December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

CLA_sh0
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Vigorous Cypherpunk debate on its purpose and future may be a harbinger of global conflict. A book review today on global conflict and six related essays in November Foreign Affairs may provide illumination -- both for Cypherpunk's crypto-mission and for its intramural clashes. (See Lewis Koch's inquest of global CP disputes.) 11-6-96. NYP: "A Scholar's Prophecy: Global Cultural Conflict." Book review. With the end of the cold war, the division of the world into ideological camps and political networks has yielded to the basic human propensity to find meaning and identity in cultural commonality -- in blood, religion, heritage and birthright. After four centuries of Western domination, global politics will now become a complicated and deadly earnest contest among the world's major civilizations, mainly the Western one, the Islamic one, and the Sinic one deriving from China. Unless the West recognizes the power of cultural conflict, it could perish from ignorance, overconfidence and complacency. ----- http://jya.com/clash0.txt CLA_sh0 ---------- The Foreign Affairs essays: http://jya.com/clashidx.htm (The URL is the index of the six; Huntington's is ready; others follow.) Abstracts: The West: Unique, Not Universal, Samuel P. Huntington Many in the West believe the world is moving toward a single, global culture that is basically Western. This belief is arrogant, false, and dangerous. The spread of Western consumer goods is not the spread of Western culture. Drinking CocaCola makes a Russian no more Western than eating sushi makes an American Japanese. The essence of the West is the Magna Carta, not the Magna Mac. As countries modernize, they may westernize in superficial ways, but not in the most important measures of culture language, religion, values. In fact, as countries modernize they seek refuge from the modern world in their traditional, parochial cultures and religions. Around the globe, education and democracy are leading to "indigenization." And as the power of the West ebbs, "the rest" will become more and more assertive. For the West to survive as a vibrant and powerful civilization, it must abandon the pretense of universality and close ranks. Its future depends on its unity. The peoples of the West must hang together, or they will hang separately. Democracy and the National Interest, Strobe Talbott Democracy makes good neighbors, and in an increasingly interconnected world the United States has both the means and the motive to promote the democratic process abroad. On the home front, Americans crave a foreign policy grounded, like their nation, in idealpolitik as well as realpolitik. The administration has made support of nascent democracies a priority of its diplomacy from Latin America to East Asia, and the returns from South Africa, Haiti, Russia, even Bosnia seem positive. But democratization is a long, hard journey in which elections are only the first step. The United States should encourage new democratic governments through their most fragile phase. Defense in an Age of Hope, William J. Perry Twice before, America had the opportunity to make the prevention of conflict its first line of defense. It must not lose this moment after the Cold War to foment a revolution in security strategy. Preventing proliferation is key, and U.S. programs help turn Soviet missile sites into sunflower fields. The American armed services the world's most emulated, show other militaries how to function in a civil society and conduct exchanges that head off misunderstandings. In Europe, George Marshall's fondest hopes are being realized through the Partnership for Peace which reverberates well beyond the security realm. Meanwhile, the United States leverages forces for maximum deterrence and invests in smart technology. But its best investment is in openness and trust, the essential tools of the art of peace. Germany's New Right, Jacob Heilbrunn Not skinheads in jackboots but journalists, novelists, professors, and young businessmen constitute the German new right. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, they have sought the "normalization" of German history, a revival of nationalism, and recognition that Germany is the most powerful country in Europe. When confronted with the Nazi past, they talk about Stalin's crimes and complain of an oppressive "political correctness." Violence against immigrants is answered with complaints of attacks against Germans. Though not a political movement, the new right is extending the boundaries of the politically acceptable. Banning Ballistic Missiles, Alton Frye Heady years for arms control make a superpower complacent. The structure of restraint accepted by Washington and Moscow could crack; meanwhile, proliferation continues apace and nuclear materials trickle onto the world market. The Clinton team has followed through on the work of past negotiators, but it is high time for a third START. The United States should propose the dramatic steps of placing nuclear warheads in "strategic escrow" and banning ballistic missiles. Advanced monitoring and inspection technologies make the plan practicable, and there will be security payoffs for all. Is the World Ready for Free Trade?, Charles R. Carlisle Though a leap to global free trade is a nice idea, the political support is just not there. Nor is any such earthshaking step necessary. The World Trade Organization has an extensive built-in agenda that should not be derailed. Fears of regionalism are greatly exaggerated, since regional trade has not increased much since the early 1970S and current plans for free trade in the Americas and the Pacific are unlikely to succeed. Few countries share the free-trade faith of the United States and Great Britain, and even in those places, economic anxiety threatens to push trade in the other direction. -----

