December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

PARTY!
by Sandy Sandfort 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SANDY SANDFORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hi Folks, Here's an invitation to my latest and greatest costume party ever. Be there or be square. S a n d y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AREA 51+ PARTY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pleasure of Your Company is Cordially Requested at the: Third Occasional Anarcho-Dilettante Pick-Your-Own-Damned-There, Masquerade Ball, Talent Show And Halloween Rehearsal 7:00pm Saturday October 13--3:00am Sunday October 14 650 Kenwyn Road (at McKinley) Oakland, California Loads of things happened on October 18. We're not going to tell you which one to commemorate. That's up to you. Check out the birthdays and historical events listed below. Pick one or go with something else. Your call. But no matter what theme you pick, it IS a masquerade ball, so you MUST wear a costume (or at least a mask). NO EXCEPTIONS. (Please, adults only. We regret that our house is very unsuitable for children.) THE ENTERTAINMENT At 8:00pm there will be a Dance Recital featuring Rainbeau, Gracie, Tish and Blythe. You DO NOT want to miss this. At 9:00pm there will be a Guest Talent Show. If you can sing, dance, tell a joke or pull a rabbit out of a hat, we IMPLORE you to sign up for this featured event. There will be prizes! CALL FOR TAPES If you did not like the music at the previous parties, we encourage you to bring a tape. We will play them for thirty minutes or until those actually dancing revolt. The default music will be Digital Music Express Dance Music Channel (or 70's disco by dance floor request). DOOR PRIZES Around Midnight, there will be a drawing for valuable and/or unique Door Prizes. (You must be present to win.) COMESTIBLES There will be some snacks and soft drinks, but if you are really hungry, it might be a good idea to eat before you come. B.Y.O.B. (Smoke'em if ya got'em, but outside, please. the house is a smoke-free zone.) RSVP Whether or not you are planning to attend, we want to hear from you. Please give the hosts a call so we can plan on your presence OR absence. Invited guests may bring additional celebrants WITH PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE HOSTS. This means you must call a host and get permission for EACH of the people you intend to bring. The house is big, but it is possible to have too many attendees. YOUR HOSTS Head Anarchist in Charge, Sandy Sandfort 510-839-3441/sandfort(a)crl.com House Hosts with the Most, Gracie & Zarkov 510-832-2044/emyrt(a)aol.com Web page host Sameer Parekh and C2Net Software 510-547-3617/sameer(a)c2.net P.S. THERE WILL BE A LATE FEE OF 10 CENTS PER MINUTE FOR EACH MINUTE YOU ARRIVE AFTER 8:00PM. The party starts at 7:00, so you get an our for free. Late fees will be used to defray costs. (This is no joke. More than $100 was collected at each of the last two parties.) Pictures from the 2nd Occasional Masquerade Ball may be found at: http://www.c2.net/~sandy/web.htm OCTOBER 18 IN HISTORY This is "Any Way You Look at It" Day! On this day in 1961, Henri Matisse's painting, "Le Bateau" went on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. For six days, nobody realized it was hanging upside down. 1842 - Samuel Finley Breese Morse, laid his first telegraph cable in New York Harbor between the Battery and Governor's Island. 1892 - The first long-distance telephone communication was established between the mayors of New York and Chicago. 1924 - The term "Four Horsemen" was used in a "New York Herald Tribune" article by columnist Grantland Rice. The referenced Four Horsemen were the backfield of the University of Notre Dame which had beaten Army, 13-7. 1935 - Victor record #25236 was recorded this day by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra. It would become one of the most familiar Big Band themes of all time: "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". 1943 - The first broadcast of "Perry Mason" was presented on CBS Radio. In the 15-minute (Monday-Friday) shows, Perry was played by Barlett Robinson, Santos Ortega, Donald Briggs and John Larkin. Larkin played the role the longest and was reportedly very disappointed when Raymond Burr got the gig on TV (1957). 1944 - The epic book, "Forever Amber", was published. This historic-romance novel was written by Kathleen Windsor. Although the book was very popular among women between the ages of 12 and 24, it was considered scandalous to be seen reading it; a reaction that lasted at least another three decades. 1956 - Football commissioner Bert Bell turned thumbs down on the use of radio-equipped helmets by NFL quarterbacks. 1971 - The final issue of "Look" magazine was published. It had been a must-see publication every week for 34 years. 1977 - Reggie Jackson made history and earned the nickname, Mr. October. Regg-a-roo (as Howard Cosell called him) hit three home runs on three successive pitches leading the Yankees to an 8-4 thrashing of the LA Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series. 1979 - Following extensive renovation to return Radio City Music Hall to the look and feel of its 1931 Art Deco glory, the venerable New York City theatre reopened. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was the first live presentation. 