December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

IP: Potentially Big Security Flaw Found in Netscape Software
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com X-Sender: believer(a)telepath.com Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 11:24:13 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Potentially Big Security Flaw Found in Netscape Software Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: list Reply-To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/28java.html September 28, 1998 Potentially Big Security Flaw Found in Netscape Software By JOHN MARKOFF SAN FRANCISCO -- A potentially serious security flaw has been discovered in the programming language used in the Navigator and Communicator software of the Netscape Communications Corp., with the defect possibly allowing an outsider to read information on a personal computer user's hard disk. The weakness, which was disclosed in Usenet online discussion groups on Friday by Dan Brumleve, a 20-year-old independent computer consultant in Sunnyvale, Calif., can be exploited by the Javascript programming language, which is widely used by World Wide Web page developers for a variety of common tasks. Brumleve said that he had tested the attack on a range of Navigator and Communicator programs, up through the most recent test version of Communicator, 4.5, and found the flaw in all of them. The vulnerability does not affect the Microsoft Explorer browser and e-mail program, Brumleve said. He was able to take advantage of the vulnerability by writing a 30-line piece of Javascript code that is able to capture and copy information automatically from the so-called cache, or temporary storage area, on a PC's hard disk. The captured information can reveal which Web sites a computer user has recently visited. The captured information could also include data that a computer user might have created when communicating with a Web site -- including personal data typed in when registering at a site or conducting a retail transaction. Credit card information, however, would not be revealed, because it is protected by separate security software. "It concerns me, because it means that a high-traffic Web site might use this to find out what other Web sites their visitors are going to," Brumleve said in a telephone interview Sunday. He said that the flaw could also be used by an employer to see if employees were searching for pornography, for example. Although there is no evidence that the security flaw has actually been exploited by someone with harmful intent, the gravity of the threat was noted by other computer security specialists. They noted that a user's vulnerability extends beyond visiting a hostile Web site that might exploit the flaw. The flaw could also be exploited through e-mail received using Netscape's software, they said, by sending an intended victim an e-mail message that would secretly force the user to run an illicit Javascript program. "This is pretty scary," said Richard M. Smith, president of Phar Lap Software Inc., a software development company in Cambridge, Mass. "In some sense the cache on your computer tells a lot about your life." Privacy of personal information on the Internet has become an increasingly sensitive issue in recent years as many Web sites have begun systematically collecting demographic information on Internet users. But this newly discovered flaw could enable an unscrupulous person or organization to basically read a person's full Web history. "This is a huge privacy issue and it goes directly to the current lack of adequate technical standards to protect privacy on line," said Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public policy group in Washington. "There's even a question of a company like Netscape might be liable for the improper disclosure of private information." Netscape said Sunday that it was still assessing the problem. "We're taking a look at the bug, which appears to have privacy implications," said Eric Byunn, a Netscape product manager. He said that the company would make an announcement soon about its plans for responding to the flaw. Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ********************************************** --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)philodox.com> Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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IP: Bin Laden aide 'tried to buy atomic arms'
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com X-Sender: believer(a)telepath.com Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 11:34:26 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Bin Laden aide 'tried to buy atomic arms' Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: list Reply-To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: London Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000150689433551&rtmo=f3rowsfs&atmo=99999 999&P4_FOLLOW_ON=/98/9/28/wbin28.html&pg=/et/98/9/28/wbin28.html Bin Laden aide 'tried to buy atomic arms' By Hugh Davies in Washington OSAMA bin Laden, the wealthy Saudi exile sought by the FBI for allegedly masterminding the bombing of two United States embassies in Africa, has used one of his top aides to try to procure nuclear weapons, according to American officials. Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, 40, was arrested in Munich last week at the behest of the FBI and CIA. German officials are eager to extradite him to New York. In a criminal complaint against him, federal authorities accuse him of plotting with bin Laden since 1992 to murder Americans and use weapons of mass destruction. Salim is described as having helped to found bin Laden's terrorist network, Al-Qaida. He was "particularly influential" with the leader, working as his senior deputy. He allegedly sat on the group's majlis al shura, a body that planned all terrorist operations and fatwas, death sentences against anyone found to have offended Islam. In late 1993, he agreed to a scheme in which the group would attempt to obtain enriched uranium "for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons". The US said that a document in federal hands related to a proposed purchase. It was sent to Salim for review. After reading the details, he indicated that the purchases should go ahead. Federal officials did not elaborate on whether the move was successful. The Americans claim that Salim was a key advocate within Al-Qaida for getting Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims to set aside age-old rivalries to join bin Laden in operations against America and Israel. He was also a main figure in negotiating an alliance with Iran, meeting Iranian religious officials in Khartoum and travelling to Teheran to arrange training for his operatives in bombing techniques at camps in Lebanon run by Hezbollah. The link with Iran comes at a sensitive time for bin Laden. The Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, who have given him a safe haven, are at loggerheads with Iran over the regime's support for enemy militias. Intriguingly, the complaint discloses that the FBI had an informer in bin Laden's group as early as 1996. He was described as a member for "a number of years" and "personally familiar" with both the leader and Salim. This raises questions about how much Washington knew about bin Laden's activities before the bombings in Africa. © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 1998. Terms & Conditions of reading. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ********************************************** --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)philodox.com> Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Blacklisted spam victim wants his day in court (fwd)
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:14:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Declan McCullagh <declan(a)well.com> To: politech(a)vorlon.mit.edu Subject: Blacklisted spam victim wants his day in court http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/0,2326,201980928-14646,00.html TIME Digital's Netly News September 28, 1998 Blacklisted Spam Victim Wants His Day in Court By Declan McCullagh (declan(a)well.com) When Craig Harmer got spammed, he did what all of us should do: he fired off a nasty email to the perp and the perp's Internet provider. "I was trying to get his web site connectivity yanked," says Harmer, a 35-year old Unix programmer who didn't really think much of it at the time. But the spammer remembered. Harmer says someone named Michael Reed was behind the bulk email, and accuses Reed of retaliating by using Harmer's Internet site as a mail relay, pumping megabytes of forged sex spam through it and letting Harmer take the rap. [...remainder snipped...]

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Re: faggots
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

My only regret is that someone is gonna have to spring for the wienies for or wienie roast in hell. This guy's is obviously too small to use. At 05:14 PM 9/26/98 -0700, Tim May wrote: >At 12:48 PM -0700 9/26/98, CSapronett(a)aol.com wrote: >>My only regret is that I wont get to watch you all burn in hell !!! > > >Oh, but you will. > > >--Tim May > > >(This space left blank pending determ. of acceptability to the gov't.) >---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- >Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, >ComSec 3DES: 831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero >W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, >Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. >

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Re: Website owner/administrator
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

