X-Message-Number: 22519
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: reason for lack of information
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2003 21:28:15 +0100

In message #22511   berated both cryonics organisations
for lack of information, especially about current disputes.

The reason for this is nothing to do with cryopreservation and the way it is
supplied. The reason is because of the state of the legal profession in the
USA and elsewhere. The legal advisors of any organisation have to advise
their clients of what action they can take to ensure that they will win any
litigation that may ensue. That advice is for the clients to realise that
there is no such thing as free speech. A section of anything that they say
can be transcribed, forwarded or copied and quoted in a manner to suit the
other side's case.

For example, if a board of directors discussed how they can ensure that
their business remains within the law, the lawyers of any opposing side can
accuse them of "conspiring to pervert or contravene the law".

Lawyers are not moral or immoral, sensible or insane, they rigorously follow
rules designed to maximise their side's chance of winning, and hence their
salaries and career prospects. It is assumed that such a system enables "the
truth" to be determined in the shortest possible period of time.

Scientific method is much better at determining "the truth", but it is an
open ended process. This would be no good for law cases where determination
has to be in a set time. Quick determination can often be achieved by
perverting the truth and denying juries evidence as being unsafe or unsound.
What this really means is that within the time scale of the hearing, it is
not possible to judge the reliability of such evidence. Sometimes evidence
is withheld from juries because lawyers know that they are not sympathetic
to a particular law. (eg when a chronically beaten spouse defends herself
physically but illegally against her partner, the prosecutor will try and
render inadmissible the fact that she was constantly beaten.)

I have no doubt whatsoever that a better system than any of the current
legal systems anywhere in the world will be devised eventually. Of course I
don't know what it is -- if I did no doubt I would be able to become a world
leader.

But at the moment the legal systems that exist, whether motivated entirely
by financial greed or a true desire for the truth, are the best we have and
as cryonicists we have to work with them. And if that means we get no news
on the Internet, then we shouldn't complain to the cryonics service
providers, but to our elected representatives about the administration of
law in general. But if we are going to complain, then we also ought to think
of a better way of administering the law, as chaos and anarchy are certainly
not a better alternative environment for cryonics.

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

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