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FW: Now we have it all
by Butler, Scott 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> Abaddon wrote: >>susbscribe Surely we have seen it all now. I find it hard to believe that a word like suscribe....subsribe....subcribes.. SUBSCRIBE..is so difficult to spell correctly. :-) ScOtT

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Parents effectively lose their right
by kb4vwa＠juno.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Family Research Council Washington Watch News - October 25, 1996 - Vol. 8:1 "Parents effectively lose their right to direct the upbringing of their children when they drop them off at school, according to one federal court judge. Earlier this year, Judge Melinda Harmon, appointed by President Bush, ruled that Katy Independent School District in TX did not violate parents' rights by allowing Child Protective Services to interrogate a student without notifying his parents, nor by instructing him to lie to his parents about the incident."

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Censorship in Western Australia
by stewarts＠ix.netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Headline: >> AUSTRALIA - CENSORS STRIKE AT INTERNET, LANS - Western Australia's State Government says it will seek to censor all computer transmissions of offensive material after its censorship act came into force last Friday. [Newsbytes, 67 words] Probably not as competent as Singapore at enforcement, but what do people know about it? # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk # Nov. 5 is Guy Fawkes Day - Vote Early and Often, and create Fireworks!

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No Subject
by Bovine Remailer 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Wed, 6 Nov 1996 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com wrote: > Headline: > >> AUSTRALIA - CENSORS STRIKE AT INTERNET, LANS - Western Australia's > State Government says it will seek to censor all computer > transmissions of offensive material after its censorship act came > into force last Friday. [Newsbytes, 67 words] > > Probably not as competent as Singapore at enforcement, > but what do people know about it? I'll check with the Aus EFA and get back to you on the above. Hmmm, I wonder if a home user with a networked computer in say his lounge and another in his study will be guilty of a crime if he sends an electronic (and offensive) message to that other node! Press 'N' now if your not interested in a tounge in cheek brief on Australian politics this week... Action such as the above by WA would not suprise me it..of course its been tried before and defeated but that doesn't stop our political thugs here, they just put it on the backburner for a year and try again until people get tired of responding and pass it by default. Hell last week a federal member from WA spent 20 minutes ranting in parliament why all domestic cats (and feral cats) in Australia should be destroyed (Pussy Hater) whilst Australia's economy continues to slide, manufacturing moves offshore and our already record unemployment continues to rise. Semi-auto firearms were banned here this month (even though the Prime Minister stated earlier that he knew it wouldn't solve 'The Problem'), including semi-auto shotguns. All other firearms are now hard to obtain (must show a valid _reason_ for obtaining a permit for each individual firearm, including air rifles - note the protection of ones life is not a reason..its specifically excluded in the legislation); double edged knives are now a prohibited import. [Note: sling shots are already banned so that leaves just spears, bows and stones to be legislated against and Australia will be projectile-weapon free]. A local member was asked if police would still be carrying guns now that The Problem was solved and he responded with..no, there's still dangerous criminals out there; without realising the irony of his statement. Hmmmmm. This morning I read in the paper that my local city council is going to pass a regulation that will enable them to gas my cat (Lots of Pussy Haters here) if it eats a bird, 'strays' off my property, or generally has the nerve to make itself noticed. There is talk of banning 'protection' type dog breeds after an old women was killed recently, supposedly by a Rotty. A police sgt told a WA poliscum that a stolen car incident he investigated 3 weeks ago could only have been done by criminals using information obtained from the internet (yeah thats how ALL the crims learn hotwiring). This was then reported to the WA parliament as factual. Meanwhile our Foreign Minister (the same intellectual giant that recently spoke to the CEO of the US Reserve bank then spilled his guts to the press about the US Reserve Banks' intentions wrt interest rates - and awoke the next morning and found, much to his suprise, a bit of a market ruffle in full swing) today made a commitment to the UN that we would be taking steps with respect to multi-culturalism and native reconciliation, like some arse-licker at the international-cocktail party. Well at least it's now clear he is answerable to the UN for domestic policy. Our PM (Little Johnny 'flaK jacket' Howard) made a statement recently that his election would usher in a new era of free speech, however, now that an independant member with apparantly substantial grass roots support suggests politically incorrect things like reducing immigration, cutting the 50 hours a week child care for unemployed stay at home single mothers and the billions spent on ineffective aboriginal bodies all of parliament wants her to shut up. She has received death threats from Vietnamise drug gangs for expressing these views but she should be OK now because firearms are illegal. This week a recently retired Supreme Court Judge was named in parliament was named in parliament (under parliamentary privelege) as receiving favoured treatment by a commission investigating child sex charges. Apparantly the shock was so severe that he was forced to commit suicide that very night after insisting his innocence. The government side called for her dismissal (seemingly not because he was named but because he chose to kill himself) and suggested limitations on parliamentary speech. The good judge must not have had enough faith in his own legal system to trust his reputation to it and face a court of law. Police are also under investigation on child sex charges by that same body. Now you point out that if I say fuck here (Ooops thats illegal now) I can expect armed thugs kicking down my door to drag me back to WA for trial. I guess anyone state side better cancel any plans to visit our little autocracy here now, especially John, after all the message is being bounced into WA from his computer and if the legislation is like the laughable bill that was attempted to be introduced into New South Wales earlier this year he'll be in big trouble (i know this will come as a frightening shock to him). I better go find myself a good throwing rock, I think I here the sound of jack-boots on my path.

