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December 2003
- 8635 participants
- 56359 discussions
X-Info:
X-Info:Sent using Zenith Bulk Emailer (FREE)
STOP Before you act in haste PRINT this and read it a few times!
It makes more sense after you look it over and think about it.
Take the chance you never know what will happen!!!
You are about to make up to $50.000-In less than 90 days
Read the enclosed program Then read it AGAIN!
The main reason for this letter is to convince you that this system is honest,
lawful, extremely profitable and is a way to get a considerable amount of money
in a short time. I was approached several times before I checked this out. I
joined just to see what one could expect in return foe a minimal effort and
money required.
This is the letter that got my attention, Read on and I'm sure you will agree
that this is a great plan!
BEGINNING OF THE LETTER..
Dear friend,
The enclosed information is something I almost let slip through my fingers.
Fortunately, sometime later, I re-read everything and gave some thoughts and
study to it. Please do the same. It's so simple to do.
And you won't be left out in the cold to figure it all out yourself. Look
further down in this letter for information you will receive from Abot
Marketing. They give you 10.000 fresh email addresses and give you the locations
of the best software " free software" to send large quantities of email. They
even give you easy to understand, proven, step by step instructions for success
with this program. In fact, they helped me get started and I'm so thankful.
It's hard to believe that this is as simple as it is, but it really is SIMPLE.
You will even get support from them via email anytime you need it. You won't get
this kind of help from any other programs of this nature. It makes all the
difference in the world.
My name is Anne Bowman, I am 31-years-old graduate student desperately trying to
finish my degree and begin working in my chosen field --that is, if I am lucky
enough to find a job in the crowded market. Like most people in this day and
age, it is hard to make ends meet and being a student does not help the
situations at all.( If I ever have to buy one more box of macaroni and cheese I
think I would have to scream). I returned to school after having worked for
years with little potential for achieving what I had expected out of life. I
figured if I returned to school and receive my Ph.D there would be several
opportunities for me out there to achieve my goals. After seeing my fellow
graduate students receive their degrees and depressingly, not find respectable
position in their chosen field I began to think, "Oh no, not again". Four extra
in school and an extra $20.000 in students loan on top of the first $18.000,
what will I do if the same happens to me? I began to doubt my!
!
patience for long term investment in schooling and decided enough was enough,
"Why can't I make real money now instead of waiting to graduate with no
guarantee of a lucrative return for all my efforts!" I am writing to share my
experience with other hopeful students out there, as well as ANYONE looking for
an opportunity to take their financial situation into their hands. I hope you
will consider this opportunity seriously and that this will change your life
FOREVER!!, FINANCIALY!!!!!! And once you get started it takes so little of your
time.
In mid Octomber97 I received this program. I didn't send or ask for it, they
just got my name off a mailing list. I TOOK THIS AS A SIGN!!! After reading it
several times, to make sure I was reading it correctly, it made perfect sense.
Here was a MONEY-MAKING PHENOMEN. I could invest as much as I wanted to start
(about as much as it cost for a pizza!), without putting me further in debt.
After I got a pencil and paper and figured it out, I would at least get my
money back. After determining that the program is ********LEGAL and NOT A CHAIN
LETTER**********, I decided " I have NOTHING TO LOOSE"
Initially I sent 15,000 emails, (without any costs to me), only a couple of
hours of my time on-line. The great thing about email is that I didn't need any
money for printing to send out the program, only the time to fulfill my orders.
There is a vast on-line market available to everyone who owns a computer.
Following the advice of a person from whom I received this letter, I am telling
you like it is and hope it doesn't turn you off, but I promised myself I would
not "rip-off" anyone, no matter how much money it cost me. After you receive the
reports they should explain you everything to you. You may have some general
questions, however, and after I send you report #1, please feel free to contact
me and I will give you any advice you need.
In one week, I was starting to receive orders for REPORT#1. By mid November, I
had received 40 orders for REPORT#1. When you read the GUARANTEE in the program
you will see that "YOU MUST RECEIVE 15 TO 20 ORDERS FOR REPORT #1 WITHIN 2
WEEKS, IF NOT, SEND OUT MORE PROGRAMS UNTIL YOU DO!". My first step in making
$50.000 in 20 to 90 days was done. By the beginning of December, I had received
174 orders for report#2. If you go back to the GUARANTEE: "YOU MUST RECEIVE 100
OR MORE ORDERS FOR REPORT#2 WITHIN TWO WEEKS. IF NOT SEND OUT MORE PROGRAMS
UNTIL YOU DO. ONCE YOU HAVE 100 ORDERS, THE REST IS EASY, RELAX, YOU WILL MAKE
YOUR $50.000 GOAL". Well, I had 174 orders for REPORT#2, 74 more than I needed.
So I sat back and relaxed. By January 20th, of my emailing of 15.000, I received
$54,ooo with more coming in everyday. The great thing about this program is you
can begin the process over and over again without any limit on potential income.
I paid off ALL my student loans and together with everything I have learned in
school. I am now saving in order to open up my own business related to my field
as soon as I graduate. Please take time to read the attached program. It will
CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER! Remember, it won't work if you don't try it. This
program does work, but you must fallow it EXACTLY! Especially the rules of not
trying to place your name in a different place on the list. It doesn't work,
you'll loose out on a lot of money! REPORT#2 explains this. "ALWAYS" follow the
GUARANTEE, 15 to 20 orders of REPORT#1 and 100 or more orders of REPORT#2 and
you will make $50.000 or more in 20 to 90 days. I am a living proof that IT
WORKS.
