September 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

Man With Bin Laden Tattoo Being Held in SoCal
by Subcommander Bob 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/la-000077361sep27.story?coll=la%2Ded… Man With Bin Laden Tattoo Being Held in O.C. Inquiry: Authorities are trying to learn his identity. They won't say whether charges have been filed. Orange County investigators said Wednesday that they are trying to determine the identity of a man arrested after the Sept. 11 hijacking attacks who has a portrait of terrorist Osama bin Laden tattooed on his chest. Authorities released few details about the man, including where he is being held and whether criminal charges have been filed against him. But Orange County sheriff's officials said the man, who was allegedly carrying false identification when arrested, was brought to the county jail in the days after the attacks. There, deputies discovered a large portrait of the terrorist emblazoned on his chest with the name "Osama bin Laden" written below. Local and federal authorities are working to determine whether the man is associated with Bin Laden or with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, said Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo. <snip>

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Re: When the FBI Guys Come Knocking
by Declan McCullagh 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

On Thu, Sep 27, 2001 at 10:29:42AM -0400, Trei, Peter wrote: > Aimee may or may not be an agent, but this incarnation of An > Metet sure looks like an agent procovateur, trying to salt this list with > outrageous posts which Jeff Gordon and his merry men can later haul out > to show that anyone with contact with the list is a priori a bad guy. > > For the record, this kind of thing is very atypical on this list. Agreed. That kind of nasty rant would seem to be authored by an agent provocateur, or a very juvenile flamer. It's hardly representative of discussions here. -Declan

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Defeatist Compromising Commentary From Reason Magazine
by Matthew Gaylor 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

[Note from Matthew Gaylor: Again more defeatist compromising commentary. Reason Magazine's contributing editor Cathy Young writes: "Do I like the idea of people being able to encrypt electronic communications so that they are beyond surveillance? Frankly, I found it scary even before Sept. 11 - precisely because of the threat of terrorism. It is said that there are no atheists in foxholes; perhaps there are no true libertarians in times of terrorist attacks. Even in the Declaration of Independence, the right to liberty is preceded by the right to life." In this case I found Cypherpunk Tim May's <tcmay(a)got.net> sarcastic comment right on the money. Tim writes: "Between Cato arguing for victim disarmament and Reason arguing that "right to liberty is preceded by the right to life," I say we just kill them all and let Rand sort them out." If you find Ms. Young's comments against encryption disturbing please write to Nick Gillespie <gillespie(a)reason.com> Editor-in-Chief of Reason Magazine and David Nott <davidn(a)reason.org> President, Reason Foundation.] <http://www.reason.com/cy/cy092401.html> September 24, 2001 Civil liberties may take a hit By Cathy Young It's such a cliche to say that the reality hasn't sunk in yet -- but it's true. Despite all the devastating images, part of me still doesn't belive that the Twin Towers are no more, or that the station where I have so often arrived in downtown New York by local train station from New Jersey lies under a pile of rubble, or that thousands are dead in what is unquestionably the most devastating terrorist act ever committed, not just on American soil but anywhere. And there are so many other cliches that come so easily right now and that are true: above all, that the world will never be the same. As always, there are those who would exploit an unthinkable tragedy for their own hateful agendas. On the left, a few commentators, such as filmmaker-activist Michael Moore, have found this a good time to decry the sins of American capitalism and US foreign policy for which we are supposedly being punished by the world's dispossessed. On the right, a few so-called men of God have found this a good time to decry the "wickedness" of gays and lesbians, feminists, the American Civil Liberties Union, and abortion providers, for which we are supposedly being punished by the Lord. So far, however, the divisive rhetoric isn't finding many takers. Americans are united in mourning and just anger. The way we have come together to help and support those affected by the horror of last week's bombings shows us at our best as a people. And yet moments of national unity and resolve are always of concern to those of us who are concerned with the expanding powers of the state and the fate of individual rights and civil liberties. Historically, individual freedom has not fared well in wartime, understandably so. And whatever military action we may take at the moment, one of the fears is that a war against terrorism may be, at least for the foreseeable future, a permanent war. There are libertarians who say that it doesn't have to be that way. They argue that, if our government only withdrew from meddling in regions where we have no real interest, stop playing global policeman, and limited itself to providing for a national defense against foreign attack, we wouldn't be a terrorist target. Alas, this is a myopic position. Aside from whether a 21st century democracy can survive in isolation, the sort of people who carried out this monstrous act hate us for much more than our foreign policy. Note that their targets included not only the Pentagon and (apparently) Capitol Hill or the White House, but the World Trade Center - a symbol and a bastion of international capitalism, not of US military power. Philosopher David Kelley, director of the Objectivist Center, makes this point eloquently in an essay on the center's Web site, "The Assault on Civilization." (which strikes a chord whether or not one shares the center's philosophy, based on the writings of Ayn Rand). The fanatics behind the bombings, Kelley writes, hate the West's cultural power most - "our secular culture of freedom, reason, and the pursuit of happiness. They hate our individualism; what they want is an authoritarian society where thought and behavior are controlled by true believers." We could stay out of world affairs and they would still hate and fear our influence. What to do, then? To sacrifice our freedoms to fear of terrorism would destroy the very way of life that we seek to protect and hand the terrorists a victory. On the other hand, a free society is not a suicide pact. We will undoubtedly have to put up with tougher security at airports. The movements of foreign visitors will be scrutinized more closely. Perhaps most alarming to many civil libertarians, it's likely that the government will expand its ability to monitor electronic mail, which has been a controversial issue for some time. Do I like the idea of the government intercepting e-mail? No. But, as long as there's judicial oversight and due process, that's no different from its longstanding power to intercept regular mail. Do I like the idea of people being able to encrypt electronic communications so that they are beyond surveillance? Frankly, I found it scary even before Sept. 11 - precisely because of the threat of terrorism. It is said that there are no atheists in foxholes; perhaps there are no true libertarians in times of terrorist attacks. Even in the Declaration of Independence, the right to liberty is preceded by the right to life. Cathy Young is a contributing editor to REASON. This column appeared in the Boston Globe on September 19, 2001. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. --- ************************************************************************** Subscribe to Freematt's Alerts: Pro-Individual Rights Issues Send a blank message to: freematt(a)coil.com with the words subscribe FA on the subject line. List is private and moderated (7-30 messages per week) Matthew Gaylor, (614) 313-5722 ICQ: 106212065 Archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fa/ **************************************************************************

