I invited David to reply to these previous messages: "The Objectivist Center applauds national IDs, torture, snooping?" http://www.politechbot.com/p-02709.html "Rudyard Kipling, the Objectivist Center, Ayn Rand & National ID" http://www.politechbot.com/p-02712.html The Objectivist Center article in question is here: http://www.objectivistcenter.com/pubs/jr_what_will_happen_now.asp "The prosecution of this war against the terrorists will not be in the hands of international bankers. It may involve extremely disquieting tactics: assassinations (which are already being discussed); secret trials (to prove we have the right guys without revealing to other terrorists how we know); and even torture (to avert imminent attacks, say)." --- From: "David Kelley" <dkelleyat_private> To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declanat_private> Subject: RE: National IDs Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 17:19:13 -0500 Mr. McCullagh: In response to your comments about The Objectivist Center and national ID cards: 1. The point Jim Robbins' statement about a national ID card was not to propose this measure but to mention it as a possibility, and even then only to illustrate how the war on terrorism might affect the trade-off between security and liberty. 2. Robbins's statement was one among many in a thoughtful article, and that article was one of many that the Center has published in Navigator and/or posted on its website. It is disappointing that so many libertarians seem to have fastened on this "red flag" issue and ignored everything else. 3. Robbins's statement does not express the Center's position, nor is the Center "talking up the need for more eavesdropping on Americans," as you assert on wired.com ("The Oracle of National ID cards, October 27). Our general policy is to publish a range of opinion, with the proviso that authors of signed articles speak for themselves. 4. The Center's actual position can be found in its position statement (http://www.objectivistcenter.org/pubs/position_statement.asp), the relevant section of which says, "The first responsibility of government is to ensure the security of its citizens—i.e., protect their right to life. In doing so, however, it must also respect their rights to liberty, property, and privacy. Measures that limit the latter rights are justified only if they are objectively required for security and are tailored to minimize restrictions on other rights." Whether or not a national ID card can satisfy this criterion is not an issue on which we have any position. I would appreciate your making this position known to your readers. Sincerely, David Kelley ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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