If you chose not to participate in this program, I am sorry. It really is a
great opportunity with little cost or risk to you. If you chose to participate,
follow the program and you will on your way to financially security.
To my fellow graduated students out there, good luck to you and I sympathize.
And to all other persons in financially trouble consider this letter as a sign
and please take advantage of this opportunity. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!
Sincerely,
Anne Bowman
THE END OF THE.LETTER
The following testimonial was at the bottom of this letter but it was too good
to leave it down there so I moved it up here. It is exactly how I felt and feel
now.
"The first week after I started this program was torture. I couldn't wait to see
if it is was really going to work after I mailed out my first batch of letters.
I chuckle every day now when I walk out of the post office with my envelopes.
This is so easy, I still can't believe it's happening!" Don Masterson, Troy, NY
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
>From here down is the instructions portion of this letter..
This is a legal, MONEY-MAKING PHENOMEN. Print the letter, read the directions,
THEN READ IT AGAIN.
You are about to embark on the most profitable and unique program you may ever
see. Many times over, it has demonstrated and proven its ability to generate
large amounts of cash. This program is showing fantastic appeal with a huge and
ever-growing on-line populations desirous of additional income.
This is a legitimate, LEGAL, moneymaking opportunity. It does not require you to
come in contact with people, do any hard work and best of all, you never have to
leave the house, except to get the mail and go to the bank!
This truly is that lucky break you've been waiting for! Simply follow the easy
instructions in this letter and your financial dreams will come true ! When
followed correctly, this electronic, multi-level business marketing program
works perfectly..100% EVERY TIME!
Thousand of people have used this program to
-Raise capital to start their own business
-Pay off debts
-Buy homes, cars, etc.
-Even retire!
This is your chance, so don't pass it up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OVERVIEW
OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY ELECTRONIC MULTILEVEL MARKETING PROGRAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Basically, this is what we do:
We send thousands of people a product for $5.00 that cost next to nothing to
produce and e-mail. As with all multi-level business, we build our business by
recruiting new partners and selling our products. Every state in U.S allows you
to recruit new multi-level business on-line (via your computer).
The products in this program are a series of four business and financial reports
costing $5.00 each. Each order you receive via "snail mail" will include:
$5.oo cash
The name and number of the report they are ordering
The e-mail address where you will e-mail them the report they ordered
To fill each order, you simply e-mail the product to the buyer. The $5.oo cash
is yours! This is the most EASIEST electronic multi-level business anywhere.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER AND BE PREPARED TO REAP THE STAGGERING
BENEFITS!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-----INSTRUCTIONS------
THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO:
1.ORDER all 4 reports shown on the list below (you can't sell them if you don't
have them).
For each report, send $5.00 cash, the NAME & NUMBER OF THE REPORT YOU ARE
ORDERING, YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS, AND YOUR RETURN POSTAL ADDRESS(in case of a
problem) to the person whose name appears on the list next to report.
When you place your order, make sure you order each of the four reports. You
will need all 4 reports, so you can save them on your computer and resell them.
Within a few days you will receive, via e-mail, each of the four reports. Save
them on your computer so they will be accessible for you to send to the 1,000's
of people who will order them from you.
2. IMPORTANT- Do not alter the names of the people who are listed next to each
report, or their sequence
on the list, in anyway other than is instructed below in steps "a" through "d"
or you will loose out on the majority of your profits. Once you understand the
way this works, you will understand.
Why it doesn't work if you change it. Remember, this method has been tasted and
if you alter it, it will not work.
a. Look below for the listing of the available reports.
b. After you've ordered the four reports, replace the name and address under
REPORT#1 with your name and address, moving the one that was there down to
REPORT#2.
c. Move the name and address that was under REPORT#2 down the REPORT#3.
d. Move the name and address that was under REPORT#3 down the REPORT#4.
e. The name and address that was under REPORT#4 is removed from the list and HAS
NO DOUBT COLLECTED THEIR 50 GRAND.
Please make sure you copy everyone's name and address accurately!!!!
3.Take this entire letter, including the modified list of names and save it to
your computer. Make no changes to the instructions portion of this letter.
4. Now you are ready to start an advertising campaign on the internet!
Advertising on the internet is very, very inexpensive and there are hundreds of
free places to advertise, but email, by far proven itself to be the best medium
for this program. And the emailers best friend is email lists. You can buy these
lists for under $20/20.000addresses or you can pay someone a minimal charge to
take care of the mailing for you. Be sure that you ad campaign IMEDIATELY! Each
day that passes while you think about it, is a day without profit.
5. For every $5.00 you receive, all you must do is e-mail them the report they
ordered. THAT'S IT! Always provide same day service on all other orders! This
will guarantee that the e-mail they send out with your name and address on it,
will be prompt because they can't advertise until they receive the reports.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Available reports
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***Order each report by number and name***
Notes:
- Always send $5.00 cash for each report
- Always send your order via first class mail
- Make sure the cash is concealed by wrapping it in at least two sheets of
paper!!!