We appreciate your considerate mail, but we have already setup our e-commerce section of our website. However, we would really appreciate some feedback. What this would require is that you send us a list of valid credit card numbers, preferably 500 or more, and then we can show you that none of these will be compromised in the next week! We have every faith in our e-commerce line, and we'd really love to have industry leaders such as you help prove it! Please send the list, along with expiration dates, to cypherpunks(a)toad.com. Thank you, Cypherventures, Ltd. At 02:21 PM 9/27/98 -0500, BigStar.com wrote: >Join the BigStar Network! > >If you don't already have an e-commerce plan, BigStar.com can put you in >the game now! You're probably already familiar with affiliate programs like >Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. > >BigStar is an online VIDEO superstore offering web sites like yours the >opportunity to become affiliates and earn commissions of 8% (or more) on sales >generated by your site this is your chance to make online e-commerce work >for you! > >This is a completely COST-FREE opportunity. For more information or to >sign up, go to http://www.bigstar.com/aff/index.ff?banid=1060 > >Big Movies, Big Selection, Big Deals, Big Fun! > >========================================= >BigStar is a responsible Direct Marketer and adheres >strictly to industry-established e-mail guidelines. >To unsubscribe from our list, just reply to this >message with the word "remove" in the subject line >to the above address >========================================= >

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Re: Police would never exagerate ? Guess what...
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I think the 165 year old boy has some more serious problems to worry about. Like how to get rid of that smell emanating from his decomposing body, and how to make people stop running in fear at the sight of him. Nobody like a zombie. At 11:17 PM 9/27/98 -0400, Jean-Francois Avon wrote: >==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== >>Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 09:57:46 +0930 >>From: SSAA <Sporting.Shooters.Association(a)adelaide.on.net> >>Subject: NEWS - Toy Pistol case dismissed >>Reply-to: Sporting.Shooters.Association(a)adelaide.on.net > >THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, Sydney. Sept 27.by Wayne Jones. >A MAGISTRATE has dismissed charges against a 165 year old boy who faced >jail for possessin a toy cap gun. >The magistrate, Hal Halenstean, made the decision after hearing what he >described as a "silly case" on Friday. >"We all have better things to do", Mr Halenstein said, >The boy, who cannot be identified bought the toy cap gun from a toy >stall at Victoria's Dandednong Market on May 12. >Minutes later, police looking for drug dealers found the cap gun in the >boy's jacket. They charged boy with several firearm offences which carry >a jail sentence. >In court, Mr Halenstein twice gave prosecutors on opportunity to >withdraw the charges against the boy, but police indicated they would >continue to contest the case. >Using special provisions of the Sentencing Act, Mr Halenstein then >dissmissed the charges. >The boy's barrister, Arend Slink, said the court case had set a >precedent under the new gun laws. Toy cap guns could no longer be >classed as prohibited weapons, he said. >"If there is any sinister intent there are a range of serious charges >that a person could be charged with. "Mr Slink" said"But in the case of >a child possessing a toy cap gun a precedent has now been clearly set". >The Sunday Telegraph reported on May 24 the boy could face jail if found >guilty of the swrioud gun charges, which included: ># Being a non-prohibited person did possess/carry a handgun which was >not registered. ># Being a non-prohibited person did possess/ carry a handgun which ge >did not have a licecnce for under part two of the Firearms Act 1996. ># Did own a handgun whilst not authorissed by a licence under the >Firearms Act 1996 to possess a firearm. >Police had alleged the toy gun was consedered an imitation firearm inder >strict new gun laws and therefore deemed to be a prohibited weapon. >The toy gun bought by the boy is one of thousands soldacross the state. >The boy said he had bought the toy cap gun with pocket money. >THE END. >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >View Democrat Firearm Policy >www.ssaa.org.au/dempolicy.html >Print, copy and distribute. > > >===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE=================== > > >Jean-Francois Avon, B.Sc. Physics, Montreal, Canada > DePompadour, Société d'Importation Ltée > Limoges fine porcelain and french crystal > JFA Technologies, R&D physicists & engineers > Instrumentation & control, LabView programming >PGP keys: http://bs.mit.edu:8001/pks-toplev.html >PGP ID:C58ADD0D:529645E8205A8A5E F87CC86FAEFEF891 >PGP ID:5B51964D:152ACCBCD4A481B0 254011193237822C >

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propose: `cypherpunks license' (Re: Wanted: Twofish source code)
by Adam Back 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Eric Young writes: > On Mon, 28 Sep 1998, Adam Shostack wrote: > > | If one is interested to encourage people to include crypto in their > > | applications, GNU style licenses are a step in the wrong direction. > > > > I wholeheartedly agree. Theres a number of packages out there I'd > > love to be able to use in products I'm building. Code re-use, > > customers not having to worry about what libraries we're using, and > > convincing management to free some of the stuff we're doing, are all > > good arguments in favor. The contamination bits of the GPL utterly > > prevent us from doing this. BSD, PD, or Artistic licenses are far > > preferable. > > :-) A certain person I work closely with likes to call it a virus. > Once a package is infected by some GPL code, it takes over the whole package > (according to the licence). That concisely says what is wrong with GPL for the purposes of crypto deployment to head off government key grabbing attempts. It is a license virus. A license virus with this aim: to propogate the license allowing free access to source code, and (the killer for crypto deployment!!) propogating the provision that anyone has the ability to re-sell any source code based on GNU source code. The negative implications of GPL don't hit you until you are involved in actually trying to create some commercial software. Try it, and you quickly realise that all that GNU software is useless for the commercial people's purposes. Consider: GNU says that all of their source must be GNUed if any of the code you use is. So now they have a GNU license on their software, and the other provision of the license means that anyone is allowed to take the software they are selling and re-sell it! It is indeed no wonder that their lawyers have fits. (There is a difference between GNU and GNU Library. GNU library allows you to use a library without infecting your entire software. GNU library is sort of usable.) I used to be quite pro-GNU until I tried this exercise (writing commercial crypto software for software companies) and ended up re-writing huge tracts of stuff just to remove the GNU license virus. This extra expense, hassle, etc likely kills many commercial crypto projects, and the whole aim of the game is to encourage commercial people to add crypto to their software. This aim often conflicts with RMS/FSF's aims. I have from time to time proposed the idea of a `cypherpunks license' which embodies cypherpunk goals, as distinct from RMS's particular concept of `free source', noble tho' this aim is, it conflicts with the crypto deployment aim, which for many of us takes precedence. (GNU source is actually highly restricted source -- but it guarantess that you can get it, and stops other people preventing you from getting source for derived works). All stuff I have written (non-commercially) so far has been PD. (Actually I don't even dignify it with a `this is PD' note -- I personally have zip respect for copyright, patents, licenses). However, perhaps one could do one better than PD: restrict use to propogate cypherpunk goals. eg. - You may not use this code in software which provides government back doors. And perhaps, as a condition of the license the software should display some anti-GACK slogan :-), or a URL for a site with lots of documentation on key grabbing attempts, clipper I - IV, ECHELON, etc. And perhaps: - secret service agencies can not use this software / or must pay exorbitant license fees > I've seen some people in the GNU camp argue that the BSD type licence gets > ugly because of all the 'includes code from xyz' type messages, but my > experiance is that comercial people can overcome this, but not the GPL. Agree, same experience here. > I changed from the GPL quite some time ago, primarily because I was > getting sick of email from people wanting to use a library of mine > but their legal people were going into spasms because of the full > implications of the GPL. I was saying to Werner in email that SSLeay is probably the most widely used crypto package in both commercial and non-commercial software. I suggested that if you had used GPL, the commercial use would have been greatly hindered. You backed this up above. btw. I consider this discussion is highly topical for coderpunks -- the license put on software hugely impacts it's value, and coderpunks was originally intended (by it's proposers) to provide a lower noise environment for cypherpunks interested in code. Of late it appears to me that coderpunks has almost lost interest in it's cypherpunk origins -- few to none of the comments relate to creating crypto code to further a political aim. `cypherpunks write code ...' for a reason, and I suspect some coderpunks have lost sight of that reason, or perhaps many have joined more recently and never had sight of it, crypto coding being just a job to them. In all it might seem even that coderpunks has had a negative impact on the amount of crypto coding happening -- it ciphoned off coders who had been active on cypherpunks into a low volume, apolitical mailing list where nothing much happens, and propsed projects quickly die. The role of the coderpunks retro-moderators, though well meaning of course, I think has not helped either, in that even questions about export (surely relevant for usefulness of code) are flagged as off-topic. Adam