1983 - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton received some gold to add to their collections --for their smash, "Islands in the Stream". OCTOBER 18 BIRTHDAYS 1854 - Salomon Andree (explorer: ill-fated North Pole expedition) 1859 - Henri Bergson (Nobel prize-winning philosopher, author: Creative Evolution) 1898 - Lotte Lenya (Karoline Blamauer) (Tony Award-winning singer, actress: Threepenny Opera; From Russia with Love, Semi-Tough, Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone) 1902 - Miriam Hopkins (actress: The Children's Hour, The Chase, Carrie, Barbary Coast) 1906 - James Brooks (artist: Flight: 235 ft. mural at La Guardia National Airport, NY; abstract expressionist exhibit: Ninth Street Exhibition) 1918 - Bobby Troup (actor: Emergency; singer, musician, TV host: Stars of Jazz; married to singer, Julie London) 1919 - Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada) 1925 - Melina Mercouri (actress: Never on Sunday, Once is Not Enough, Topkapi; Greece's Minister of Culture) 1926 - Chuck (Charles Edward Anderson) Berry (singer: Lifetime Achievement Grammy; Maybellene, Roll Over Beethoven, School Day, Rock & Roll Music, Sweet Little Sixteen, Johnny B. Goode, My Ding-A-Ling; in film: Rock, Rock, Rock) 1927 - George C. Scott (Academy Award-winning actor: Patton; Anatomy of a Murder, The Day of the Dolphin, The Hanging Tree, Taps, Oklahoma Crude, The Prince and the Pauper, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Malice) 1928 - Keith Jackson (sportscaster: ABC Sports, Wide World of Sports) 1933 - Peter Boyle (Emmy Award-winning actor: The X-Files; Taxi Driver, While You were Sleeping, Young Frankenstein, Midnight Caller, From Here to Eternity [TV]) 1933 - Forrest Gregg (Pro Football Hall of Famer: Green Bay Packers offensive tackle: Super Bowl I, II; Dallas Cowboys: Super Bowl VI; head coach: Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals: AFC Coach of the Year [1981]: Super Bowl XVI; Green Bay Packers; Southern Methodist University Athletic Director) 1934 - Inger Stevens (Stensland) (actress: The Farmer's Daughter, Madigan, A Guide for the Married Man, Hang 'Em High) 1937 - Boyd Dowler (football: Green Bay Packers wide receiver: Super Bowl I, II) 1939 - Mike Ditka (Pro & College Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears Rookie of the Year; Philadelphia Eagles; Dallas Cowboys tight end: Super Bowl V, VI; Chicago Bears head coach: Super Bowl XX; TV sports analyst: NBC Sports) 1943 - Willie Horton (baseball: Detroit Tigers outfielder) 1947 - Laura Nyro (singer: Up on the Roof; songwriter: Wedding Bell Blues, Blowin' Away, And When I Die, Stoney End, Stoned Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness, Eli's Coming, Time and Love, Save the Country) 1950 - Wendy Wasserstein (writer: The Heidi Chronicles, Bachelor Girls) 1951 - Pam Dawber (actress: Mork & Mindy, My Sister Sam) 1952 - Jerry Royster (baseball: LA Dodgers pitcher) 1960 - Jean Claude Van Damme (actor: Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, Double Impact, Hard Target, Nowhere to Run, Predator II) 1961 - Erin Moran (actress: Happy Days, Joanie Loves Chachi, The Don Rickles Show, Daktari, Galaxy of Terror, Twirl, Watermelon Man, How Sweet It Is!) 1961 - Wynton Marsalis (Grammy Award-winning musician: jazz/ classical trumpet: Think of One [1983]; played on: Father & Sons; in orchestra: Sweeney Todd; composer: TV theme song for Shannon's Deal) OCTOBER 18 CHART TOPPERS 1957 Chances Are/The Twelfth of Never - Johnny Mathis Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley Be-Bop Baby/Have I Told You Lately That I Love You - Ricky Nelson Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers 1965 Yesterday - The Beatles Treat Her Right - Roy Head You've Got Your Troubles - The Fortunes Behind the Tear - Sonny James 1973 Half-Breed - Cher Ramblin' Man - The Allman Brothers Band Angie - The Rolling Stones Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico - Johnny Rodriguez 1981 Arthur's Theme (Best that You Can Do) - Christopher Cross For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton Private Eyes - Daryl Hall and John Oates Step by Step - Eddie Rabbitt THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER Sweetest Day Frabjous Day Ironman Triathalon MISC. Persons Day (Canada) St. Luke's Day (patron of doctors, painters, glassmakers, artists, butchers, notaries, sculptors) Festival of Poetic Terrorism Alaska Day Pandrosos (Greek all-refreshing Goddess) Great Horn Fair (Kent, UK) National Chocolate Cupcake Day Chile Independence Day No Beard Day Lukesmas International Credit Union Day Ivory Soap invented 1st Art school opened Sandblasting patented BBC Radio established (1922) H.E.W. banned cyclamates Brotherhood of the Cooperative Commonwealth founded (1895) Puerto Rico became US Colony (1898) Lincoln shaved off his beard Hi and Lois comic strip began (1954) Water Pollution Control Act passed (1972) XYZ Affair Citroen 2CV automobile introduced (1948) Roseanne debuted (1988) 1st War Crimes trial began (1945) Disney's Jungle Book premiered John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrested for marijuana possession (London; 1968) Rules of American Football 1st formulated (1873) US attacked Iranian oil rig in retaliation for gunboat attacks (1987) International Court of Justice at the Hague announced (1907) UK declared Canadian women to be "persons" (1929) Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes forcing many protestants (aka Huguenots) to flee France (1685) Teddy Roosevelt is ridiculed in the press for inviting black leader Booker T. Washington to the White House (1901) men to be "persons" (1929) Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes forcing many protestants (aka Huguenots) to flee France (1685) Teddy Roosevelt is ridiculed in the press for inviting black leader Booker T. Washington to the White House (1901)

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Re: Technology center