- On one of those sheets of paper include : a)the number and name of the report
you are ordering, b)your email address, c) your postal address (using the
printer is the best way to do this)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REPORT#1 "HOW TO MAKE 250,000 THROUGH MULTILEVEL SALES"
ORDER REPORT#1 FROM:
T Evans
297 Castro St. #B
San Francisco CA,94114
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REPORT#2 "MAJOR CORPORATIONS AND MULTILEVEL SALES"
ORDER REPORT#2 FROM:
Mateescu F
Str.Abatorului bl.1 ap.15
Sibiu-2400
ROMANIA
**********IMPORTANT NOTE**********
US DOLLARS CURRENCY only and $5 bill must be new, at least made in 1993 and
don't fold it.
Once again, make sure the cash is concealed by wrapping it in at least "two"
sheets of paper!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REPORT#3 "SOURCES FOR THE BEST MAILING LISTS"
Christian S
PO BOX 1092, JKB 11010
INDONESIA
ORDER REPORT#3 FROM:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REPORT#4 "EVALUATING MULTILEVEL SALES PLANS"
J.F.J
P.O. BOX 342
McCormick, SC 29835-0342
USA
ORDER REPORT#4 FROM:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HERE IS HOW THIS AMZING PLAN WILL MAKE YOU $MONEY$
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's say you decide to start small jut to see how well it works. Assume your
goal is to get 10 people to participate on your first level (Placing a lot of
FREE ads on the INTERNET will easily get a larger response). Also assume that
everyone else in your organization gets only 10 down line members. Folow this
example to achieve the STAGGERING results below.
1st level--your 10 members with $5$50
2nd level --10 members from those 10($5x100)..$500
3rd level--10 members from those 100($5x1000)$5.000
4th level--10 members from those 1000($5x10000)$50.000
THIS TOTALS-------------------------------$55,550
Remember friends this assumes that the people who participate only recruit 10
people each. Think for a moment what would happen if they got 20 people to
participate! Most people get 100's of participants!
Think about it!!!!.
Your cost to participate in this is practically nothing (surely you can afford
$20 for a chance to make $55,000). You obviously already have an internet
connection and email is free!! REPORT#3 shows you the most productive method for
bulk emailing and purchasing e-mail lists. Some list & bulk e-mail vendors even
work on trade!
About 50,000 new people get on-line every month.!!!!!!!
**********TIPS FOR SUCCESS******************
*TREAT THIS AS YOUR BUSINESS! Be prompt, professional and follow the directions
accurately.
*Send foe the four reports immediately so you will have them when the others
start coming in because:
When you receive a $5 order, you must send out the requested product/report to
comply with the U.S. postal and lottery Lows.
*Always provide some-day service on the orders you receive.
*Be patient and persistent with this program. If you follow the instructions
exactly the results will undoubtedly successful!
*ABOVE ALL, HAVE FAITH IN YOUSELF AND KNOW YOU WILL HAVE SUCCESS.
I CAN' T STRESS ENOUGHHOW IMPORTANT THIS NEXT SECTION IS!!!!
If you don't receive 10 to 20 orders for REPORT#1 within two weeks, continue
advertising until you do.
Then, a couple of weeks later you should receive at least 100 orders for
REPORT#2. If you don't, continue advertising until you do. Once you have
received 100 or more orders for REPORT#2, you CAN RELAX, because the system is
already working for you and the cash will continue to roll in!
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:
Every time your name is moved down on the list, you are placed in front of a
DIFFERNT report.
You can KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS BY watching which report people are ordering
from you.
If you want to generate more income, send another batch of emails and start the
whole process again!
THERE IS NO LIMITS TO THE INCOME YOU WILL GENERATE FROM THIS BUSINESS!
NOTE: If you need help with starting a business, registering a business name,
how income tax is handled, etc., contract your local office of the SMALL
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION(a federal agency) for free help answers to questions.
Also, the INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE offers free help via telephone and free
seminars about business taxes.
*****TESTIMONIALS******
The first week after I started this programwas torture. I couldn't wait to see
if it was really going to work, after I emailed out my first batch of letters. I
chuckled every day when I walk out of the post office with my envelopes. This is
so easy I still can't believe is happening! Don Masterson, Troy , NY
This program does work but you must follow it EXACTLY! Especially the rule of
not trying to place your name in a different position, it's won't work and
you'll lose a lot of potential income. I AM A LIVING PROOF THAT IT WORKS. It
really is a great opportunity to make relatively easy money, with little cost to
you. If you do chose to participate, follow the program exactly and you will on
your way to financial security. Sean McLaughlin, Jackson, MS
My name is Frank. My wife, Doris, and I live in Bel-Air, MD. I am a cost
accountant with a major U.S. Corporation and I make pretty good money. When I
received the program I grumbled to Doris about receiving " junk mail". I made
fun of the whole thing, spouting my knowledge of the population and percentages
involved. I "knew" it won't work. Doris totally ignored my supposed intelligence
and jumped in with both feet. I made merciless fun of her and was ready to lay
the old "I told you so" on her when the thing didn't work. .Well, the laugh was
on me!! Within 2 weeks she had received over 50 responses. Within 45 days she
had received over $147,200 in $5.oo bills! I was shocked! I was sure that I had
it all figured and that it wouldn't work. I am a believer now. I've joined Doris
in her "hobby" . I did have seven more years until retirement, but I think of
the "rat race", and it is not for me. We own it all to MLM. Frank T., Bel-Air,
MD
I just want to pass along my best wishes and encouragement to you. Any doubts
you have, will vanish when you first orders come in. I even checked with U.S.