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Twofish News: New Twofish Analaysis and the Cryptanalysis of Magenta
by Bruce Schneier 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

There are two new papers on the Twofish website: - The second Twofish Technical Report, where we give the results of our empirical verification of some Twofish key uniqueness properties. This result gives us further confidence that there are no related or weak keys. - An initial cryptanalysis of Magenta, one of the other AES submissions. This short paper was written at the first AES workshop, hours after the Magenta algorithm was first released. Certainly there are improvements to this attack, and beginning cryptography students would do well to work on this algorithm. Both of these papers are on the Twofish website: http://www.counterpane.com/twofish.html Also, the Twofish Pentium assembly code had a small bug in it; revised code is available on the website. We are interested in other implementations of Twofish. If anyone has ported the algorithm to Visual Basic, Perl, Motorola assembly, or any other smart card processor, and is willing to make their code public, we'd be happy to hear from them. For other AES news, visit the NIST website at: http://www.nist.gov/aes And for a free subscription to my free email monthly newsletter, CRYPTO-GRAM, visit the subscription page at: http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram.html Cheers, Bruce ********************************************************************** Bruce Schneier, President, Counterpane Systems Phone: 612-823-1098 101 E Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55419 Fax: 612-823-1590 Free crypto newsletter. See: http://www.counterpane.com

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propose: `cypherpunks license' (Re: Wanted: Twofish source code) (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 19:45:20 +0100 > From: Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> > Subject: propose: `cypherpunks license' (Re: Wanted: Twofish source code) > The negative implications of GPL don't hit you until you are involved > in actually trying to create some commercial software. Try it, and > you quickly realise that all that GNU software is useless for the > commercial people's purposes. There are quite a few commercial apps built for the GNU environment, Wordperfect, Applixware, at least 2 X-window environments, etc. The way to program for the GNU license in the commercial world is not to use the libraries and such directly but rather built the necessary stubs into the GPL code. That they'll be there when you (and potentialy others might need them). In the case of GNU/cash for example the trick is not to build the crypt into the app but rather built the necessary *general* stubs in that allow access to the data flow. Then a user can put a mulitplicity of packages onto the appropriate stubs as they desire. This would allow a couple of individuals for example to build a micro-e$ system to track their CD trades/borrows or whatever (contrived but exemplary). This could be applied in more commercial ventures within the context of e$ tokens that could be used within that business for purchases (pawn shops, video arcades, movie rentals, etc. might find this useful) that are currently physical token or credit based. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, It has been asserted that the use of GNU code within a project causes that product to be GPL'ed and as a result the GPL is not commercialy viable. This is an incorrect interpretation. The GPL does say that if you use GPL'ed code in your project then the project is GPL'ed, it does NOT say that if you make function calls into a GPL'ed library that the product is GPL'ed. This distinction makes fully commercial and source-secure products within the GPL infrastructure possible and feasible. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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One Nation Update
by Scott Balson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Dear One Nation supporters in NSW Later today Pauline Hanson will launch the One Nation campaign in Gatton. In the meantime there are two new pages on the Internet worth visiting The day Pauline Hanson defeated the politically correct lobby <A href="http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/onenation/federal/28sept">http://www.gwb.com.au/gwb/news/onenation/federal/28sept Liberals and Nationals lump law abiding firearm owners in with paedophiles <A href="http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/press/290998.html">http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/press/290998.html (With a link to the Liberal web site page) Please have a look at further policy updates at: <A href="http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/policy.html">http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/policy.html and don't forget the Federal Election pages at: <A href="http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/federal">http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/federal Finally, on Saturday you can participate in real time chat with hundreds of others, View: <A href="http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/forum.html">http://www.gwb.com.au/onenation/forum.html to find out how. GWB Scott Balson Pauline Hanson's One Nation Web Master

