December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Schlafly on crypto
by Alan Olsen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 09:41 AM 8/14/96 -0700, Sandy Sandfort wrote: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > SANDY SANDFORT > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > >C'punks, > >On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, Jim Legg wrote: > >> Beware when politicos speak! > >Good advice, but... > >> Phyllis Schlafly would think nothing of trying to ban speech on >> the internet when it is something that she doesn't agree with. > >An interesting allegation. I wonder if it is merely rhetoric or >if Jim has any evidence to backup this statement? Well, I can think of a few reasons to come to that conclusion. - Schlafly is the head of one of the more right-wing organizations in the country. - She is very closly associated with the Buchanon campaign and the Christian coalition. - Her organization, the Eagle Forum, distributes a couple of anti-porn rant tracts (http://www.eagleforum.org/users/eagle/public_html/misc/order.html) called _Pornography's Victims $4.95 (paperback) by Schlafly, ed._ and _Pornography Addict (Bundy Interview)_. (Quoting Bundy is interesting in this context, because he never collected porn, he collected cheerleading magazines. His "death bed confession" was a ploy to gain publicity and sympathy out of a gulible ant-porn zealot.) >Does Jim know who Phyllis' son is? I know that he is gay. His mother seems to have had some problems coming to terms with the implications of alot of her rhetoric involving such things... (She seems to confuse her religion with reality on this point.) I would say there are alot of reasons to assume that Schlafly would try and impose her morality on the rest of the country if given half the chance. Look at the people she chooses to associate with. --- Alan Olsen -- alano(a)teleport.com -- Contract Web Design & Instruction `finger -l alano(a)teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key http://www.teleport.com/~alano/ "We had to destroy the Internet in order to save it." - Sen. Exon "Microsoft -- Nothing but NT promises."

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Re: Capital and Taxes
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 8:27 PM 8/14/96, Greg Hopper wrote: >When you consider that capital gains tax rate schedules are not indexed for >inflation, the situation's even worse than Tim's analysis implies. Since >you pay tax on the nominal rather than the real capital gain, the effective >capital gains tax rate is really higher than the quoted rate. >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >Greg Hopper |Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are > >Research Department |my own and not necessarily those of >Federal Reserve Bank |the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia >of Philadelphia |or the Federal Reserve System. I certainly agree with Greg here, and find it too bad that his views do not actually express the views of the Federal Reserve. (Actually, they may, as I remember reading Alan Greenspan's stuff in Rand's books in the late 60s, e.g., "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.") Not only is there inflation to consider, there is the double taxation I should've emphasized more than I did. Wages are typically corrected for inflation (for competitiveness reasons), but capital gains are not. That stock I bought for $20 in 1975 dollars and am now selling for $40 in 1996 dollars, and paying 40% in taxes on the "gain," is clearly not really a doubling. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Stopped Clock. Was: Schlafly on Crypto
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:46 AM 8/14/96 -0400, Marc J. Wohler wrote: >At 07:59 AM 8/14/96 -0400, you wrote: >>Subject: Clinton Is Trying to be Big Brother -- Phyllis Schlafly Column 8/8/96 > >It makes me ill to agree with Schlafly on any issue, but 'Even a stopped >clock....... >Unrepentant Liberial It does seem really odd, doesn't it? But look at it this way: The only reason the knuckle-dragging conservatives are able to take the moral high-ground on this and other net-freedom issues is because the OTHER "unrependant liberals" have inexplicably abandoned the correct side of the argument. The fact that the conservatives are right may seem odd, but the behavior of the liberals is truly astonishing. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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Re: photographed license plates
