X-Message-Number: 23121 From: "John de Rivaz" <> References: <> Subject: Re: Message #23083 Boo Hoo Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 09:46:44 -0000 I am a bit behind with reading cryonet as a result of having had flu, but I hope it is not too late to comment on David Pizer's brush with a US law which prosecutes victims. If anyone else reads this message and cannot recall the original, then it can be found on http://www.cryonet.org Message #23083 I feel that the difficulty with "the law" is not just a problem for cryonics societies, but for everyone. As long as there are people who have forgotten the lessons of the 1930s and are quite happy to obey arbitrary orders, none of us are safe. If someone suggested that courts were administered entirely by computers, then there would be an outcry. But in reality, it seems that this is exactly what happened here, with people rather than integrated circuits being the operating elements of the "computer". It is easy to oppose this sort of thing if it can be related to a figure of hate, such as Saddam Hussein. But if it is being done with no particular label, then it passes undetected. You cannot say <the official> is a <Baathist> or whatever the current disgust of the month is. Unfortunately also, there are lots of people who derive satisfaction from hurting other people, and there are plenty of professions where they can not only get away with this but get paid for it. It is only inadequate people who do not have the ability and perseverance to join a profession who resort to activities such as rape and so on. There are endless examples in history of administrations where this sort of person predominates. I am sure that I don't need to list them. In extreme cases, there are so many of them at the top that people like Hussein can remain as Leader for decades. If he comes to trial, we may even find that people in authority in other countries get implicated in his crimes. This was certainly suggested by one commentator soon after he was captured. I would suspect that if any of us are ever revived from cryopreservation, then this problem with authority will have been solved in any future where this could happen. It will be one of the most interesting things to learn as to what the solution is. ----- In comment to the matter of individuals owning weapons of mass destruction, I would suggest that a car (automobile) is quite a good one if used on a street full of pedestrians. I would also comment on legalism again: it is illegal to drive a car when drunk, but perfectly legal if you suffer from flu or other diseases (which can also impair reaction time and judgement). Medical staff in the employment of the government actually tried to encourage me to do that. I had more sense and respect for the lives of other road users, but did not make myself popular as a result. -- 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 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23121