Opus 2014-242: DEFCON: Conflicting Messages, part 2 of 2

Which is most important, liberty or security.  DEFCON seems to be making the choice in favor of security.

But the two tracks are still there.  One presentation this year was from a group that had a three pronged approach to what they were doing.  They called it body, mind and soul.  The body prong was concerned about security and human life.  The mind dealt with freedom of research.  The soul had to do with civil liberties and freedom.  That was last year.  They had come back and decided they were going to concentrate on the first, security and human life.  Why did they make that decision?  Because it is a topic that appeals to everyone.  Security is the warm fuzzies, liberty is considered an option.

Most people have heard some version of a quotation attributed to Benjamin Franklin about the futility of giving up liberty for security. 

You can’t have both and I am afraid that the hacker community will end up going down the one that neutralizes them as a force for good change.

One speaker spoke of how the attitude of DEFCON used to be curiosity but now it is cynicism.  I would disagree.  I think it used to be freedom and now it is fear.

This shows the advance of the pagan world view.  For Christians, life is not everything.  There are higher values.  For the pagan, life is everything.  Safety becomes paramount, liberty takes a back seat.

At least two sessions trumpeted a quest for diversity.  This is at the acme of current politically correct speech.  I heard numerous speakers call for government action.  The changes have been worming their way into the conference for years.  It is getting more pronounced.

The rebels are becoming the establishment.

homo unius libri