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 7:30 PM 8/14/96, II I II I I I II I II II I I I I II I II wrote: >>I note those plastic cover for plates "to keep them clean" >>seem to be more & more popular. > >These are not allowed in California (although the chance of getting >popped must be quite slim, by the number you see). > >I remember seeing some water based spray paints in dun colors (such as >a nice mud tan) - Gee, officer, its just mud, <wipe>. If I lived closer to the nearest city I know of with "photo tickets," namely, Campbell, California (about 30 miles away, over the Hill into Silicon Valley). I would probably make sure my license plate had some real mud on it...just enough to link some letters or numbers together to make them unreadable with a low res. photo. Maybe we'll have barcoded license plates sooner than we think. Then all of those speed cameras can also track our movements. --I II II II I I II I II II I II II I I II I I I II II HOW TO MAKE A PIPE BOMB: "Buy a section of metal water pipe 1/2 by 6 inches long, threaded on both ends. Buy two metal caps to fit. These are standard items in hardware stores. Drill a 1/16th hole in the center of the pipe. This is easy with a good drill bit. Hanson is a good brand to use. Screw a metal cap tightly on one end. Fill the pipe to within 1/2 inch of the top with black powder. Do not pack the powder. Don't even tap the bottom of the pipe to make it settle. You want the powder loose. For maximum explosive effect, you need dry, fine powder sitting loose in a very rigid container." (more information at http://sdcc13.ucsd.edu/~m1lopez/pipe.html, or by using search engines)

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Re: National Socio-Economic Security Need for Encryption Technology
by Bart Croughs 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Sandy Sandfort wrote: >I've just had an insight with regard to Bart's ongoing capital debate. In response to Perry's "green pylon" post, Bart wrote: > I am saying that the fact that American workers are better paid > than workers in Third World countries, can be explained for a > large part by the fact that there is much more capital invested > in the US than in Third World countries. Bart's error lies in his confusion of the terms "captial" and "capital investment." While capital may be used to make capital investments, there are other things it can be spent for as well (wages, taxes, supplies, etc.). If Bart were to use the term "infrastructure" then it would be clear that the ebb and flow of mere capital would have relatively little to do with infrastructure influenced wages.< What does 'capital' mean? The MacMillan dictionary of modern economics (3d edition, p. 51) says: 1) A word used to refer to a factor of production produced by the economic system. Capital goods are produced goods which are used as factor INPUTS for further PRODUCTION. As such capital can be distinguished from LAND and LABOUR which are not conventionally thought of as being themselves produced by the economic system. As a consequence of its heterogenous nature, the measurement of capital has become the source of much controversy 2) The word is also used as a term for financial ASSETS. So, I fear that it's Sandy who is confused about the meaning of the word 'capital', not me. But even if it is me who is confused about the meaning of the word 'capital' (which isn't the case), this confusion wouldn't affect my argument at all. If American capital is invested in foreign countries instead of in the US, then the total amount of capital invested in the US will be lower than it would have been if the capital had been invested in the US. So the wages in the US would be lower than they would have been if the capital had been invested in the US. The argument is still the same, and my question is still not answered. Bart Croughs

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Re: Crypto Policy Variant
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:17 PM 8/14/96, Frank Stuart wrote: >Here's my key, your honor. I used a one-time pad to do the encryption. As >you can plainly see, the encrypted file that the prosecution made such a big >deal about contains nothing but some of my favorite verses from the King James >Bible. You shouldn't infer anything from the fact that another key would >make the file contain the evil stuff that was alleged (even though it is a bit >strange that the last verse ends in the middle of a word). Frank presents a cogent example of how the Staelin plan is a nonstarter. That is, it's a nonstarter *if* we remove any formal evidence of which crypto method is attached to a program. Cycles are cheap (compared to prison terms or a bullet in the head). Therefore, it's cheaper to let folks either make their own guesses at the crypto involved, or try several, than it is to unambigiously narrow down the searches to one particular algorithm, which the State can then insist on a decryption key for. Let the Staelin Plan be warning for us to prepare for an era in which the particular crypto method should not be revealed. (Cryptographically, any of the various algorithms are "polynomially equivalent," but, practically, the "King James Defense" used by Frank, brilliantly, will probably work. It's hard to argue with Scripture.) --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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BlackNet Bids $350 M for a DAT tape
