Message-ID: <1146@ihlpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Feb-86 09:32:11 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpa.1146
Posted: Mon Feb 24 09:32:11 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Feb-86 05:15:51 EST
References: <1691@bbncca.ARPA> <536@whuts.UUCP> <1636@ihlpg.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 30

> Another very real threat is the enormous increase in research and development
> spending for the military on classified projects which Star Wars threatens
> to increase to even larger proportions.  As part of this militarization
> of research more and more restrictions are being placed upon rights to
> publish and basic academic freedoms.
> The point is to *avoid* becoming another Soviet Union, not to
> "defend ourselves" by simply becoming like the Soviet Union ourselves.
>         tim sevener   whuxn!orb

I don't disagree with Tim that there those who would like to restrict
our freedom in the US.  Tim is pointing mostly in the direction of
the military establishment, but I feel that if there is a danger, it
comes from the religious right.  I think it is possible to make intersting
analogies between the Soviet communists and the fundamentalist
religionist in the US.  You just have to substitute "Marxism, Leninism"
dogma by "Bible, God" dogma, and you will see what I mean.  Reagan
and others try to portray the US, that unlike the atheistic USSR, 
has the Bible and God on our side. In contrast, Gorbachev would justify
his actions as Marxist Leninist.  The emphasize on the distinction between 
the US and the USSR should be on freedom and the lack of freedom, rather
on dogmatic differences. 

Back to your point.  I think trying to equate the present condition in
the US to the USSR is an offense against human intelligence.  Naturally,
there some who would like to transform this country to a totaliterian
system,  but excluding a terrible catastrophe, I feel they would have
a difficult time achieving their goal.
-- 
Yosi Hoshen, AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois,  Mail: ihnp4!ihlpa!jho