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From: rupp@cod.NOSC.MIL (William L. Rupp)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Silly threats. Was Re: UUCP - USSR
Message-ID: <881@cod.NOSC.MIL>
Date: Fri, 30-Oct-87 18:04:39 EST
Article-I.D.: cod.881
Posted: Fri Oct 30 18:04:39 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Nov-87 04:30:03 EST
References: <875@cod.NOSC.MIL> <8710280303.AA01116@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <1987Oct29.123647.13632@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: rupp@cod.nosc.mil.UUCP (William L. Rupp)
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 29

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In article <1987Oct29.123647.13632@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> molnar@gpu.utcs.UUCP (Tom Molnar) writes:

 >Do you have any relatives behind the Iron Curtain?  Have members of
 >you immediate family been tortured by Communist  Secret Police? 
 >It is my opinion that you have a poor grasp of reality.  
 >
 >Tom Molnar

That is what disturbs me, namely that the enormity of Soviet brutality and 
hostility to individual freedom is badly underestimated by many people
in the West today.  A system that stubbornly refuses to change, even
when change is almost universally seen to be in the best long-term
interest of its people, is ominous.  When that system represents such a
large percent of the world population, land mass, and military might,
that fact is frightening.  We can and should try to work to bring all
nations together in peace and cooperation.  But blinding ourselves
to the reality that some nations are much more committed to human
freedoms than others will not further that aim. 

Sorry, if that seems political, maybe I should have bitten my tongue.  I
certainly *would* have bitten my tongue if I were a Soviet citizen.
Speaking out over there is much riskier.  

Bill
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I speak for myself, and not on behalf of any other person or organization
.........................How's that, Gary?
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