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 9:38 PM 8/14/96, Douglas R. Floyd wrote: >Most foreign powers would pay someone a handsome sum to hand over these >keys. I would bet that France or Iran would offer a billion dollars to >someone who would turn over the part of the database they preside over. > >I bet that France/Iran/etc. would be able to pool together 3 billion >dollars and a nice getaway for the stooges who can grab a tape with the >escrowed keys on it. Heck, Ames turned traitor for less. (I am assuming >the keys as small, 1K bytes each... an 8mm Exabyte mammoth tape would be >able to carry 30 million keys.) Even an "el cheapo" Travan TR3 tape would >be able to snarf 1.6 million keys... and that's a lot of people >compromised! Sure, the going bid is $350 million on BlackNet. I expect the price to go higher, as more keys are involved. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: National Socio-Economic Security Need for Encryption Technology
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 2:23 AM 8/15/96, Bart Croughs wrote: >Bart's error lies in his confusion of the terms "captial" and >"capital investment." While capital may be used to make capital >investments, there are other things it can be spent for as well >(wages, taxes, supplies, etc.). > >If Bart were to use the term "infrastructure" then it would be >clear that the ebb and flow of mere capital would have relatively >little to do with infrastructure influenced wages.< I agree. (On the other hand, Bart might want to find ways to make the material he is quoting more distinct from his own comments. I find it very hard to tell which comments are Bart's and which are those he is quoting.) --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Fw: Re: Free Pronto Secure Offer
by Lou Zirko 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit To: unicorn(a)schloss.li, cypherpunks(a)toad.com, geoff(a)commtouch.co.il Date: Wed Aug 14 21:52:47 1996 Personally I enjoyed helping to bring to market a full-featured PGP-aware mail package. It was a product that I was interested in seeing and was able to participate in making suggestions as to features, etc. It particular, Geoff was most help full in making sure that if performed under NT which was not initially supported, but is my platform (along with Linux). It is a good product and will help to ease usability of PGP for people that are afraid of the steps required by many mailers to utilize PGP. If I remember, your platform in Linux and you should not be so quick to criticize what you may have not seen. for > On Tue, 13 Aug 1996, geoff wrote: > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > "Do all the work I should be doing or have done in the first place > discover the critical flaws in my new-keen-o-ka-jive-o crypto system and > I > will give you a free copy of a critically flawed crypto system (a > $99.00 > value) ABSOLUTELY FREE. Wait, don't order yet. Included you also get > to > actually whitewash my fence and then mow my lawn. All at NO COST to > you." > > -- > I hate lightning - finger for public key - Vote Monarchist > unicorn(a)schloss.li > > > Lou Zirko (502)383-2175 Zystems lzirko(a)c2.org "We're all bozos on this bus" - Nick Danger, Third Eye -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: latin1 iQEVAwUBMhKREMtPRTNbb5z9AQEyywgAwvmF9zh46X6KpgprzbTEWsl2v8MFCOU0 s5LVvO8gt3IN3GRWAGaMsmsAuDhP7KdyG7UGSuJlstPd0sJWO+7vw6XDn4kZhsZH /3aN0FVwYJJOf51rEmHOYc0JagNRUlRIMtkiRr019JRmb+7s+6uO6B6r1ojT0SCe NOS8lHOGUOqD2OaYX8vhg2nH18AwNn+WRPsURCkcp3xhF9T3PiDasvYVCsirizqL ePk8NcOIrTR9eEp1rfTkOpx5jfG/2Q5epOrwx0a4UD/6AWebnrX0bPQC1mXtTU1P BDVDtYtgJo0YIDtDjoLqsjnSeni4ZjyVLoTc80dQgrXJN9V7g+PiFQ== =pU+b -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Burden of proof
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 1:53 AM 8/15/96, Alan Horowitz wrote: >In the USA, we have a system that ensures that the burden of proof is on >the accuser. Which explains why in the U.S. the tax authorities take the money first and then require the citizen to be the "accuser" in Tax Court, pleading to get his seized assets back. (To outsiders, the U.S. tax authorities have broad powers to seize properties without any court process, to attach wages, to deputize employers and banks as unpaid tax collectors, and to harass citizens. Citizen-units may sue, of course, but the burden of proof is on them to prove that they are owed a refund. A man who saves money and puts it in his mattress can have it seized and taken from him. He must produce proof that it is his money, never mind that he already paid taxes on it and never mind that there is no way someone who saves currency can have a proper paper trail. So much for "burdens of proof.") --Tim May HOW TO MAKE A PIPE BOMB: "Buy a section of metal water pipe 1/2 by 6 inches long, threaded on both ends. Buy two metal caps to fit. These are standard items in hardware stores. Drill a 1/16th hole in the center of the pipe. This is easy with a good drill bit. Hanson is a good brand to use. Screw a metal cap tightly on one end. Fill the pipe to within 1/2 inch of the top with black powder. Do not pack the powder. Don't even tap the bottom of the pipe to make it settle. You want the powder loose. For maximum explosive effect, you need dry, fine powder sitting loose in a very rigid container." (more information at http://sdcc13.ucsd.edu/~m1lopez/pipe.html, or by using search engines)

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