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No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Flowers for Alger Anon - FPP#3 The two youths ducked quickly behind a tree to avoid being spotted by the senile old fart who had finally given up on finding his shoes and climbed barefoot up the step-ladder to begin drilling out the cannon muzzle on the War Surplus Army Tank he had recently acquired. As he labored he mumbled grouchily to himself about how he was going to "show that Commie Bastard, Igor", and all of the other former residents of The Home(TM) what he thought of their efforts to take over "his" CypherPunks Mailing List. "Distributed, my ass!" the old fart scowled as he climbed down the ladder, then grinned madly as he patted the stack of shells sitting next to the tank. "I'll distribute those bastards...They should'a Checked The Archives", he said, pausing to scratch his head and add, "TradeMark". Then continuing, "before they fucked with me. Then they'da seen how I ChopChopped them Torah- Torah Bastards when they tried to muscle in on my list." "It's 'mine'!" the grouchy, paranoid old fart shouted, turning his head around quickly in all directions, as if challenging, and half-expecting, Unseen Beings to dispute his claim. The two youngsters ducked and tried not to giggle as they ran down the hill, finally collapsing on the dirt road near the bottom and venting their laughter. Tim C. May was the most hilarious of the Cypher Punks they'd investigated so far, but 'all' of the CPUNX were "more than suitable", as Carol Anne Cypherpunk had declared while they were evaluating Jim Choate, "for slicing and buttering, and placing on a tray of Christmas snacks." Blanc Weber had agreed heartily with the new coconspirator (sometimes spelled with a hyphen), in their 'Quest to Question Anonymity', as the Army o' Dog-Bitch Battallion Warrior Godesses, as they had proclaimed them- selves, had Code Named their Chosen Mission From Dog. Carol Anne, choosing Androgyny over Anonymity, changed her name to Carroll for The Mission, vowing to balance the Tao by taking on any tasks requiring "male energy", which, on a CypherPunks Mission From Dog(TM), Carroll stated with a straight face, might include "blowing Dimitri". The Girls(Maybe) split a gut laughing over Blanc's reply that, being of a more peaceful nature than the 'Nuke DC Clique', they might have to "blow" their way out of dangerous situations by the use of Soft Targets rather than with Heavy Weaponry. Then they decided to get serious, before they, too, became candidates for The Home. Blanc Weber, a veteran Cypher Punk Cult of One Neophyte(TM) had felt slighted when the Author, a relative newcomer to the CPUNX list (at least under his 'TOTO' persona), had chosen to initiate two male Cypher Punks, Back and McCrackin, into his 3-Entity Circle of Eunuchs Gorilla Cell, instead of including Blanc, who had established a fairly close rapport with TOTO in their private email exchanges. Even more to Blanc's surprise, disappointment, and suspicion, TOTO failed to respond even to her offer to engage in joint Army of Dog Maneuvers with him across various Electronic Boundaries of the InterNet. She had begun to suspect that TOTO's lack of response to her Digital Warrior overtures were the result of something more sinister than simple male chauvinism. Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught up with TOTO, using his CJ Parker alias, at Defcon 6.0, as he was Pontificating, under the guise of 'Chief Cypher Punks Spokes Person', on the 'Anonymizer', for a guillible group of young hackers. "It is run by a HedgeHog riding Lance's Coat Tails, since Lance invented that thing that hangs on the back of toilet bowls, and the Anonymizer is the Blue Thing that hangs on the back of the hard drive. Blanc, stunned that TOTO, who claimed to be the Author, was a Total Fucking Moron (TM), listened as he continued . "The Anonymizer prevents Peeping TOMS from being able to tell whose hairy dick is making a bad smell on the carpet of the recipient's computer, after No Mail from NoBody comes out of the Email Chutechute. Blanc realized that CJ Parker was also a Total Fucking Lunatic(TM) as he glanced furtively around to whisper a dire warning to the spellbound young hackers hanging on his everyword. "And the Peeping Toms are everywhere. "As a matter of fact", he added glancing quickly over both shoulders, "when you can't see them at all..." he paused for effect, "...then you know that they're 'good'". "Real good", he added, turning to direct his wild-eyed stare at Blanc, who had just finished going through his knapsack while he was distracted. Blanc had hurried away, deeply disturbed by what she had found in TOTO's bag. It wasn't just stationery from The Home--it was 'personalized' stationery from The Home for the Criminally Insane. Blanc Weber's confusion and suspicions deepened when her attempts to warn other CPUNKS about TOTO were ignored by all except the few apparent females on the list, such as Carol Anne Cypherpunk and World Renowned Bottle Collector Lynn Harrison (who was long rumored to have joined the male-dominated mailing list only as a forum to trade her panties to young CPUNX in the throbbing throes of puberty, in return for the Standard Issue Klien Bottles, they received upon joining the Digital Anarchist Union, Local 01, rumored to be headquartered in Bienfait, Saskatchewan). When The Girls(Maybe) of the Bitch Battallion took to the road to investigate the remaining CypherPunks, they quickly discovered that 'all' of the verifiable Meat Space Personalities they positively linked to the various Cyperpunks Consistent Net Personas (TM) were, in fact, certifiably Cuckoo Cock Suckers(TM) in MeatSpace Reality. With the only readily apparent link between them being their connection to the Home for the Criminally Insane. Some of the MeatSpace Personalities behind the Digital Personas on the CPUNX Mailing List--Ian Goldberg, Alec de Jeune, Ulf Moeller, Peter Trei and Jim Choate--were Highly Social Sociopaths, capable of putting ona suit and tie, if need be, and glad-handing business people and purchasing agents (all the while slitting their sleeping throats, in the Dark Corners of their mind). John Gilmore, Declan McCullagh, Robert Hettinga, Vin McClellan, even Froomkin--all of the Mainstream Dream/Actively Connected To Society/Cypherpunks MeatSpace Verifiable Identities, without fail, shared the same connection to The Home as id the Lithium Dream/Social Outcast CPUNX Meatballs such as T.C. May, A.T. Hun, Wm Geiger III, S. Sequencr, JYA, and the late Dale Thorn (whose mysterious death was rumored to be the work of the Shadowy Figures(TM) lurking behind the ctrl-alt-delete.com website). Blanc and Carroll watched in total amazement as Jim Choate's ludicrous/inane computer and business theories seemed to be somehow transformed, by unseen hands working behind the scenes, into fully functional and viable RealWorld(TM) concepts, in Choate's work with the Armadillo Group. The Unseen Hands made The Girls(Maybe) very, very nervous. What pushed the Army of Dog-Bitch Battalion Warrior Godesses beyond nervousness, toward Paranoia & Fear, was the fact that the MeatSpace Personalities behind the Digital Personas of the CypherPunks inevitably appeared to be verifiable outside of The Home 'only after the CPUNKS PERSONA'S original appearance on the mailing list'. A Cloaked Anonymous Random Source(TM) that The Girls(Maybe) knew only as Digital Throat, speaking to Larynx in an UnderGround Reptilian Nazi Parking Garage in DC (after having been fooled into believing she was talking to Defcon McCullagh Chain Saw). told them, "I was the head of the Personelle Department at Intel, at the time Tim May claims to have been there. "Even though we couldn't spell the name of our Department right, let alone the names of the employees, I never forget a face, and Tim C. May definitely was never employed at Intel. "As a matter of fact", Digital Throat revealed, "when Intel's Legall Department sent Mr. May a letter that warned him to Cease & Decist with his claims, he showed up on our doorstep, barefoot, in a MailMan's Uniform, with a Veritable ShitLoad(TM) of heavy weapons and arms, and, after that, as far as most of us were concerned, if Tim c. May said he was the goddam 'President' of Intel, then he was the goddam President--end of story." Blanc Weber and Carol Anne Cypherpunk found the same patterns repeated time and again in their investiga- tions of CypherPunks MeatSpace Ident Histories. Records, Information and Data-- such as birth certificates, school records, credit and employment histories-- were not only 'existant', but were inevitably 'consistent' with claims made in posts to the CPUNKS mailing list, in regard to the MeatSpace Ident Histories behind the Digital Personas. However, once The Girls(Maybe) had begun researching the Human Historical Records of the MeatSpace Ident Histories--speaking to alleged friends, family, coworkers, and the like--the paper Trails quickly unravelled, and the Physical Ident Histories of ALL of the male subscribers to the CypherPunks Disturbed Male LISP were, in the end, traceable 'only' back to the Home... <EOF>

6 6

Superterrorism
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The Fall issue of Foreign Policy has an article, "The Great Superterrorism Scare," which critiques the national "obsession" with the threat of terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction: http://jya.com/superterror.htm (36K) It examines the reasons for the obsession, who is promoting it, who benefits, and what problems it may cause by diverting attention and resources away from genuine threats of lesser magnitude from religious cults, loners, antitaxers, militias and those with raging paranoia against the government. It's worth noting that the author recommends arrests be allowed of suspicious domestic hostiles though there is no proof of criminal intent, and that the FBI and CIA be freed from limitations on surveilling and investigating US citizens.