Post Office to verify that the plan is legal. It definitely is! IT WORKS!!! Paul
Johnson, Raleigh, NC
The main reason for this letter is to convince you that this system is honest,
lawful, extremely, profitable and is a way to get a large amount of money in a
short time. I was approached several times before I checked this out. I joined
just to see what one could expect in return for a minimal effort and money
required. To my astonishment, I received $36,470.00 in the first 14 weeks, with
money still coming in. Sincerely yours, Phillip A. Brown, Esq.
Not being the gambling type, it took me several weeks to make up my mind to
participate in this plan. But conservative that I am, I decided that the initial
investment was so little that there was just no way that I wouldn't get enough
orders to at least get my money back. Boy, was I surprised when I found my
medium-size post office box crammed with orders! For awhile, it got so
overloaded that I had to start picking up my mail at the window. I'll make more
money this year than 10 years of my life before. The nice thing about this deal
is that it doesn't matter where in the U.S. the people live. There simply isn't
a better investment with a faster return. Marry Rockland, Lansing, MI
I had received this program before. I deleted it, but later I wondered if I
shouldn't have g
*** Get The Zen Bulk Emailer FREE - Where To Get it ***
*** FAX/CALL +1 212 2082904 (US) or FAX +44 (01772) 492507 (UK) ***
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1
0
17 November, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Vipul Ved Prakash, 2233328.
VSNL Censors Indian Internet Sites
NEW DELHI, INDIA - VSNL, the Indian Internet monopoly, has been
illegally blocking Internet access to a number of Indian web sites for
the last several weeks, a Delhi-based Internet presence provider
revealed today. The block affects only Indian citizens in India -
users anywhere else in the world are not affected.
One of the sites targeted is Sense/NET, (www.sensenet.net) Sense/NET
lets users of VSNL's text-based shell account use the graphical
Netscape browser over their shell accounts, while using only the
normal shell account facilities that VSNL provides. With Sense/NET,
the common man can surf the Internet just like with VSNL's premium
TCP/IP service, but at a fraction of the cost.
General Logic, the startup company behind the Sense/NET service, is
not taking the blocking of its server lightly. "We did not so much as
receive any communication from VSNL about this step, which has the
potential to seriously affect our business," said Dr. Pawan Jaitly, a
director of the company. "It seems very strange, too, that a security
breach was attempted on our server over the Internet just days before
the blockage."
The censored server, at the (currently blocked) IP address of
208.222.215.97, hosts a number of other web sites including the
largest Yellow Pages of Indian exporters and importers available on
the Internet and the corporate web sites of the Apple Publishing
Technology Center, NewGen Software, and Educational Consultants India
Limited.
The award-winning web site of Connect magazine, the first Indian print
publication to launch a web edition, is also located on the General
Logic server.
Sense/NET users and others affected by the block who called up VSNL's
help desk to request clarification on this issue and access to the
sites were told by VSNL staffers that they did not know what the
problem was, and that they themselves could not access the sites in
question. No official intimation or even acknowledgement about the
block has been forthcoming from VSNL.
This is not the first time VSNL has blocked access to selected sites
on the Internet. On September 19, 1998, online activist Dr. Arun
Mehta's writ petition was admitted for hearing in the court of Justice
Anil Dev Singh, Delhi High Court, against VSNL, challenging its
blockage of certain Internet sites. The sites listed in the petition
provide information and software for voice transmissions over the
Internet.
The petition argues that this action "is wholly without basis in law
and amounts to arbitrary and illegal censorship of the petitioner's
Fundamental Right to freedom of speech, expression and information as
well as an illegal denial of his right to freedom to practice his
chosen profession."
The petition seeks affirmation that the constitutional rights to free
speech apply equally in cyberspace, and it also opens up the issue of
VSNL's ban on Internet telephony to judicial scrutiny. The matter will
come up for hearing on December 9, 1998. The case is being argued by
Mr. Ashok Aggarwal.
The Exporters and Importers Yellow Pages web site hosted on General
Logic's recently blocked server is a vital e-commerce resource for
over sixty-five thousand traders who earn India valuable foreign
exchange. "This ban will hurt Indian exporters as well. By banning
access to sites... VSNL is cynically choosing to let the nation suffer
severe loss if in the process it can safeguard its own monopolistic
profits," said Dr. Mehta.
"Ironically, VSNL also blocked Educational Consultants, a public
sector government organization, with its action."
General Logic was able to move all the web sites that were the victims
of VSNL's action to a non-blocked area within hours. "Most of our
clients didn't even notice their sites and email messages were being
blocked by VSNL," said Dr. Jaitly. The Sense/NET site remains blocked,
however.
"What VSNL is doing is completely illegal. A website is a means of
expression and is covered by the right to expression of all indian
citizens under article 19(1)a of the Indian Constitution. This can
only be restricted under article 19(2) on 'reasonable grounds' which
include obscenity, but certainly not the provision of competitive
services at reasonable cost," commented Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, managing
editor of First Monday, a European journal on Internet law.
