Re: Bartering in a cashless society

[mgraffam@idsi.net]

On Mon, 15 Feb 1999, Anonymous wrote:

> You can't eat strong encryption.  It may become completely irrelevant.  "I
> can't read your mail so
> I'll starve you."

A terrible, but not completely hopeless situation. It could be rather
profitable for some, really. 

Food would be available, if only to those who go along with Big Brother
and those with the clout (read: money, pronounced "organized crime") 
to bend the rules. The later, especially, will always have a certain
need for private exchange of messages. 

"Hello, Mr. Kingpin, sir.. sure, I can get a message to Mr. Underboss in
Atlanta for you, but it'll cost you 800 Big Macs."

Confirming our suspicion that if you outlaw crypto, only Mr. Kingpin
will have it. 

Michael J. Graffam (mgraffam@idsi.net)
"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that
it should become a universal law.." - Immanuel Kant "Metaphysics of Morals"