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Why GNU GPL is bad for crypto deployment
by Adam Back 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Someone asked me in email why I said on coderpunks & cypherpunks: > > If one is interested to encourage people to include crypto in their > > applications, GNU style licenses are a step in the wrong direction. And as I wrote a longish explanation, I thought I'd share it: Here is problem: say that our goal is to maximise deployment of software with crypto built in, especially commercial software. So people write libraries, and software say like Eric Young's SSLeay, or Werner Koch's GNUGP (OpenPGP implementation). Some of these people then use GNU license because that is the friendly net ethos of the way to do it. (And in general I agree, but there is a conflict here...) So now the license on the libraries or software that they've written (specifically to encourage commercial companies to add crypto) are evaluated by the prospective companies lawyers. The lawyer observes that, GNU license says: 1) thou shalt adopt the GNU license for your whole source tree, if there is one line of GNU derived code in it. (or words to effect). And he goes ... hmmm ... so what else does GNU license say if we put our source under GNU license. It also says: 2) source shall be available for shipping and handling fee only (or words to effect) and he grumbles, and maybe causes the project to be scrapped, if the company has ideas on keeping source code secret (though we all know this is not a good idea especially for crypto code, such companies exist, these the parameters we are mostly working within). so if the project is still ok by the lawyer, he examines the license some more, and it says: 3) it shall be allowed for anyone to take and re-distribute any GNU software charging what they like. (or words to effect) And he goes (floating point exception... core dumped!) Because it means that his companies software can be legally copied and re-sold with no financial benefit to his company. Which is why companies won't touch GNU license stuff with a barge pole. Note that there are two licenses promoted by FSF: the GPL (GNU General Public License) and the GNU LGPL (GNU Library General Public License). The GNU LGPL is as I commented in an earlier post just about usable for commercial purposes, because it does not infect the source tree using the code with the LGPL (or GPL) because it allows specifically for providing only the code for the library and not the rest of the code, and does not demand that the rest of the code use the same license. However Werner is using GPL for G10 aka GNUPG (at least as of g10-0.0.0 which is the version I have). So the plea is, if you are going to use GNU, at least use GLPL and NOT GPL. Well, it's your code, and you wrote it, so it's your choice: my comments are based on the assumption that the author is more interested in crypto deployment than in the GNU license virus as a means of promoting the availability of source code. Adam