Last year a duo of computer whiz-kids in Cochin released Shellsock, a
software package that made it possible for users of VSNL shell
accounts to browse the 'Net graphically. VSNL quickly set about
working on ways to break Shellsock, and eventually succeeded in
restricting the environment on its shell accounts to the extent that
Shellsock was unable to function.
General Logic launched its Sense/NET service soon after, with the goal
of providing TCP/IP Internet 'tunneling' service to users worldwide,
not just in India. "There are other countries suffering under the yoke
of state censorship of the Internet, like China, whose authoritatian
government, without warning, blocked access to the BBC web site for
its citizens," said Dr. Mehta. "VSNL is a monopoly that is crippling
India's progress on the Internet front."
Even Microsoft, he observed, which holds an effective monopoly in the
operating system market worldwide, has no mandate by any government in
the market - it has to keep forging ahead or lose to its competitors.
"VSNL does not have that motivation, and so it is that the Indian
consumer and India suffer."
Besides the threat of censorship and poor service, another risk with
state monopoly Internet access providers is that they can read your
mail, and monitor your communications, as the data flows through their
systems. Jaitly disclosed that his company is working on providing
strong military grade encryption as part of its Internet tunneling
services, to provide secure private networks across untrusted links
for business and personal use.
"We envision Sense/NET as a sort of 'Meta ISP' providing secure,
uncensorable Internet tunneling service to people in places where
local access providers are unable or unwilling to deliver full
access," said Vipul Ved Prakash, Director of research at General
Logic. "We believe in every individual's fundamental right to access
human knowledge without restriction. Our message to these people is:
'There's light at the end of the tunnel.'"
It's not all crypto-anarchy and dreams of digital revolution, however.
Sense/NET is a valuable service for ordinary users who are attempting
to make the most effective use of their VSNL shell accounts with the
limited services provided. Many of the subscribers to the service are
students and other low income groups, who simply cannot afford VSNL's
higher priced services.
A case in point is that of Pranav Lal, a New Delhi student. Pranav is
blind, and VSNL's shell account is next to useless for him. Sense/NET
on the other hand allows him to use voice-enabled software to surf the
'net.
"I can't afford the VSNL TCP/IP account, but for me it is vital that I
am in touch with my peers over the world over the Internet," says
Pranav. "Sense/NET is great because it lets me handle my email and
navigate the web really simply."
"We see the global free flow of ideas across national borders, enabled
by digital data communications and encryption technology, as the most
liberating development of the 20th century," said Ashish Gulhati head
of development at General Logic. "Regulation is futile," he added. The
company expects its services will be most in demand in countries where
authoritarian regimes are in power.
"It's shocking that this kind of thing continues to go on in India,"
observed Dr. Mehta. "We're the world's largest democracy, on the brink
of entering the 21st century as a major player in the global software
industry. But we're still enslaved by laws created during the British
Raj, even in high priority areas like telecom."
[1324 Words]
_________________________________________________________________
Notes:
1. Dr. Arun Mehta's petition is at
<http://members.tripod.com/~india_gii/telepet.html>.
2. The Forum for Rights to Electronic Expression articles are at
<http://www.eff.org/pub/Groups/FREE>
3. Censored sites:
+ http://www.sensenet.net/ (Currently blocked)
+ http://www.trade-india.com/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.aptc-india.com/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.edcil.org/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.newgensoft.com/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.newgen.net/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.connectmagazine.com/ (Now accessible on a new server)
+ http://www.net2phone.com/ (Currently blocked)
+ http://www.vocaltec.com/ (Currently blocked)
+ http://www.netspeak.com/ (Currently blocked)
4. Email addresses:
+ Dr. Arun Mehta - amehta(a)cerf.net
+ Ashish Gulhati - ashish(a)generalogic.com
+ Ashok Agarwal - ashokagr(a)del2.vsnl.net.in
+ Dr. Pawan Jaitly - pawan(a)generalogic.com
+ Rishab Aiyer Ghosh - ghosh(a)firstmonday.dk
+ Vipul Ved Prakash - vipul(a)generalogic.com
_________________________________________________________________
Rev: SNPR v0.06 1998/11/17 15:58:14 webmaster(a)generalogic.com
--
VIPUL VED PRAKASH Cryptography. "Everything is what
mail(a)vipul.net | Distributed Systems. | it is because it got
http://vipul.net/ | Network Agents. | that way."
91 11 2233328 | Perl Hacking. |
198 Madhuban IP Extension | Linux. | d'arcy thompson.
Delhi, INDIA 110 092 / Networked Media. /
1
0
--- begin forwarded text
Resent-Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 00:29:09 -0700
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 23:28:33 -0800 (PST)
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Mime-Version: 1.0
To: vinsends(a)ezlink.com
From: Vin_Suprynowicz(a)lvrj.com (Vin Suprynowicz)
Subject: Nov. 22 bonus column - Year 2000
Resent-From: vinsends(a)ezlink.com
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FROM MOUNTAIN MEDIA
DUE TO LENGTH, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS YOUR BONUS ESSAY FOR NOVEMBER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATED NOV. 22, 1998
THE LIBERTARIAN, By Vin Suprynowicz
I don't know nothin' 'bout no Y2K
OK, I admit it: I've been ducking the "Y2K" question.