by stuey 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>What I think they'll do is work on virus software. They can write >something which will hack the crypto on your PC and make it weak. >If they want to wiretap some drug dealer, they get him to download >one of their programs somehow. Maybe they've got a Java bug which >lets them hack files when he goes to a certain web page. Or maybe >they get him to download some free demo of a game or interaction >service (hotchicks.com) Whatever, the program actually looks for >PGP and other crypto software and hacks it. Now the FBI can read >his stuff. What we have here is a technology race. Assuming it is legal for a hypothetical government organization to pull a stunt like that, we merely build our own encryption software that is compatible with the current stuff, or failing that have an unreasonable amount of different publically available versions out there. Tell me what virus can alter 50 different programs in a different fashion and still be small enough to go unnoticed. If you were to program your own private version of PGP and have it produce output exactly the same as any version of PGP out there you wanted to, then there's a good chance that it would be overlooked by viri, logic bombs, trojans... and even if it wasn't there's an even better chance that a specific virus would need to be written to hack your private version. and what are the odds of actually infecting your particular desktop with the naughty program that's gonna do the dirty work? I admit that would take cnsiderable effort and the only reason for doing so is to protect against thief software designed to steal your keys, but it can be done. and probably would be done by many as a last resort / defense. -Stu "Work toward your vision of tomorrow, or you will surely live in someone else's" -- Art Sackett

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Re: Exports and criminalizing crypto
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[lot of snipping] Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> writes: > > John Smith <jsmith58(a)hotmail.com> writes: > > > > That's easy for you to say, there in England. You don't have these > > export controls, right? > > We have different export controls. You can export what you want > electronically right now. And, so I hear, the exporter is defined as > the person who downloads from your web site, so lots of hits from Iraq > is no problem. Start to talk about tangible things and you require a > license. > Adam This is my favorite example of the Kafka-esque absurdity of export controls >From England, I can export strong crypto electronically with no problem. The same crypto, printed as source code, is restricted. >From the US, I can export printed strong crypto with no problem. The same crypto, in electronic form, is export restricted. Both sides claim to have a rational, well-thought out policy. Peter Trei

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New Member Registration
by somebody＠somewhere.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

A Message From Mr. T Account Login: killer Account Password: instinct This message has been auto-generated - No need to reply

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Congress to compromise away crypto-rights, from ComDaily
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[From ComDaily, a Washington trade publication. --Declan] --- Markey/White Prevails HOUSE PANEL APPROVES ENCRYPTION BILL IN REBUFF TO CLINTON, FBI [...] Rules Committee Chmn. Solomon (R-N.Y.) originally had co-sponsored bill, then dropped off and urged rejection of Goodlatte measure, declaring it harmful to national security. He said in letter to Commerce Committee members that bill wouldn't get to House floor unless it includes provisions with "crucial key recovery language" similar to those in Oxley-Manton proposals and in Intelligence Committee. Spokesman said that while Rules panel could send any version it wished to floor, Solomon wants to try to work out compromise that recognizes national security concerns. Panel spokesman said Goodlatte should "be more flexible and work out" differences with Intelligence Committee. Intelligence Chmn. Goss (R-Fla.) also is on Rules Committee. House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.), who had tried to find compromise before markup, said after evening session that there would have to be more compromises. He proposed amendment to set up 5-member commission that would have 180 days to study encryption and make recommendations. Tauzin said that "something will have to be worked out that satisfies law enforcement." He said "we're not finished" with bill, said it was possible that study proposal could emerge as compromise if no other agreement could be reached: "Just like there's no predicting where the technology will be, there's no predicting where this will end up." [...] Oxley said Thurs. his amendment lost because: "The Commerce Committee was being the Commerce Committee." In protecting its jurisdiction, with eye toward electronic commerce, legislators paid attention to computer industry, including Gates, he said. However, he said "the bill isn't going anywhere" unless law enforcement and national security concerns are addressed. Oxley said he hadn't asked Solomon to hold up legislation, noting that Intelligence and National Security panel bills have provisions "stronger than mine." [...] ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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USA Today on encryption; FBI's Louis Freeh responds
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