3 2

Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 00:45:55 +0100 > From: Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> > Subject: Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction > There are two distinct licenses promoted by the FSF. They are the GNU > GPL (General Public License) and the GNU LGPL (Library General Public > License). > > As you suggest the LGPL is usuable. I'm suggesting both are usable for commercial code development, just don't put GPL'ed source code in your source code. There is NO limitation of the GPL or the LGPL that prevents a commercial product from making calls into the GPL'ed library. The problem with your interpretation is that in a sense you want your cake and eat it too. In short you want to be able to use somebody elses code in your product without their having a say in how their code is used or receiving a cut of the profits. The GPL/LGPL is specificaly designed to prevent this. If you use their code (not the binaries, though you will be required to provide source to those binaries if you distribute it with your product though this won't include the binaries to your commercial product) then you must release your code - an extension of derivation. If you desire to produce commercial secure-source code compatible with a GPL license then simply don't ship *any* GPL with your product and use no GPL source or LGPL'ed library in source form in that product. The point to the L/GPL is not to prevent commercial code development but rather to prevent somebody from taking a library some programmer written and released for non-commercial (a distinction not permited under public domain) use while retaining control over that source so that if somebody, like yourself, bops along and decides they can make a million with it the original programmer gets a cut or you loose your million. How does the original programmer get a cut? Simple, the commercial entity contacts the programmer and licenses a non-GPL'ed version of the library. Bottem line, don't steal other peoples code to make money without paying them for their effort. It's that simple. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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IP: The virtual president
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Jean Staffen <jstaffen(a)flash.net> Subject: IP: The virtual president Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 22:22:11 -0500 (CDT) To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com This is the most INCREDIBLE article. I never thought I'd read something like this in the mainstream media!!! -Jean The virtual president=20 =20 By Missy Kelly=20 Copyright 1998, WorldNetDaily.com=20 "You know, by the time you become the leader of a country, someone else makes all the decisions." -- Bill Clinton September 4, 1998=20 Well, shut my mouth. The president of the United States admits publicly that he is the puppet of larger powers -- that "someone else," in fact, "makes all the decisions."=20 Of course, those who understand how power really works in this nation recognize the veracity of his statement immediately. But for Bill to state it so openly is truly remarkable -- not just for its honesty, but for its recklessness.=20 In a glib and Freudian moment, it just slipped out.=20 It appears Bill is "getting it."=20 Clinton was reminded the week of Aug. 25 that The Agenda Transcended the Man. He was given a heads-up that his removal from office would have to happen. The New York Times intoned, "But if there is no hope for the agenda, what need is there for the man?" Garry Wills also called for his resignation, writing, "[Clinton] would be saying that the goals he fought for are more important than personal pride or prerogatives." Other former sycophants in the press piped up using minor variations of the same phraseology: Clinton should resign because the "agenda" transcends the man. The Agenda is paramount.=20 Yet, Bill still didn't "get it" -- that in his pact with the devil, the devil held the upper hand. In typical Bill psycho-fashion, he thought he could once again charm his way out of removal; and make a "show of force" to prove to his masters that he still had the right stuff to salvage his career and continue with the Agenda. To that end, his White House staff -- a separate operation from the power brokers -- was told by Bill to pull out all stops to save his presidency.=20 But suddenly there were leaks to the Washington Post that there were more bimbos than just Monica in Bill's White House closets. "I never had an affair with the President, but all the others who have get to stay," Monica allegedly whined to Clinton aide Marsha Scott while pleading to be returned to a White House position.=20 More forcefully, the power brokers served Bill notice that their demands for removal were to be taken seriously when the Department of Justice, out of the blue, announced that the President himself -- Bill Clinton -- was the subject of a NEW 90-day investigation into campaign donation illegalities. On three -- count 'em -- three separate prior occasions, Attorney General Janet Reno had formally investigated such charges and declared there was "nothing there." Publicly, no new information had come to light, but suddenly there was the alarming notion that there was a "there, there" and it involved Bill Clinton himself.=20 The message: Bill, you will do what we tell you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Start packing your bags. Bill is "getting it," now.=20 Bill is resigning himself to his resignation.=20 The President has not yet identified for us who this "someone else" is who really puppets the highest office of our land. So for purposes of discussion, let's just give them an identifier. Borrowing from John LeCarre's "The Night Manager," let's call them "Flagship."=20 Flagship, of course, knows not only where all the bodies are buried -- literally and figuratively -- but= has the wherewithal to pick through them all, choosing one misdeed after another, exposing them one by one until Bill relents. It's blackmail. And blackmail works unless you handle it in the manner Rep. Dan Burton has in the past couple of days. Bill Clinton is incapable -- truly incapable -- of doing what Burton did. Truly.=20 "You may find you can get away with virtual presidents, virtual prime ministers, virtual everything." -- Bill Clinton, September 4, 1998=20 This is another Freudian lament, verbalized by a Bill Clinton who finally "gets it." He was and is the VIRTUAL PRESIDENT. By his own admission, he was a front, with no power to make decisions. By his own admission, they were made for him, by "someone else." They were made by those whom Flagship had placed in lower level, under-the-radar positions within the cabinet. They didn't even have to ask Bill's permission. They got their orders, and implemented them.=20 Bill's job was to pretend -- pretend he was the leader, pretend he was in charge -- maintain the fa=E7ade of a "virtual" president in a "virtual" democracy where a "virtual" rule of law exists. In fact, the levers of= power were already controlled -- controlled so precisely, in fact, as to make the president irrelevant, controlled by people who have never been elected to office, and whose names we do not even know.=20 Flagship cannot afford impeachment hearings. There is an Agenda, and a timeline that must be maintained. It is of utmost importance that the new leader be installed immediately. Therefore, I would not be surprised if Bill is gone within two weeks or less.=20 If you consider Bill's virtual presidency, you know the words he spoke are true. He was so much a puppet that he even dispensed with the appearance of business. He cut off daily briefings, which every other president attended. He lengthened the time between other regularly scheduled meetings. He hardly ever meets -- or even talks -- to his cabinet members. Recall Warren Christopher, the first Secretary of State, and William Perry, the Secretary of Defense, expressing extreme frustration that they could not get a meeting with the president, even in times of crisis.=20 Instead, poor, useless Bill was busy playing golf, jogging, or on one of his many, many vacations. Having his weekly dinners with his Arkie crowd, screening new movies, attending fundraisers at the pace of 30 a month, playing host to a legion of Lincoln bedroom guests, and having coffee with drug smugglers, arms dealers, terrorists, communists and crony capitalists. In between, he was juggling his many women, coordinating their liaisons and cover stories. Plus all that time he devoted to considering how he could provide answers that were "legally correct" but "misleading" in all of his many scandals. Phew, I am exhausted just thinking about it.=20 How many times have we said during this presidency -- who is really running this country when we have a president who is missing in action? Time and again, it was apparent that Bill Clinton was not on task doing presidential duties. But for him to admit it, openly -- whoa! Surely he doesn't think his scorched earth policy extends to his masters, does he? Is he truly so arrogant that he thinks he can take them down, too, in a child-like temper tantrum? If so, he is truly playing with fire. But I suspect, no. Bill may have harbored those thoughts last week, but is seeing the light, now. His unguarded comments were purely Freudian meanderings of the mind.=20 Clinton made the reckless error of speaking his thoughts out loud. As stupid as this was, it is not so surprising. It is intimately a part of this man's sick psychology that he would want to provide excuses for his problems outside of himself -- to explain that it really isn't his fault. After all, I don't really have= any power -- I am a virtual president. I am not to blame. I am a victim -- I was just doing what I was told.=20 Bill has always been a victim of someone else, and never responsible for his own actions. As we pull our love away from him, it becomes ever so much more important to his psyche that he win us over. He can't help himself. He must explain, and win us back. Biographers have often noted that Clinton would be in a room full of adoring fans, and one person who wasn't enthralled. Clinton would devote all his energy to charming that one person. There is pathology to this man that is ingrained. Without reflected adoration, there is no Bill Clinton. He ceases to exist.=20 But if he doesn't contain himself, and stop trying to make public excuses that touch this close to the heart of power in this nation, he's putting himself in extreme jeopardy. Flagship must be assured that Clinton will never expose his masters and the Agenda. And this is a real fear -- they, too, understand the psyche of Bill Clinton.=20 When Bill resigns, he will have to go deeply off the radar screen -- I mean no mention of him. Disappear. There can be no distractions as the Agenda barges forward. But Bill's psyche cannot tolerate this -- his must have sycophants and lovers -- he is no one without the human mirror of his success. I remind you of what happened to him after he lost the governor's race in Arkansas 20 years ago. Study that period. This was a pathetic man, deep in depression, who approached perfect strangers and asked them why they hadn't voted for him. It conjures up visions of a former President calling up Larry King Live and blathering on that he's lonely and misunderstood, ala O.J. Simpson.=20 Flagship cannot afford a Bill Clinton behaving this way, and possibly exposing their Agenda. Therefore, I suspect that not only will Bill Clinton be removed from office -- i.e. forced to resign -- before the end of September, but I also strongly fear that Bill will commit Arkancide within the year.=20 Bill was always in "the game" for Bill. Hillary was always in this for the Agenda. She has always believed that the Agenda transcended the man, which is why she has always put up with -- beyond rational endurance -- Bill's shenanigans. She knew from the get-go that they were the chosen ones, part of a select stable from whom the anointed, the "someone else" Bill referred to, would choose to lead us into convergence, the Third Way. This Third Way is part of a long-term strategy that was developed 40 years ago.=20 Knowing this, Hillary stuck with Bill because her allegiance -- above all else -- has always been to the Agenda. And because this is still true, she cannot possibly stay with Bill now that he has become a liability. To cheers and salutations, she will divorce= Bill Clinton shortly after he resigns, and no one will blink an eye. She will divorce him not because he's "done her wrong" but because he is no longer useful. Then Hillary, in all her glory, will be unleashed on this= world. She will have her own, not reflected, power most likely as Queen of the World through her new U.N. position. Maybe things aren't looking so bad for Hillary, after all.=20 Rahm Emanuel, in continuing his attacks against Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr last week invoked the ghost of military strategist Karl Von Clausewitz.=20 "Clausewitz [sic] said war is an extension of politics, by other means." Odd. A former ballet dancer a student of Von Clausewitz?=20 Would you agree that the Clintons and their supporters resort to all sorts of stratagems, maneuvers, illegal methods, evasions and subterfuge to achieve their objectives?=20 Would you?=20 Does the record of their actions comport with that statement?=20 Hmmm?=20 Those are the exact words of Lenin, when he laid out his plans for global communism.=20 Missy Kelly is a writer-researcher and political analyst.=20 ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: NATIONAL ID