It's the most frequent inquiry I get, these days. And last weekend, while
participating in an electronic chat room organized by the Liberty
Roundtable, I had the questions come up several more times: "What do you
see happening in the Y2K crisis? To what part of the country should we move
to be safest?"
For those who have been in a cave, "Y2K" is shorthand for the problem
that develops because -- computer memory having been at a premium -- the
programmers who set up many of our mainframe computers back in the 1970s
and '80s created only a two-digit field for "year."
Now -- starting April 1, 1999, if not sooner -- operators are going to
try to program the computers that monitor our utility grids and phone
systems, the factory machinery that generates "just-on-time delivery" of
goods, even our railroad and airport switching equipment, giving those
machines their instructions for the first quarter of the year "00."
But (pardon my anthropomorphing) many of those computers will "assume"
the year 00 happened 99 years ago.
Anecdotes are already circulating about mortgage holders being billed for
99 years of delinquent interest, or supermarket debit machines rejecting as
"expired" brand new debit cards which carry expiration dates ending in "00"
or "01. "
So far, opinion among thoughtful people has been split on the likely
repercussions. Some perfectly wise folks argue that our economy and
technology are the most innovative and resourceful ever devised. Even if
your bank's ATMs go on the fritz for a couple of days, even if the railroad
switching equipment bogs down and produce deliveries to your supermarket
grow spotty for a few weeks, armies of well-paid technicians will hurl
themselves into developing "work-arounds."
To this way of thinking, survivalists who foresee the collapse of large
segments of our urban culture, putting a premium on ownership of a cow and
a well and a garden for the first time in 50 years, are merely engaging in
wishful thinking. Generally a bunch of Bible-thumpers (as this line of
thought goes), they would find it mighty handy for some kind of cosmic rain
of brimstone to wipe away the urban Sodom and Gomorrah they view as the
cause of all their problems, proliferating as that urban culture does the
legions of the socialists, the welfare queens, the abortionists, the enviro
bug-worshippers, the gun-grabbers. How fitting and handy to envision them
all killing each other off, fighting over the last moldy crust of bread.
And, if the Y2K "crisis" were about to occur in perfect isolation, that
argument would hold some water (even if this revelation of a nation divided
into urban-versus-rural, East-versus-West, gun-lover versus gun-hater,
would be worth some further study, all by itself.)
But remember, Y2K is "shorthand." And as it turns out, it stands for a
lot more than just "Year 2000."
The problem is that -- not exactly simultaneously, but all within the
next couple of years -- a few other problems are likely to crop up. Without
predicting a specific order:
# # #
1) The fractional reserve banking system that dates back to the creation
of the Federal Reserve in 1912-13 is in deep crisis. Buoyed by the supposed
guarantee that the International Monetary Fund (our long-suffering friends,
the U.S. taxpayers) would bail out any failures, our "private" bankers (and
those of Japan) have been recording trumped-up double-digit returns by
loaning billions to such bankrupt chicken farms as Malaysia, Indonesia,
Russia, Brazil, and Mexico.
These loans are no good. And they are pyramided and leveraged atop one
another like something out of Dr. Seuss. In this country, too, the pursuit
of ever-higher returns and the presumption that everyone can live the good
life on credit have encouraged foolish loans and investments based on the
notion that the federal government "insures all deposits," and that we can
always pay off our debts with that raise we hope to get next year.
Once these assumptions start to unravel, the only debate will be whether
to describe the fallout with references to "dominoes," or that old
favorite, the "house of cards."
Remember, as Jimmy Stewart explains to his depositors every year in "It's
a Wonderful Life," the current system is based on the assumption (are you
noticing that word crop up a lot?) that only a small percentage of
depositors will ever want to take all their money out at the same time.
Otherwise, the banks would be, well, bankrupt. This kind of fraud is only
legal because the government specifically licenses people to do it, on the
theory that it "creates more credit, to promote economic growth."
2) Then comes that old stalwart, the New York Stock Exchange. Prices
there have been many times what can be justified by traditional
price-to-earning ratios for years. That sounds arcane, but what it means is
that few investors are buying stocks these days because they've always
wanted to own a piece of Hammermill or Coca-Cola, and look forward to
reading the annual reports and living off the dividends in their golden
years.
Dividends? Mere pennies! Folks buy these stocks today because the guy
who's selling them made an 18 to 21 percent return in 1997, and the buyer
hopes to realize 18 to 21 percent when he sells them in the year 2000.
When the holder of a mutual fund can no longer even tell you what products
or services are offered by the underlying firms that issued the stocks in
his or her "portfolio," what you have is a "bubble." Think tulip bulbs,
Everglades building lots, Cabbage Patch dolls, baseball cards, beanie
babies.
# # #
3) Today's dollar is intrinsically worthless. First it was made of gold;
then it said "pay to the bearer in gold;" then silver, now it's a
certificate redeemable for exactly nothing. Dollar-denominated Treasury
bonds are also intrinsically worthless. They are merely a promise to tax
our children or grandchildren to pay us back in still more paper --
Libertarians call them "extortion futures."
Bill Clinton is one of the luckiest men in history ... so far. Most
rational (non-Keynesian) economic models would predict that -- at the rate
at which the United States has been printing and passing worthless green
paper for the past 30 years -- we should be in the midst of a
hyperinflation that would make the Weimar Republic look boring. But the
funniest thing happened: All over the world, people love and respect
America as the font of freedom, and figure the dollar must really be worth
something -- certainly more than their worthless domestic ruble or zlotny.
