[Meta] Re: [Patents] <no object>

[jtobey@john-edwin-tobey.org (John Tobey)]

On Thu, Aug 16, 2001 at 02:21:21PM +0200, Chris wrote:
> However, I am always surprised to see these kinds of messages, from time
> to time. Are we forced to read them ?  Aren't they a way to limit the
> access of abusing people, who seem not knowing what politness and
> friendly constructive talks mean ?

In this case, Bernard is well justified in the tone of his reply.
Greg had suggested that the strength of the US economy results from
its patent policy.  In fact, the country's politico-economic power is
maintained in many ways, not the least of which is its brutal foreign
policy, whose current victims include thousands of Iraqi children.

This generally comes as a surprise to people informed by the American
corporate press.  They tend to dismiss it as untrue or shrug it off as
"not affecting me personally".  They typically forget about it and
don't take it into account when arguing policy on international
mailing lists.  Bernard's reminder was well placed.

As for its curtness and rather shocking tone, this is due to the
difficulty of presenting simple facts that conflict with widely
accepted world views.  To list all the evidence of US-sponsored
atrocities and oppression around the world would require many volumes
and would persuade few readers whose interests the system serves.
Read Howard Zinn.  Read Noam Chomsky.  Cancel your NY Times
subscription, turn off your TV, and look elsewhere if you want the
facts.

Greg made an argument about the effects of patentability based on some
incorrect, or at best debatable, assumptions about how the world
works.  Bernard's reply sought to poke a pin in Greg's balloon.

Regards,
-John