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Larry Becraft <becraft(a)hiwaay.net> Subject: IP: NATIONAL ID Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 11:51:20 -0500 To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com To Whomever is interested in fighting the National ID: The Dept. of Transportation has a pending regulation which is the basis for the national ID. The deadline for submitting objections is Oct. 2 and we need to have several thousand objections filed with the DoT. There are about 2200 objections filed so far. I have my own letter objecting to the national ID posted to the "fight the fingerprint" webpage, which is accessed thru: http://www.networkusa.org/index.shtml All you have to do is personalize it for yourself. Specifically, my letter is posted at this URL: http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-dot-becraft-reg-obj.html Scott McDonald also has a suggested letter posted on this same page, and it is found at: http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint/page1b/fp-dot-reg-obj-format.html Please take a few moments to download and copy any of these letters, personalize it for yourself and mail it in. Please circulate this note so that people will send in more objections. Larry Becraft ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: Military's secret plans for civilian 'preparedness'
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Military's secret plans for civilian 'preparedness' Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:45:04 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: World Net Daily http://www.WorldNetDaily.com/exclusiv/980928_domestic_rapid_depl.html ARMED AND DANGEROUS Domestic rapid deployment forces The military's secret plans for civilian 'preparedness' This report is part of a continuing series by WorldNetDaily on the militarization of federal government and America's civilian sector. By Joseph Farah Copyright 1998, WorldNetDaily.com Under the guise of preparedness for domestic terrorist attacks, the U.S. military is training thousands of local police officers, national guardsmen and other officials to respond to national emergencies under centralized federal authority and control, according to plans revealed by Defense Department sources. In addition, U.S. military forces are stepping up training exercises in American civilian population centers, prompting constitutional concerns in some quarters. The plans for military involvement in the civilian sector are a direct result of the "Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996," which mandated the federal government to develop response scenarios to domestic terrorist incidents involving nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological weapons. The legislation designated the Department of Defense as the lead agency in coordinating sweeping plans involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FBI, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Representatives of all these agencies meet monthly as the Senior Interagency Coordination Group, or SICG. The Defense Appropriations Act of 1997 added funding for the Pentagon "to improve the capability of the federal, state and local emergency response agencies." "The United States Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command leads interagency training development and city visits," H. Allen Holmes, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, testified to the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year. "Interagency teams coordinate with fire, police, emergency medical and hazardous material officials and tailor training to city requirements. Additionally, FEMA has developed a terrorism annex to the Federal Response Plan to ensure coordination across all agencies at all levels." In 1997, the Defense Department spent $30.5 million on the training and civil response aspects of the program, Holmes reported. An additional $10 million was dedicated to improving the U.S. Marine Corps Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force. This year, Congress allocated $50 million for the domestic preparedness program. Another $50 million is appropriated for the program in 1999. The money is for training purposes only. However, the Defense Department is lending equipment to state and local agencies, according to Holmes. The program calls for the National Guard to stand up 10 Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection teams in selected cities across the nation using 200 full-time active guardsmen and reservists. Members of Army Guard and reserve chemical companies will be trained next year to conduct searches for weapons of mass destruction. The goal of the domestic preparedness program is to train 120 cities by 2001 and to provide mechanism for every community in the nation to "leverage federal expertise," according to the Defense Department. The interagency team has trained more than 10,000 "first responder trainers" -- drawn from firefighting, law enforcement, emergency medical communities and emergency telephone operators and dispatchers -- in 30 cities, according to Defense Secretary William Cohen. Another 25 cities will receive training in the next year, he said. "Our program is specifically designed so that the people we train become trainers themselves," Cohen said earlier this month in a report to the Council on Foreign Relations titled "Security in a Grave New World." "This approach will greatly magnify our efforts to produce a core of qualified first responders across the nation." FEMA has compiled a master inventory containing information on the resources and capabilities of each agency involved in the program and what is available to state and local officials in emergency situations. However, the information on that inventory is not available to the public or the press -- only to federal and state emergency planners. Undisclosed surplus military equipment is being made available to state and local government agencies through this program. Some civil liberties groups have pointed out that the intense, coordinated rush to "fight terrorism" in America comes at an odd time -- given the government's own figures reporting a 25-year low in such attacks and incidents. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers points out, for instance, that the overwhelming majority of law enforcement's record number of applications to eavesdrop on people through electronic surveillance technology involves investigation into drug, racketeering and gambling offenses -- not terrorism. There was bipartisan support in Congress for giving the executive branch of government vast new, codified authority to plant wiretaps and electronic bugs and to confiscate property as a result of investigations in this effort to "combat terrorism." The 1996 law grants the president exclusive, unreviewable powers to designate groups "terrorist organizations." Under such powers, the government could deport suspects -- including permanent residents and non-immigrants -- based on "classified" or "secret evidence" under the cloak of national security. Another provision of the legislation requires banks to freeze assets of domestic groups and citizens deemed agents of such "terrorist organizations." There is no mechanism established to challenge such decisions by banks. In a development the Defense Department claims is unrelated to the terrorism plans, more actual combat training is taking place in urban centers. Earlier this month, Marines took part in such a training exercise in Maryland. Last month, a special unit of U.S. Marines with assault rifles conducted maneuvers in Birmingham, AL. These exercises are part of a program called "Training in the Urban Environment. " All of the operations, including the exact timing of the exercises, were kept secret from the public, raising concerns about civil liberties issues. Similar exercises have been conducted recently in Chicago, Jacksonville, FL, and other U.S. cities. The question on some minds is: Who exactly are the Marines preparing to wage war with in America's urban environments? The training is part of a certification program in "urban combat." The program includes missions, such as rescuing a pilot, which the Marines might be called to perform in foreign countries such as Somalia, military spokesmen say. Marine officials say the urban landscape adds a new dimension to the training the Marines have already received. © 1998 Western Journalism Center ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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cypherpunk license: PLEASE STEAL ME (Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction) (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 01:53:23 +0100 > From: Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> > Subject: cypherpunk license: PLEASE STEAL ME (Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction) > OK, but it would seem to me that to interpret GPL in this way is in > violation of the spirit (and probably legal intent if interpreted by a > lawyer). Actualy this situation is specificaly addressed in the LGPL in regards header files and how they are the gray area in all this and probably indefensible in a court (it says this in the LGPL go look...www.gnu.org) As programmers this is what we want after all, the API to be described so we can replace those proprietary libraries and programs if we desire. Actualy you missed the obvious way to distribute commercial code and the (L)GPL will protect your propietary work.... In both licenses it is very specific in noting that a L/GPL'ed work that is subsumed in another causes that work to become L/GPL'ed by default. It further notes that there is NO implication that the use of commercial code/libraries in a L/GPL'ed work can be construed to L/GPL that proprietary code. How I do jobs for my customers is that I develop my programs and libraries I want to protect via copyright and then distribute them with a set of scripts and makefiles that during install build the end product. So the end user can enjoy the privileges of the L/GPL'ed code (ie can fix bugs and relink the libraries to their hearts content) and I protect my work. The catch is to make sure the makefiles and scripts are L/GPL'ed. You could even include gcc or egc on the distribution medium and use it to compile the resultant without worrying about your commercial code being subsumed. It is quite commen today for commercial houses to use gcc/egc to develop and distribute fully commercial code, the catch is that none of the end resultant code can come from L/GPL'ed sources. This harks back to my comment earlier today about the GNU/cash system being a perfect medium for the implimentation of crypto/e$ protocols. The catch is that you have to be willing to give up your claims to the stubs that must be placed in the L/GPL'ed product. If you can get away with using named pipes as buffers and T's then it becomes reasonably trivial to create a situation where one can inject non-L/GPL'ed code into the stream without the functional code so injected falling under the L/GPL. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