So they hide dollars in their mattresses. Those dollars don't come back to
these shores to bid up the price of American goods. So we're fine ... so
far.
But there's a reason why the guys who get arrested by your local bunko
squad are called "con artists." Their stock in trade is "confidence."
Remember Y2K? Imagine now that the ATM machines stop working. Since the
nation's major railroad switching yards are now entirely computerized --
the old manual switches were torn out years ago -- the grocery store runs
out of fresh produce. Some computer messes up at the sewage treatment
plant, and before they can figure out a manual override some sewage backs
up into the reservoir. Suddenly you're warned to boil your cooking water,
like some barefoot Third World peasant. Without explanation, the phones go
dead.
Long lines form as folks start panic-buying remaining supplies of
gasoline, kerosene lanterns, and canned goods -- price no object. There are
a few fistfights over the last rolls of toilet paper. Pressed by jealous
mobs to "do something," blustering politicians declare that anyone who
stores too much stuff is a "hoarder." Neighbors are encouraged to turn in
neighbors -- offered a reward from the seized goods when they're
"redistributed."
Every electronic alarm in the city goes off all at once, leaving police
and fireman scurrying around, clueless. Some looting starts -- after all,
it's the "hoarders" who are the real criminals, right? TV pictures of all
this go out overseas, until the broadcasts are limited "to prevent panic."
What has just been lost? "Confidence." Now folks want to draw out their
bank accounts in cash. They want to sell their stocks ... but how can
everyone sell when the prices are falling so quickly that there are no
buyers, and the phone lines to your broker are tied up for days on end?
4) There is no "Social Security Trust Fund." The thief you keep sending
back to Congress helped them spend it all. Already, the retirement age is
being raised, and there's serious talk of "means testing" payments -- only
making full payments to the drunks and losers and compulsive gamblers who
accrued no other savings or assets. Kind of like taxing all the industrious
little ants, but only paying off the lazy grasshoppers. Sound like a
"guaranteed annuity" to you?
Assurances of ongoing "Trust Fund" solvency are based on the optimistic
assumption (there's that word again) that Social Security payments by
younger workers will continue at current levels. But what if there's a
recession, with big layoffs? What if the computers at the IRS are rumored
to be down as of late 1999? What if lots of people decide to just stop
filing and paying federal taxes in early Year 2000, on the theory, "They're
off line, anyway. If we ALL stop, they can't come find ALL of us"?
(This would never have happened in the 1950s, of course, when American
taxpayers -- generally paying less than 5 percent of gross income so you
could still support a family on one salary -- considered it "our"
government and were proud to do their patriotic duty at tax time. But since
then the liars have brought us Vietnam, Watergate, Chinagate, Filegate,
Ruby Ridge, and Waco ... IRS auditors and drug police routinely referring
to average Americans as "scum" and gleefully seizing our homes, businesses
and bank accounts, tens of thousands of young people jailed for marijuana
despite popular votes to legalize the stuff, defendants railroaded by smug
federal politician-judges without even being allowed to read the Bill of
Rights to their juries.
Still consider it your "patriotic duty" to feed this beast with half of
what you earn? Or did you think your pal the congressman was suddenly,
desperately searching for "an alternative to the IRS" just out of the
goodness of his heart?)
And what happens now to the carefully-drawn charts that show Social
Security is "sound until the year 2012"?
# # #
Irresponsible speculation?
If so, I'm not alone. Appearing in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 17, U.S.
Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, chairman of a Senate Special Committee on the
Year 2000 Technology Problem, said turn-of-the-century computer glitches
could cause "an economic downturn" in the United States and abroad.
"Potentially, this could tie up huge parts of the economy," Sen. Bennett
told John G. Edwards of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, after a private
meeting with executives at the Comdex computer trade show. "There will be a
problem. There is no question that we can't fix everything that needs to be
fixed (over the next 14 months)."
Sen. Bennett told the newspaper he believes less developed countries in
Asia, Africa and South America will be most affected by Y2K problems,
though they're reportedly "working hard" to resolve the computer glitches.
"My current assumption is that the United States will overcome this without
overwhelming, crippling problems," the senator proclaimed.
Then he said he is also concerned about how the millennium bug will
affect the health care industry.
"I wouldn't want to get sick in some rural hospital," the senator said,
cheerily.
Meantime, the Sacramento Bee reported (also on Nov. 17) results of an
August poll that shows most California cities and counties have a plan to
eradicate the year 2000 bug ... "but less than half have set aside the
money to pay for it."
Feeling reassured?
Into this potential maelstrom, toss three wild cards:
1) If Americans, hypothetically told at some future date that stocks and
bonds have fallen to one-third of their previous nominal values, could be
counted on to behave like sophisticated, diversified investors, saying "Oh
well, you win some, you lose some," then the market could indeed fall by
two thirds without causing a meltdown.
But the behavior of large groups of people, once they start moving, is
rarely so rational. Would you want to be the last one on your block to cry
"Sell"?
When a market crashes, folks lose their jobs. What happens then to folks
who have no hard savings or supplies but plenty of debt ... who have barely
been keeping their heads above water? What liberties -- yours as well as
theirs -- would they then gladly trade for a steady supply of hot porridge?