----------------- Subject: USA Today/Freeh Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 09:08:05 -0400 From: Dave Banisar <banisar(a)epic.org> USA TODAY Our View September 26, 1997 Computer privacy at risk if FBI gets the codes Thinking about protecting your computer files with high-quality encryption? Well, act fast. The FBI is out to stop you. Not only will you get less security if the agency gets its way, but you'll pay more for software to protect your personal financial, medical and other records. Until now, restrictions on good encryption technology have covered only exports. But the agency wants to outlaw the making, sale and distribution here of all codes it can't break. It would require any firm offering such programs to hand decoding keys over to third parties so the FBI and other agencies could get hold of them without your knowledge. It's the electronic equivalent of demanding that Americans put copies of all their records in some federal depository. One House committee has passed the FBI plan. Another committee failed this week to insert it in a bill aimed at lifting export curbs. But more attempts are sure. The FBI says encryption controls are for your security. Otherwise, drug lords and terrorists can hide behind strong encryption to evade the law. In fact, lack of powerful encryption programs is leaving the vast majority of Americans far less secure. That's because of the existing restriction on exports. U.S. software and computer makers find it too costly to make one product for here and another for export. So, they don't provide the best encryption possible. The Justice Department reports computer security breaches cost U.S. business and consumers $ 7 billion a year. And domestic software and computer makers are losing sales to foreign firms. Estimated price tag by 2000: $ 60 billion a year, 240,000 jobs. Domestic limits would only add costs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that buyers will pay $ 5 to $ 10 more for software, up to $ 2 billion a year, to implement the FBI's system. And 11 of the world's top cryptographers in May warned that the FBI plan creates targets for criminals by establishing centers where billions of secrets are held. And for what? Smart crooks easily can evade police efforts by using unbreakable foreign encryption available over the Internet or by removing incriminating evidence by pressing their computer's delete key. The National Research Council, in an 18-month study for Congress, suggested a better course for government to meet everyone's security concerns: -- Provide law enforcement money to study surveillance alternatives. -- Ease the curb on encryption exports. -- Leave domestic encryption alone. In plain, unencrypted text: Don't stop Americans from protecting themselves. ---------------------------------------------- USA TODAY Let law keep weapons Louis J. Freeh In this time of electronic commerce, e-mail and private information routinely stored in computers, the availability of powerful encryption is essential. No one in law enforcement disputes that. All of law enforcement is also in total agreement on one aspect of encryption: The widespread use of uncrackable encryption will devastate our ability to fight crime and prevent terrorism. It will render two of our most important investigative techniques, court-ordered electronic surveillance and search and seizure, a nullity in many instances. Without a balanced approach that accommodates commercial interests, privacy and public safety concerns, criminals and terrorists will be able to shield themselves from court orders used to obtain critical evidence and prevent the worst crimes. How important are the techniques? Law enforcement used electronic surveillance to disrupt terrorists mixing bombs to blow up buildings and assassinate political figures. A computer was used to store evidence of a plot to blow up 11 U.S. airline flights. Police use electronic surveillance to combat drugs, gang violence and kidnapping. Indeed, state and local law enforcement authorities account for 50% of all the electronic surveillance court orders in the United States. These are what will be lost if, despite valid court orders, law enforcement is unable to decrypt that which criminals have encrypted. We are not asking that advances in encryption be abandoned or that privacy rights be threatened. Nor are we asking for any increase in law enforcement's authority to intercept people's conversations. We only ask that the careful balance of the Fourth Amendment not be inadvertently tipped in favor of criminals and terrorists in the rush to satisfy the marketplace. Many companies are urging Congress to let them determine the extent to which public safety is protected and have expressed a desire that government be more sympathetic to their commercial needs. These potential life-and-death issues are too important to leave solely to market forces that respond to important but unrelated interests. Good and sound public policy decisions must be made now by Congress. We remain hopeful that, as legislation is crafted, it will not ignore the pleas of law enforcement but instead will preserve that careful balance that has been so meticulously maintained for the past 200 years. Louis J. Freeh is director of the FBI. ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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CDT complains to my editors after post to cypherpunks
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[CDT's Jonah Seiger copied this message to my editors. I'm still waiting for him to answer my questions. --Declan] --- Subject: Re: The Commerce committee votes are up at crypto.com Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 10:29:17 -0400 From: Jonah Seiger <jseiger(a)cdt.org> To: Declan McCullagh <declan(a)well.com> Declan -- If you are curious about what it is about your style that bothers CDT so much, start with this hostile, accusitory message posted to a public list (in this case, cypherpunks). This message is not a question -- it's an attack. It assumes the answer before it's asked, and it's nothing more than read meat thrown to a hungry crowd. If you have questions about how we set up the site, or how we feel about the results of Wednesday's Commerce Committee vote, all you have to do is contact us. We will be happy to talk to you. This is the way every other journalist we work with operates. Unfortunately, your pattern is different. I would have thought that after last week's unfortunate incident you would have learned something. Perhaps I was assuming too much. Jonah At 11:19 