2 1

Copyright may limit Internet (w/o encryption) [CNN]
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > X-within-URL: http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9809/28/copyright.fight.ap/ > WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Lois Gibbs learned in 1978 that 20,000 tons of > toxic chemicals were buried under her Niagara Falls, N.Y., > neighborhood, she tried to make sense of all the information and > scientific names suddenly thrown at her. > > She turned to her local library, wading through medical journals and > old newspaper articles to understand the chemicals and the diseases > they caused. Gibbs credits this immediate access to information with > helping her organize parents in Love Canal and spread the word about > toxic dumps. > > Now, thanks to the Internet, there's more information than ever > before. But educators and librarians fear that average citizens won't > be able to get at it because of proposed changes in copyright laws. > > Congress is trying to balance protecting the work of authors, > songwriters and others with making important information available to > students and other researchers. > > The House and Senate could agree this week on legislation that would > implement two copyright treaties adopted in 1996 by the U.N. World > Intellectual Property Organization. > > Current "fair use" laws allow personal use of copyrighted material > without obtaining advance permission. Students can quote from books in > their research papers and cable systems can relay television programs, > for example. The new version could lead to the encryption of some > material, keeping it out of the hands of anyone without a password or > other authorization. > > Hollywood and publishing industry officials say they are not trying to > keep information from the general public. But they want to protect the > work of their artists and writers from being downloaded and mass > distributed with a few keystrokes. > > "Everyone hopes that the Internet will become a great resource for > education, entertainment and commerce," said Allan Adler, vice > president for legal and governmental affairs at the Association of > American Publishers. "But one of the problems is that the medium > represents an extraordinary capability for flawless reproduction and > instantaneous distribution." [text deleted] ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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NSA on TDC....
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, There is a show on TDC right now (21:09 Ctl.) on the NSA. Has some interesting shots of their CRITIC center as well as a brief discussion of their computing resources. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Letter to Editor on Censorship
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Monday 9/28/1998's San Mateo County Times had a really strong, if slightly naive, editorial in favor of the First Amendment protections on speech and the press. Among other things, it was quite positive about the fact that the Starr Report was able to be widely published in spite of content that would have been censored in the past, and that it would be hard to imagine how we'd explain to future generations 25 or 50 years from now that we'd covered up this important part of the historical record just because its content was vulgar. Heh. Their heart's in the right place... To: Editor, San Mateo County Times, Thank you for Monday's great editorial supporting freedom of speech. Unfortunately, it's a right preserved only by hard work, and getting recognition for all forms of speech beyond just ink on paper is an ongoing struggle. Publishing the Starr Report on the Internet would have been illegal if the EFF, ACLU, and publishers hadn't challenged the "Communications Decency Act", which the Supreme Court threw out 9-0, and unlike Nixon's tapes, a few "Expletive Deleted"s can't clean up the Starr Report. As your editorial says "it would be hard to imagine", but censors are still at it - a Congressional committee just passed a reworded version, hoping they can get away with "protecting minors" as a loophole. Some people contend that the First Amendment doesn't protect rude language, only political speech. But if you oppose campaign finance limits, they'll contend that elections are too important to allow unregulated political speech on TV or newspapers. And Joe Camel? He's illegal too. Meanwhile, the range of opinions on TV and radio is quite narrow - big corporations and government public broadcasting buy up the few TV licenses, while the FCC bans low-power broadcasters who can provide a diversity of opinion, and most cities grant monopolies on cable TV networks. And FBI director Louis Freeh, in his push for expanded wiretaps, has been using Anti-Communist Cold War restrictions on exporting encryption software to keep foreigners and Americans from using tools that allow them to talk privately without censorship. Eternal vigilance is still the price of liberty. ================ Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, bill.stewart(a)pobox.com PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639

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Re: cypherpunk license: PLEASE STEAL ME (Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction) (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 03:22:27 +0100 > From: Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> > Subject: Re: cypherpunk license: PLEASE STEAL ME (Re: GPL & commercial software, the critical distinction) (fwd) > Yes, I know, I have read LGPL a few times, and it does include the > sorts of exceptions you describe. But I said GPL, and GPL is the > license which I was suggesting causes problems. As I said, LGPL is > sort of useable. GPL and LGPL both support fully this model of commercial use of L/GPL'ed code. > Right, this is the major sticking point for commercial people I find. I find most commercial people lack imagination, though they make up for it with a desire for money. > Yes, but the more interesting, less restrictive case is where they > really want to modify the code. cf the example I gave of say adding > pgp5 compatibility to pgp26ui. There would be no significant problem if you include the necessary stubs and make them L/GPL'ed. By both the L/GPL the use of 3rd party code (L/GPL'ed, PD, or proprietary) hanging off those stubs would NOT be L/GPL'ed. > I think that if you modify to any significant extent a GPL peice of > software, and try to sell it you could run into problems. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the L/GPL that prevents me from selling such code at whatever price I can manage to charge for it, I could even change it significantly. I, however, MUST include the source code or provide it for a reasonable fee if requested by the end user. Your point is irrelevant. Now if I try to sell it as (my) *copyrighted* code then I'm in for a world of hurt and justifiably so. This, again, desire to take advantage of others work is the hallmark of thieves and marketing droids (if there is a difference between the two). > Your legal > bill for trying to work out how bad it is will be expensive. Will be nil. The L/GPL themselves clearly state they don't override previous copyrights of material that might be used with L/GPL'ed products. That L/GPL subsumption ONLY applies to code that is built using L/GPL'ed source. In other words for the L/GPL to be inovked on your code requires that you use somebodies elses L/GPL'ed code in (NOT with) your code. This is clearly understood by businesses that do use gcc/egc in that they use no libraries, headers, etc. from L/GPL sources, develop them in-house or buy them from 3rd parties. They only use the compiler/linker/tools to get hooked together. > If you want to be creative, you could do what you want to it ignoring > the license, then provide a binary patch from their binary to your > binary. Or whatever. Commercial lawyers are cautious animals though, > so because you could theoretically hack around things does not mean > that some company's lawyer is going to recommend that they do it. The goal of the L/GPL is NOT to stop commercial programming, it is to return to the end user a level of control and understanding (at least in principle) so they may build a system to do what they want and not some marketing droid at a multi-national. This is NO hack, it is specificaly detailed in the L/GPL as a legitimate use of such licensed code. > That aspect of LGPL (availability of source) is useful to the extent > that it encourages people to make source of the crypto parts > available. No, it suggests they should make the API definition available. As to it being useful, it is critical to the long term stability of systems and the continued development of imaginative software. > Use of GNU development tools is a different, and more straight forward > issue than using GNU licensed code. Only if you don't understand the L/GPL. > The point remains: the simplest and best thing to do about licenses if > you are more concerned about crypto deployment than source > availability is not to use GPL, and probably to avoid LGPL also. No, the best thing to do is build your copyrighted libraries and release the API's via headerfiles or whatever in the GPL'ed code. > Use BSD, use PD, either is better than GPL for the purpose. No, they're not because in PD you loose ALL control of your code and if somebody else uses it in a commercial app or not then you're pretty much screwed as they laugh their asses off on the way to the bank. Considering the extend of BSD that would be the last choice of an OS that I would bank my business on. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: Cypherpunks defeat? (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > From: Eric Murray <ericm(a)lne.com> > Subject: Re: Cypherpunks defeat? > Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 19:56:16 -0700 (PDT) > using plastic. But it's ok for the merchant to offer 'discounts' for > buyers who use cash instead of credit cards. That 'discount' > is the real price of the goods with the credit-card surcharge > subtracted. Often that's 3-4%, sometimes as low as 1.2%. I haven't seen that in 10 years or more. I doubt that anyone will find this approach very widely. > Visa and MasterCard don't have massive staffs and huge office > buildings because they're dumb. You don't know big corporations very well do you. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: [salman rushdie]
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On 9/27/98, A Cypherpunk Who Wishes Not To Have His Name Used Here wrote to me: > In article <3.0.5.32.19980926215457.00ad1510(a)idiom.com> Bill Stewart wrote: > > If there's cypherpunks relevance to this, it's that cryptographic > > privacy and digital cash payments make it easier to publish > > controversial material without the threat of violence against you. > > On the other hand, privacy and digital cash payments make it > easier to hire and reward hit men. > > You may not like it, but there's no sense in pretending it isn't so. True enough, though in Rushdie's case, the social environment provided enough protection that the murder could be called for, the reward could be offered, and several of Rushdie's associates could be murdered without any resort to crypto. At least if you want to publish something that you _know_ will annoy people enough that they want to kill you, you can do it more safely if you've got a range of options for anonymity. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, bill.stewart(a)pobox.com PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639

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