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"censorship in cyberspace"???
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I don't understand why people rant so much about censorship in cyberspace, given the ease of buying a new tentacle. a long time ago getting a new internet account was a big deal, but now they are as prolific as flies. you can now buy them for $7/mo from Community Connections, courtesy of another cypherpunk (Sameer Parekh) on this list. you even get a 5mb web site at this price, as I understand it. I'd be interested in hearing of any other "tentacle havens" out there if anyone has any comment. <g> my main point is that it's merely a semantic concept to say that someone is "censored" from a mailing list. it's not really possible to do such a thing anymore given how easy it is to get new internet account with no ID necessary. you can fight it or you can surf on it!! it's quite ironic that to have the ability for a moderator to have a "civilized" forum with a guaranteed ability to obstruct certain individuals, would require what cpunks would consider an orwellian identification system. (tying a human to their cyberspace posts. it could be done.) p.s. one of these days I wonder if someone is going to mount a really concerted attack against a mailing list using a full tentacle arsenal instead of only a single email address or anonymous remailers, just for the kicks of it. the "automatic prose generator" technology out there leaves a lot of other interesting ideas. an ingenious software engineer with a flair for writing could create some pretty sophisticated grammars that automatically generate text yet are impossible to detect over perhaps even dozens of messages output by them. they could even have their own personalities and writing styles, if the software engineer were creative and devious enough. it's just a matter of time, and really every mailing list in the world is defenseless against it. does anyone have a technical solution? you'd solve one of mankinds most pressing and difficult problems ever encountered: "spam". on the other hand, maybe such a thing has already happened and no one knows about it. or maybe its happening right now on this list. it would be absolutely impossible to detect in all the typical noise if the "graffiti artist" were crafty enough. (hee, hee)

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IRS Subscribed to Cypherpunks
by Duncan Frissell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Got the following bounce. The Cc: was to a real address. DCF >Date: Tue, 5 Nov 1996 05:24:21 -0500 >From: Administrator(a)ccmail.irs.gov (Administrator) >Subject: Message not deliverable >To: Duncan Frissell <frissell(a)panix.com> >Cc: XXXXXXXXX (Administrator) >Content-Description: cc:Mail note part > >At 04:45 AM 11/4/96 -0800, Declan McCullagh wrote: >>Libertarianism is not incompatible with strict regulations, as long as >>the rules violate nobody's rights. >> >>-Declan > >Obviously many voluntary religious organizations have quite strict rules >for their members and are compatible with libertarianism. Government >monopoly regulations that cannot be opted out of are not compatible with >libertarianism. Instead of using the loaded term "regulations' it might be >better to call things like the rules of the cypherpunk's list "club rules" >or protocols. > >DCF > >