PM -0400 9/25/97, Declan McCullagh wrote: >Thanks, Shabbir, for putting this vital information online. But I'm a >little puzzled. I fear the CDT/VTW crypto.com web site may be misleading. > >You say, for instance, that opposing SAFE yesterday was a vote "against >Internet privacy" and "against passing the SAFE bill out of committee." >That's not true. The Markey-White-amended bill the committee approved >yesterday was not the SAFE bill. It was a deviant version with important >differences from SAFE. > >The Markey-White amendment includes: the doubled crypto-in-a-crime >penalties (10-20 years!), the sop to eventual mandatory key recovery by >including liability immunity for turning over keys to the Feds or the >sheriff of Podunk County, the bogus NETcenter that effectively gives the >NSA a statutory basis for domestic evildoing, etc. (Markey wanted to take >credit for killing the original SAFE. He told the Washington Post "after >the vote" that the original, better, Goodlatte SAFE "no longer exists as a >political option." That's right -- thanks to his own amendment...) > >The second and third votes are essentially the same: should the above >provisions be in the Commerce committee of the bill. But why do you avoid >taking a position on whether the second vote on Markey-White was good or >bad? > >If the second description was to avoid taking a position on Markey-White, >it doesn't work. You say in your third description that a vote for the >amended Markey-White bill was a good one. Why would CDT/VTW endorse such >disturbing legislation? (And not admit it?) To what extent was CDT/VTW >involved in drafting Markey-White and to what extent did you encourage >committee members to vote for it? > >Also, the description for the third vote is misleading by itself. It just >says "report SAFE" when it should say "report SAFE with Markey-White >provisions" out of committee. > >And, given these problems with Markey-White, why is the CDT/VTW crypto.com >site counting a vote for the Markey-White-amended bill as a vote for >"Internet privacy?" I should think that given the problems -- such as >doubling of crypto-in-a-crime and sop towards mandatory key recovery -- >that a vote against the Markey-White-amended bill is a //good// vote, not >one against Net-privacy. > >If a legislator wanted to vote for Internet freedom and reject deviant >bills, he should have voted against Oxley, Markey-White, and against >passing the bill with Markey-White out of committee yesterday. (That would >have left the cleaner Judiciary committee version of SAFE as a more likely >option.) Rep. Brown, for instance, did just that -- yet you tar him as >against Internet freedoms. > >Go figure. > >-Declan > > >crypto.com says: > >>Voted in favor of Internet privacy at the full >>Commerce committee vote on Sep 24 1997. This vote was >>against attaching the Oxley-Manton 'Big Brother' >>amendment to SAFE. >> >>Voted against the Markey-White amendment at the full >>Commerce committee vote on Sep 24 1997. The vote was >>against attaching the Markey-White amendment to SAFE. >> >>Voted against Internet privacy at the full Commerce >>committee vote on Sep 24 1997. The vote was against >>passing the SAFE bill out of committee. > > > >At 17:56 -0400 9/25/97, Shabbir J. Safdar wrote: >>Last night's votes on SAFE in the Commerce committee are in place at >>http://www.crypto.com/member/ >> >>Simply select the member of Congress you're curious about, either by zip code >>or by state, and you can see how they voted in the three Commerce votes >>last night. Then, you can call and yell or send kudos. * Value Your Privacy? The Government Doesn't. Say 'No' to Key Escrow! * Adopt Your Legislator - http://www.crypto.com/adopt -- Jonah Seiger, Communications Director (v) +1.202.637.9800 Center for Democracy and Technology pager +1.202.859.2151 <jseiger(a)cdt.org> PGP Key via finger http://www.cdt.org http://www.cdt.org/homes/jseiger

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InfoWar 22 (Part III of 'The True Story of the InterNet')
by Toto 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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InfoWar 22 / TEXT
by Toto 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The True Story of the InterNet Part III InfoWar Final Frontier of the Digital Revolution Behind the ElectroMagnetic Curtain by TruthMonger <tm(a)dev.null> Copyright 1997 Pearl Publishing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- InfoWar Table of Contents * Forever Young ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forever Young ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alexis and Jonathan were resting in each other's arms on the couch by the old oak table, and quietly discussing the wide variety of posts to the CypherPunks mailing lists in the wake of the House Commerce Committee's defeat of the Oxley amendment to the SAFE bill and their approval of the Markey-White amendment, instead. "It seems strange that the our future destiny is so deeply intertwined with events that happened over a century ago." Alexis said. "It seems even stranger," she continued, "that our past is being transmogrified through the InformEnergy we are exchanging with that era through the Trei Transponder." "Not to mention the present" Jonathan added, showing her the post he had just pulled up on the GraphiScreen behind them. Subject: FWD: Dear Representative Oxley From: Anthony Garcia <agarcia(a)Starbase.NeoSoft.COM> To: cypherpunks(a)Algebra.COM For what it's worth. -Anthony Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 17:47:37 -0500 (CDT) From: Anthony Garcia <agarcia(a)Starbase.NeoSoft.COM> To: Mike.Oxley(a)mail.house.gov Subject: Dear Representative Oxley At this time, it looks like your ignorant, anti-Constitutional amendment to the Safety And Freedom through Encryption Act will be passed by the Commerce Committee. This legislation may go