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'Cyberangels' to sponsor anti-OBL-hacking ad
by Trei, Peter 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47099,00.html A TV Plea for Patriot Hackers By Brian McWilliams 2:00 a.m. Sep. 26, 2001 PDT A new TV public service announcement targets U.S. computer hacktivists with a blunt message: Uncle Sam wants you to help fight the war on terrorism. But the spot, which organizers hope to begin airing nationwide next week on major networks, will warn that misguided patriotic efforts from software experts can hurt the cause. [...] The first of its kind to address the issue of hacking, the "Hackers Against Terrorism" spot will attempt to channel U.S. computer security gurus into productive rather than destructive action, said Parry Aftab, executive director of Cyberangels, an Internet safety and help organization that is sponsoring the ads. "The hacker community is very important in the fight against terrorism. But we want to get the message out that if they want to get busy doing good stuff, they should come to us and not try to take action on their own," said Aftab. [...] -------------------------------- A couple points: 1. Is this really the first anti-hacking PSA? I don't think so - I definitely remember anti piracy PSAs from the BSA. Have there been others? 2. 'Cyberangels' is (I think) the same group which a few years ago tried to claim to be leaders in the fight against online child porn. As desirable as protecting actual children may be, the group seemed astonishingly ignorant of the online world - one spokesman claiming that *.gif and *.jpg file extensions were codes which indicates hetero and homo kp respectively. I hope they've cleaned up their act since then. [I will note that their site SSL certificate for reporting online kp fails checking, since it's issued to 'stores.mindspring.com, not www.cyberangels.com]

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Re: FAA new rules and the nEW gEStApo (was Nail clippers
by mmotyka＠lsil.com 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

Yawn... xganon <nobody(a)xganon.com> wrote : >Hmm lets outlaw gelatin capsules on the grounds that they facilitate >turning human finger and toenails very hard and allow the use of same >as weapons(it does NOT take very much to tear the caratoid artery open) > Don't you mean carotid? >same for toothpicks and teeth.... >rolled up magazines facilitate lethal nerve strikes and >dont get me started on pens/pencils, chopsticks and forks :) > > anon > Recommended reading : Navy Seals Reference Manual NSRM123-54GXC-67453 101 Ways to Dismember Your Opponent With A Jelly Bean snore, whistle whistle whistle snore, whistle whistle whistle

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Microsoft the new Smith & Wesson?
by keyser-soze＠hushmail.com 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

I can't belive that some hungry lawyer hasn't filed a case accusing Microsoft, though their Flight Simulator software, of aiding and abetting the terrorists. Is it true they pulled their latest version which could fly into skyscrapers? Might become a ghastly collector's item.