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Sony/Philips has trouble exporting Web TV's (fwd)
by Ray Arachelian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 2 Nov 1996 15:59:04 -0500 (EST) From: v0!d <voidmstr(a)primenet.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <wwwac(a)echonyc.com> Subject: Sony/Philips has trouble exporting Web TV's (fwd) >> >> From Electronic Buyers' News: >> >> October 28, 1996 >> Issue: 1030 >> Section: News >> >> CODE LIMIT EXCEEDED >> >> By Jack Robertson >> >> Washington - New Internet-television systems from Sony Corp. and >> Philips Electronics Co. are technically munitions under U.S. export >> controls and cannot be shipped to the companies' worldwide sales >> networks, it was disclosed last week. >> >> Sony officials said the company's TV set-top box designed by WebTV of >> Palo Alto, Calif., includes a state-of-the-art 128-bit code encryption >> system for electronic commerce. This far exceeds the 40-bit encryption >> code permissible for export under the U.S. Munitions Control List. >> >> Philips also makes a WebTV set-top Internet box at its Magnavox TV >> plant in Knoxville, Tenn., and is similarly barred from shipping the >> unit to sales channels around the world. >> >> Both global electronic giants face immediate competition in the >> emerging TV-Internet surfing market from other Japanese, South Korean, >> and European set-makers that don't face the U.S. encryption >> controls. They now join the U.S. computer industry, which has long >> protested that the outmoded encryption export curbs are causing them >> to forfeit overseas sales of PCs and workstations to foreign rivals. >> >> President Clinton last month proposed lifting the level of encryption >> export controls from the present 40-bit code word to 56 bits, but only >> if a trap door is embedded in the cipher to allow law enforcement >> agencies to decode wiretapped messages. Clinton is expected shortly to >> sign an executive order putting the new control limits into effect. >> >> The pending 56-bit-code threshold doesn't help the Sony or Philips >> Web-surfing TV systems - nor most U.S. computer companies that build >> systems with encryption exceeding even the new control limit. Both >> Netscape and Microsoft Web-browsing software includes 128-bit code >> encryption, surpassing export curbs. >> >> Zenith Electronics Co., maker of a Web-surfing TV set, isn't concerned >> about the encryption controls, since it sells only in the U.S. market >> where the curbs don't apply. >> >> Divicom Inc., based in Milpitas, Calif., must get an export license >> from the U.S. State Department for every exported cable TV front-end >> encoder, which includes 128-bit code word, according to Tom >> Lookabough, the company's sales manager. He said the license review >> process can take eight weeks or more, a troublesome delay that foreign >> competitors don't face. >> >> Divicom and Scientific Atlanta both said their new digital TV set-top >> boxes include encryption that exceeds allowable export limits - but >> virtually all sales so far are in the U.S. market. As digital-box >> production ramps up, the companies would like to sell overseas, but >> run into the export control ban that puts them at a severe >> disadvantage against the foreign competitors aggressively entering the >> set-top market. >> >> President Clinton's encryption export control changes include an >> industry-favored provision to take the category off the State >> Department's Munitions Control List and shift responsibility to the >> Commerce Department. >> Dennis Wilen : WWW Design, Production and Consulting voidmstr's law: bandwidth expands to fit the waste available voidmstr(a)primenet.com http://www.primenet.com/~voidmstr 2385 Roscomare Road, Bel Air CA 90077 voice: 310-471-7849

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Re: Dr. Vulis
by Sandy Sandfort 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SANDY SANDFORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C'punks, On Tue, 5 Nov 1996 Phill wrote: > Of course the two sentences don't say exactly the same thing, > otherwise I would have written one. That never stopped academics before. > I don't think we have a problem with the statements conflicting, > there is an interaction. What a Hegelian would call dilectic. > I prefer to use a different term for much the same reasons as > Sorros, the misuse of the term has created garbage that one > does not want to associate with (eg Historical materialism). Please eschew the obfuscation. The sentences Phill hastely wrote are simply contradictory. It's fatuous to claim, after the fact, that he intended some sort of dialectic (i.e., a system of arguement in which conflicting ideas are resolved). Intellectual honesty isn't required on this list, but it is appreciated. S a n d y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Bernstein hearing, Nov 8 CANCELED!
by John Gilmore 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Judge Patel has decided that she already knows enough, based on the papers submitted by both sides, to decide our motion for a preliminary injunction to protect Dan Bernstein as he teaches a class on cryptography in January. She also says that she will decide our motion for partial summary judgement (from the September 20th hearing) at the same time. So, THERE WILL BE NO HEARING ON NOVEMBER 8TH! DON'T COME, WE WON'T BE THERE. Apologies for the short notice. It's all the notice the legal team got. I'll let you know as soon as she releases her decision. John Gilmore

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