on to be passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. In case this occurs, I would like you to make note of my home address and telephone number. They are: Anthony Garcia [address & phone elided for broadcast on cypherpunks list] If I move to a new address in the future, I will update you. I telling you this because I fully intend to willfully break your stupid law exactly 1 minute after the moment it goes into effect on January 1st, 1999. I will: - Manufacture an encryption product that does not support key escrow (I will compile source code for encryption software which does not support key escrow.) - Offer to sell that encryption product to any takers for the sum of $1. - Offer that encryption product for free to the public via FTP or HTTP file transfer over the Internet. - Import an encryption software product which does not support key escrow by means of file transfer over the Internet from a foreign source. So, get ready to arrest me, Big Mike. Get out your old FBI shield and shine it up, because I AM GOING TO BREAK YOUR LAW. GOT IT? Sincerely, -Anthony Garcia agarcia(a)neosoft.com P.S. When you have some free time, look up a document known as the "Bill of Rights", and review the sections titled "First Amendment" and "Fourth Amendment". Alexis gazed at the post with interest, but seemed mystified as to what import it had for the Magic Circle's present situation. "I don't remember seeing this post in the archives we went over yesterday, but it certainly doesn't to seem unusual for the CypherPunks list." "It wasn't in the mailing list archives yesterday." Jonathan told her, waiting for the import of what he was saying to begin sinking in, as evidenced by Alexis's ever-widening eyes, before continuing. "All of the posts that were in the archive yesterday are either nonexistent, or changed, when compared to emails we're pulling from A Player To Be Named Later's digital implant through the Trei Transponder." Bubba and Priscilla walked up, hand in hand, joining in the conversation. "If you check the archives you will find," Bubba said solemnly, "that the Oxley amendment to the SAFE bill passed on September 14, 1997." After taking a sharp elbow to the ribs, Bubba added, grinning, "We have Priscilla to thank for pointing out this most interesting anomaly in the fabric of history, as we seem to currently be experiencing it." "Bubba told me I was confused." Priscilla said, gloating at her correcting of the Magic Circle's most prestigious purveyor of ancient history. "He said that I must have read in the CypherPunks list archives about the Oxley amendment being passed at a later date, since it had been one of the turning points in history in the battle for control of the InterNet. I told the old fart," Priscilla said, as Bubba now nudged her in the ribs, "to'check the archives.'" Jonathan and Alexis laughed at her imitation of Tim May, circa. 1990's. "Nuke DC!" the Cowboy approached, waving a handful of freshly printed posts from their current subscription to the CypherPunks mailing list of a century earlier. The Cowboy had resurrected some old printers that Melissa had smuggled out to him from the closely guarded Museum of Antiquities. d'Shauneaux had brought them back from one of his midnight meetings with her the previous week. Subject: Re: SAFE = Security and Fascism through Escrow Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 10:00:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Ray Arachelian <sunder(a)brainlink.com> To: cypherpunks(a)Algebra.COM On Wed, 24 Sep 1997, Tim May wrote: > As our Big Brothers in D.C. continue to abuse the language by taking SAFE > in a direction 180 degrees from the original intentions, it seems only fair > that we rename the bill the Security and Fascism through Escrow Bill. Erm, Tim you've somehow managed to misspell SODOMY. There's no securiy in SAFE, by definition, it's a security hole through which the citizens get sodomized. ==============================Kaos=Keraunos=Kybernetos================== .+.^.+. | Ray Arachelian |Prying open my 3rd eye. So good to see |./|\. ..\|/.. |sunder(a)sundernet.com |you once again. I thought you were |/\|/\ <--*--> | ------------------ |hiding, and you thought that I had run |\/|\/ ../|\.. | "A toast to Odin, |away chasing the tail of dogma. I opened|.\|/. .+.v.+ .|God of screwdrivers" |my eye and there we were.... |..... ======================= http://www.sundernet.com ========================== The Cowboy announced, grandly, "There is no record in the archives which shows any indication that the SAFE bill became generally known on the CypherPunks list as the 'Sodomy And Fascism through Encryption' bill, as now seem to be happening." The Cowboy showed the group a color printout of the new SAFE T-shirt being produced by Adam Back, with a Swastika and the word 'SAFE' composed of a series of toilet plungers. "Bill Stewart suggested to Adam that it be a 'scratch and sniff' T-shirt, but Back pointed out to him that SAFE was already beginning to smell bad to an increasing number of people, anyway." The small group shared a chuckle or two, as the Cowboy continued. "In addition to the challenge issued to Oxley by Anthony Garcia, and the posts by May and Arachelian, which didn't exist in our recent previous pastif that makes senseI have found that even the posts that do exist in the archives are not the same as the ones we are currently receiving from that same point in time. "There has been a subtle quantum shift in the tone and direction of the posts to the CypherPunks list, as well as to the rest of the history surrounding the InterNet during that crucial nadir point in the InterNet's evolution." The Cowboy pulled out a bottle of Jim Beam and passed it around the tablean indication that he was about to drop a bombshell on his compatriots. After everyone had downed a stiff shot of the ice-cold bourbon, he asked, "What did we all