X-Message-Number: 22841
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: Jews/Nazis Analogy
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 00:30:50 -0000

I would like to support David Pizer's analogy, although I do admit that it
isn't exact - few analogies are exact.  A terrible thing about the 20th
century seems to be that the lesson wasn't learned. Similar atrocities have
occurred in the former Yugoslavia, Africa, and other places since well after
the time of National Socialism. Their memory needs to be kept alive.

It is interesting to note that if an individual acquires too much power, eg
by the private ownership of an atom bomb, the authorities are quick to
react. In the UK mere ownership of a rifle is considered too much power for
an individual to have, and he isn't even allowed to use force to protect his
own property against criminals. The justification of the Iraq war was that a
whole nation was thought to have much power, the "weapons of mass
destruction".

Unfortunately there is no such limit on people actually in government,
except other more powerful governments (eg the Iraq situation). If officials
with too much power get irrational ideas, such as racialism, they can use
these powers to enforce their ideas often with horrific consequences. This
is the risk that cryonicists, and even life extensionists, face at the hands
of authorities - individuals with too much power using this power to enforce
their personal beliefs.

Memes are developing that are suggesting the rationing of lifespan, such as
Jo Spencely's letter to New Scientist last week. The execution of people for
achieving too great an age is a logical end point of ideas such as banning
life extension and other medical research. I see little difference between
that and executing people for happening to be of the "wrong" racial origin.

-- 
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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