Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 03:34:59 -0800
From: Joshua Houk <jlhouk-AT-mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: conscience & purity & FAQ




Andy wrote:

> I regularly used to compromise myself by signing the Official Secrets
> Act back in the 70s. You had to sign it to get temporary work on the
> Royal Mail at Xmas. I just crossed my fingers to show I didn't mean
> it. I believe Albert Meltzer had some trenchant views on the lack of
> nobility inherent in poverty, so work anyway.

Uh... run that Meltzer thing by me again? I'm sorry - my brain isn't
completely functional as of yet.

The oath signing doesn't bother me as much as it did the other day. Since I'm
very keen on the First Amendment to the US Constitution, I figure that
upholding that maybe ain't such a bad idea... (somebody's gonna prove me
wrong, I just know it). There was also a clause I had to sign stating that I
wouldn't participate in a strike against the federal gov't. Again, not a
problem: strikes against the feds are basically illegal and that won't get you
much leverage (see Reagan and the air traffic controllers strike in the mid
80s).

If, by some odd sort of chance I'm questioned about my beliefs, I figure
Tucker's "unterrified Jeffersonian democrat" phraseology should buy me at
least a couple more months on the job. :)

>  I was never sure what
> secrets being a temporary postie entailed. I could reveal that all
> their bicycles are painted red, which is I believe a technical breach
> of the act, and which might be a secret to purists who probably spend
> the wee small hours in lentil-filled rooms plotting general strikes
> and therefore don't get up early enough to see the post[wo]man.

I don't know exactly what I'm not s'posed to tell everyone about the US
Census, either. I guess it's okay to say that I now know the full meaning of
the word "bureaucracy".

Joshua H
jlhouk-AT-mindspring.com