agree were two serious errors in Chapter 20 of 'InfoWar.'" he asked the others. Alexis was the first to speak. "Well, in general, we agreed that it was a ridiculously overdone parody of a conspiracy theory worthy of ? the Lunatic's deranged mind." "In specific," Jonathan added, as the group laughed, once again, "attributing the chapter as being written by Bill Gates, wherein the man purportedly connects himself to one of the sleaziest maneuvers in the history of the perversion of democracy and justice, then proceeding to make it look as if he had cowardly submitted to blackmail by the anonymous post that linked him to the original Indio gathering of weapons dealers, as well as the thinly veiled threat of violence to 'a billionaire to be named later.' "Not even the most unbalanced of the CypherPunks list members was likely to fail to see this as a shallow attempt at smearing Gates by making it look as if he had taken up the challenge that ? the Lunatic had sent anonymously through the TruthMailer as A. Fiend, to write his own chapter of 'InfoWar,' revealing some dark secret from his past, and asking him to provide some real, but improbable evidence of his authorship by making reference to some future event, based on his own inside information." The group nodded in agreement with this statement by Jonathan, and then Alexis brought up the second major inanity the group had found in the 'InfoWar' chapter titled, 'A Billionaire To Be Named Later.' "We agreed that it was a pretty wild stretch to intimate that an LMBoyd sampler sent out two months before was a veiled message from the Circle of Eunuchs to the Internet Content Coalition warning them of a serial killer/mass murderer from the north, where ? the Lunatic and polar bears live. "Although the timing of the mentioned email was rather synchronous with the Coalition's agenda..." The Cowboy broke into a wide smile, asking the others, "Did anyone happen to read the LMBoyd sampler for July 25, 1997?" The others looked at one another questioningly, each nodding negatively. The Cowboy lay a post in front of the group, which they proceeded to read with amazement. Subject: Sampler: September 25 Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 00:15:01 -0700 From: sampler-request(a)lmboyd.com To: multiple recipients of <sampler(a)lmboyd.com> ====================================================== Tennis players might quote Shakespeare's Henry VI: "O monstrous fault!" Basketball players, Henry V: "Hear the shrill whistle." Bowlers, The Tempest: "Mercy on us, we split." Golfers, King John: "Give me an iron." Baseball players, Othello: "You did bid me steal." Hockey players, A Midsummer Night's Dream: "Gentle Puck, come hither." Great horned owls lay round eggs. 1. Did the Eskimo of old believe in God? A. They did. They thought God, the Supreme Environmentalist, created polar bears to prevent humans from over-multiplying. So they wouldn't eat up everything in one season. ============================================== LMBoyd Web Site / U. S. Newspapers / Start Email / Stop Email http://www.LMBoyd.com/postscript.htm "This was sent out after chapter 20 of 'InfoWar' had been sent to the CypherPunks list." Bubba commented. After checking the date and time that chapter 20 had been sent, he said, sounding even more perplexed and amazed, "A little more than a single hour afterward." The Cowboy let each of them read the post, once again, to confirm for themselves what secrets it revealed. "Fucking unbelievable!" Jonathan exclaimed. "The 'A Billionaire To Be Named Later' chapter is not only followed shortly thereafter by a completely unrelated item which contains not only a confirmation of the claim of Circle of Eunuchs involvement in the LMBoyd web site, but even expands on it, by adding the reference to hockey players, such as the Author, as well as a repetition of the theme wherein polar bears hunt and consume humans." "And adding a reference to 'horned owls' dropping 'round eggs'?" Alexis noted, looking at the others for confirmation she wasn't imagining things. "Nukes?" Bubba Rom Dos, poet and philosopher, also pointed out that the LMBoyd sampler began with a reference to Shakespeare, and that the last quote attributed to A Player To Be Named Later in the chapter attributed to Gates was a reference to Shakespeare being a member of the Magic Circle-a distinct impossibility. "Thus, the author of chapter 20 could only have been using that analogy to set up the confirmation by the later LMBoyd sampler that the Circle of Eunuchs was involved in the use of the samplers to pass messages. Jonathan asked the question that everyone was now rolling over in their mind. "What does this do to our other conclusion, that the chapter was not authored by 'Bad BillyG,' himself?" The Cowboy sat down and knocked back another shot of Jim Beam, as the Trei Transponder began to quietly hum in the background. It was causing something tucked away in the back of the Cowboy's mind to begin resonating, and he struggled to bring it to the forefront of his consciousness where it could be examined in the light of reason "A Player To Be Named Later had no connection to the LMBoyd web site." the Cowboy stated emphatically, surprising the others, who were lost in their own contemplation. The Cowboy looked at each of the others, in turn, and announced, "But Gates did!