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RE: When the FBI Guys Come Knocking
by Trei, Peter 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

> An Metet[SMTP:anmetet@freedom.gmsociety.org] > > On Tue, 25 Sep 2001, Aimee Farr wrote: > > >> It is discouraging to see the disdain in which many of you hold the FBI > >> during a time when we need cooperation and insight from nontraditional > >> sources. > > That's for sure. In fact, the FBI (and all other TLA's) are just as > much terrorists as the people who did up the WTC, and for all I know, > they *were* the ones who did up the WTC. At any rate, the USG is by > far the greatest threat to the peace and freedom of Americans in the > world today. Fuck them and all other LEO. If I saw a cop being kicked > to death by some dirt balls on the side of the road, I sure wouldn't > interfere or ever testify against them. > Get real Aimee -- death to all pigs, judges, prosecutors, and all > their ilk. > Aimee may or may not be an agent, but this incarnation of An Metet sure looks like an agent procovateur, trying to salt this list with outrageous posts which Jeff Gordon and his merry men can later haul out to show that anyone with contact with the list is a priori a bad guy. For the record, this kind of thing is very atypical on this list. Peter Trei

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Re: Smallpox?
by Trei, Peter 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

> Dr. Evil[SMTP:drevil@sidereal.kz] wrote: > > > I would not count on the 18th century cowpox/smallpox coupling to be > > valid today - viruses evolve, and that's not counting deliberate > > manipulations intended to produce more virulent strains. > > I was thinking about this some more, and I wonder if cowpox still > exists in the wild. > Sheesh. One thing that continually bugs me on this list is people asking questions which can be anwered by a couple minutes research. Google is your friend. Peter Trei ------------------------------------- http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/Website/tritzid/cowpox.htm DISEASE NAME: Cowpox (Vaccinia) ETIOLOGICAL AGENT: Cowpox virus. This is a pox virus that is antigenically similar to present vaccinia strains. DISEASE MANIFESTATIONS: Natural cowpox is no longer present in the U.S. However, it is still found in other parts of the world, especially England. It should not be confused with pseudocowpox (also known as milker's nodules or paravaccinia). It is found in both cattle and horses where it infects the udder and teats of the animals. It is spread by direct contact to humans. In the human it presents as a papulovesiculogranulomatous skin lesion at the inoculation site. It does not spread to other body parts from the initial lesion, which is usually located on the hand or fingers. TREATMENT: It is usually self limiting and no treatment is indicated except in immunocompromised patients. Then methisazone can be used.

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RE: Cooked/umodified lists? (was: Re: MIME-encoded PGP / GPG...)
by Trei, Peter 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

> Karsten M. Self[SMTP:kmself@ix.netcom.com] wrote > on Wed, Sep 26, 2001 at 01:15:54PM -0700, Meyer Wolfsheim > (wolf(a)priori.net) > wrote: > > > I'm not set up to run same, but I'm interested in finding one that > > > doesn't demime. > > > > http://www.ssz.com/cdr/index.html > I don't see a 'cooked' filter, unmodified, list. Am I missing > something? > How bad's the spam? > I'm on minder, specifically because I don't like someone else determining what I read, even with the best of intentions. Most mornings I come in to see 5-10 spam mixed in with the real traffic. It's usually very easy to spot, based on subject line, and gets deleted unread. Every 2-3 months, some spammer gets in a loop and plasters many, many identical messages, but that's easy to delete. ('Sort by Subject' is your friend). It costs me less than 30 seconds/day to get an uncensored list, which I regard as a bargain. YMMV. If I was on a slow dialup, or paid by the byte, I might think different. Peter Trei

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RE: Defeatist Compromising Commentary From Reason Magazine
by Trei, Peter 27 Sep '01

27 Sep '01

> Paul Spirito[SMTP:berezina@nihidyll.com] wrote: > > In fact, when was the last time terrorists struck Switzerland?* > Paul > Well, just a few hours ago, actually [for certain values of the word 'terrorism'.] ------------------------------------- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1566000/1566321.stm A gunman has gone on the rampage in a regional parliament in Switzerland, killing at least 14 people. Several others are said to have been injured by the man, who was disguised as a policeman, when he opened fire during a session of the assembly. The incident took place at the regional parliament building in the canton of Zug in central Switzerland, 25 km (16 miles) south of Zurich, at 1030 (0830GMT) on Thursday morning. Police say the man also detonated an explosive device. [...] There are unconfirmed reports that while he was shooting, the man demanded that an appeal he had recently filed be reviewed by parliament. [...] Swiss radio said the attacker had left behind a letter in which he spoke of a "day of rage against the Zug mafia". -------------------------- I Peter Trei

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