From: homestay@netcom.com
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 02:02:34 -0500
To: Philip Zimmerman <prz@pgp.com>
Subject: Re: Zimmermann's Senate testimony

Dear Mr. Zimmermann,

I admire you greatly for the work you have done and applaud your testimony
which was distruted on the internet. I would like to point out, however,
what I feel is a somewhat serious error you have made in terminology.

You refer to our form of government as a 'democracy' but this is not
correct: the US Federal government is what is termed a 'constitutional
republic'. The distinction between a constitutional republic and a
democracy is very significant.

At the Constitutional Convention, much time was spent debating how to avoid
the known perils of democracy, insofar as it was known to lead to
despotism. I believe that the current misrepresentation and abuse of
language is a deliberate and devious attempt to subvert our limited
Constitutional Republic and replace it with a 'democratic' despotism in
which public opinion is controlled through the mechanisms of the mass media
and power is centralized far beyond the limits imposed by the Constitution.

Please consider this exerpt from The Kentucky Resolution, written by Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison, which states:

     "Resolved that the several States composing the United States of
     America, are not united on the principles of unlimited submission to
     their general government; but that by Compact under the style and
     title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments
     thereto, they constituted a general government for special purposes,
     delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving to
     each State to itself the residuary mass of right to their own
     self-government; and that whensoever the general government assumes
     undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative void, and of no
     force; that to this Compact each State acceded as a State and is an
     integral party, its co-states forming as to itself the other party;
     that the government  created by this Compact was not made the
     exclusive or final judge of the extent of the power delegated to
     itself since that would have made ITS discretion, and not the
     Constitution, the measure of its power; but that as in all other cases
     of Compact among parties having no common judge, each party has an
     equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode
     and measure of redress."

Furthermore, when asked about the future of our 'democratic' form of
government, Benjamin Franklin responded:

"You have a Republic...if you can keep it!" -- Benjamin Franklin

There are many other historical sources which you might like to review on
this topic. I hope you will give serious consideration to these issues and
be more careful in your speech, for the sake of liberty.

homestay@netcom.com
(PGP Key ID = 0x21E272DD)