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Player To Be Named Later lay on his bed, Baby lying by his side and looking up quizzically at him, wondering about the soft humming noise coming from her friend's head. He reached down and stroked her on the back of the neck, saying, "Modern technology, Baby. Someday I'll get you a digital implant, too, so that you can bark at the doggies of the future." He laughed and rose to get Baby a bowl of milk. BillyG had done his homework, that much was certain. And the man had added some personal touches to chapter 20 of 'InfoWar' that would have done justice to even the most diabolically astute members of the legendarily insane conspiracy of the slippery, esoteric--and definitely mythical--Circle of Eunuchs. He had immediately noticed BillyG's reference to the Shakespeare line from the first sentence of the last chapter of "The Xenix Chainsaw Massacre." Having the quote, "And one man, in his time, plays many parts." spoken by A Player To Be Named Later was an obvious implication that he and the Author were one and the same person. Keeping the 'true identity' of the Author 'in play,' as Bubba called it, was a Circle of Eunuchs tradition. As well, the last chapter of TXCSM, titled 'it ain't over 'till it's over,' contained a reference to the "He who shits on the Road will meet flies on his return." quote, which was a usual part of the TruthMailer header, but was not included in the TruthMailer email which had originally challenged BillyG to write a chapter for 'InfoWar.' That TXCSM chapter also made reference to Pearl Harbor Computers motto, "We've been bombed since 1941.", which meant that the Magic Circle had been brought full circle to closure by the veiled reference to the nuclear bomb in the follow-up LMBoyd sampler which served to confirm the details of the chapter 20 reference to a previous LMBoyd sampler. "And the ending of the second sampler," he told Baby, who was listening intently, "with a direct reference to the polar bears mentioned in the one from two months beforea fucking classic in-your-face Circle of Eunuchs maneuver that says everything and proves nothing!" The timing of the confirmation post was likewise a classic maneuver. Anyone who went to the trouble of checking the timing of chapter 20 and the following LMBoyd sampler could easily miscalculate different time zones involved and come to the conclusion that it was a clever ruse, but those who were familiar with headers and time zone references in InterNet processing would know beyond doubt that chapter 20 had been submitted to the list previous to the release of the LMBoyd sampler. The Coupe de Gras, of course, was that chapter 21 of 'InfoWar,' which was titled 'Lying Fucking Nazi Cunt Sex Criminal,' and which had its authorship attributed to the President, quoted another email which had been posted to the CypherPunks list before the House Commerce Committee's meeting on the Oxley amendment to SAFE, as well as sent to over a hundred Congressmen and Senators, and which alluded to an argument that would be raised during the closed meeting-a fact which would be later confirmed by those in attendance. The chapter itself intimated that this precognition of a later event might be attributable to guessing the probable from previously available information, even if it was a bold long-shot, but anyone who understood the full import of the reference to the 'Forever Young' Eternity Server and the demise of the Huge Cajones remailer would know beyond doubt that the author of chapter 21 had access to information that came from deep within the walls of the Whitehouse. The ending of chapter 21 with the reference to the coming assault on Intel might be viewed as information that could have leaked out before chapter 21 was written, but anyone who reread the passage a month or so in the future would see the reality of what was being implied in the description of the true agenda of 'total information control' being pursued by the dark powers within the Whitehouse and the government intelligence agencies pulling the President's strings. "Two perfect chapters, Baby." A Player To Be Named Later knocked back a shot of Scotch and rolled himself a cigarette. "Anybody who checks the true facts involved in their creation and distribution will prove to themselves, beyond all doubt, that their authorship and their wild-eyed claims are exactly what the manuscript purports them to be." He laughed and threw Baby a chocolate chip cookie in appreciation of her rapt attention to his maniacal monologue, and gave her a conspiratorial wink. "Yet," he continued, "just let them try to tell someone else of their discoverythey will find them self running from the men with the butterfly nets, in short order." "But," A Player To Be Named Later continued, laughing diabolically, "they ain't seen nothing, yet!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Xenix Chainsaw Massacre" "WebWorld & the Mythical Circle of Eunuchs" "InfoWar (Part III of 'The True Story of the InterNet') Soviet Union Sickle of Eunuchs Secret WebSite ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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pi == 3 [was: Re: Chutzpah! FBI Calls Privacy Extremists Elitist
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> From: David HM Spector <spector(a)zeitgeist.com> > Re: Pi.... > > I believe the enlightened Legislator who attempted to legislate Pi was > none other than Jesse Helms (although this could be a legislative > myth!) and when Ol'Jesse proposed it (because he was "sick of all these > egg-heads with their big numbers") John Glenn said something on the > order of ' if your legislation passes Senator, I wouldn't want to > driver over any bridges in your state!' > _DHMS Not Helms, and not recently. From 'Extraordinary Pi', http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nickjh/Pi.htm : Indiana State Legislature House Bill No. 246, 1897, set the value of Pi to a to 3. Duh ! Actually the wording of the bill is really unclear and can interpreted in various ways. Other interpretations include 3.2, 4 and 9.2376. The bill goes on in a confused way to contradict other areas of elementary geometry, and to contradict itself. It got passed all the way up to Senate level, then a Mathematics Professor noticed it by chance, informed the Senate, and it was posponed indefinitely at its second reading. Peter Trei

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