2) The kind of people who gravitate to government "service" never
voluntarily accept blame, but they (start ital)are(end ital) always looking
for ways to expand their power. Can you spot any aspects of these "Y2K"
scenarios that might give government agencies an excuse to seize more
power; to further restrict our freedoms under the guise of "offering relief
and restoring order"; and then to blame the whole situation on someone
else. "Greedy capitalists," perhaps, who have been operating with "too
little regulation"?
3) We will be increasingly reassured that "the best minds" are hard at
work re-writing computer code to prevent any of this from happening. But
computer nerds and denizens of the Internet are, in my experience, the most
free-thinking, libertarian ... even anarchist residents of our little
global village. They are immensely confident in their self-sufficiency. And
they do not like Big Brother -- especially when he threatens to mess with
their privacy and freedom.
So ... what if a few of them are only (start ital)pretending(end ital) to
fix the problem? It may take a village to raise a socialist, but it
wouldn't take many Y2K saboteurs to seize this opportunity to "topple the
state."
# # #
A long way around to a relatively short answer: No, I'm not a
professional financial advisor. But yes, I know exactly what is going to
happen. Everything listed above is going to happen. I just don't know
(start ital)when(end ital) each thing is going to happen, or in what
particular order -- which is what you really need to know, if you think
about it.
But since there's no real penalty for being "too prepared" -- other than
perhaps looking a bit foolish -- I will fearlessly give a little
(absolutely amateur) advice, which should apply in the face of almost
(start ital)any(end ital) unforeseen emergency. (And if you start preparing
yourself for the smaller emergencies now, at least you'll be part-way
home.)
Pay down your debts. Turn a hobby into a second, part-time business ... a
small but separate income stream. Diversify. Owning a bunch of "funds" with
different names, which are in fact all dollar-denominated electronic blips
at some government-regulated bank or brokerage house, is not sufficient. Do
you own any bullion-value gold coins (not coins with grossly-inflated
"collector value," but coins priced at no more than twice their meltdown
worth)? Have you hidden away any bags of "junk silver" (pre-1965 real
silver dimes and quarters, now selling at about four times face value)? Do
you have a supply of greenbacks somewhere other than "in the ATM?" Enough
to live on for a week? A month?
Rich folks can look into Swiss annuities. But even those of moderate
means can think about a beat-up looking American pickup truck ... with
enough dough left over to stockpile an extra water pump, an extra fuel
pump, extra tires and wheels, an extra battery ... and some wrenches, you
yo-yo.
Don't panic. Don't sell everything and move somewhere to become an
unemployed stranger ... unless you really have the assets, the manpower,
and the handyman skills to set yourself up right. Do consider whether you
could dig a well (or drink out of the creek) and plant a vegetable garden
where you live, should things get tough for a time. If not, do you have
friends or relatives within driving distance, where such things are
possible? Would they take you in if you arrived as an unwashed beggar? For
how long?
But what if you were to contact them now, asking permission to store some
supplies there, and even to help finance their plans to fix up a room in
the loft, to till and fence a bigger garden, or to share the costs and
ownership of a four-wheel-drive vehicle? What then?
Do you have water and non-perishable food stored to get you through a
week? A month? (Freeze-dried gourmet camper's fare is fine for the
well-heeled, as are surplus Army MREs. But bulk rice, oats, and dried peas
in plastic tubs are surprisingly cheap, if you shop around.) More than a
week's supply of toilet paper, soap, and other hygiene products? Pet food?
The doctors and insurance companies don't want you to stockpile the
prescription medicines you legitimately need, do they? How hard have you
worked at outsmarting them? As a last resort, think "veterinarian."
Do you have alternative ways to heat and light your home, if the power
were to go down? (Residents of blizzard country will actually have a head
start, here.) If not, is that because you look forward to someday living in
a "government resettlement camp"?
Could you protect your family and belongings from home invaders, if the
police could not be reached? Would your neighbors help? Would you help
(start ital)them(end ital)? Do you even know their names?
Do you own any firearms? Are they listed on government pre-confiscation
lists? Why? Do you know why shotguns and handguns are generally better
home-defense weapons than rifles? Do you know with what types of bullets or
shells it's best to load such weapons for home defense? Got any? Why not?
Afraid that once you start to learn new stuff it might become a habit?
Dying during a crisis is not the worst thing that can happen to you. I
imagine that watching the suffering of those who counted on you to protect
them can be much worse.
Vin Suprynowicz is the assistant editorial page editor of the Las Vegas
Review-Journal. Readers may contact him via e-mail at vin(a)lvrj.com. The web
sites for the Suprynowicz column are at
http://www.infomagic.com/liberty/vinyard.htm, and
http://www.nguworld.com/vindex. The column is syndicated in the United
States and Canada via Mountain Media Syndications, P.O. Box 4422, Las Vegas
Nev. 89127.
***
Vin Suprynowicz, vin(a)lvrj.com
The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it. -- John
Hay, 1872
The most difficult struggle of all is the one within ourselves. Let us not
get accustomed and adjusted to these conditions. The one who adjusts ceases
to discriminate between good and evil. He becomes a slave in body and
soul. Whatever may happen to you, remember always: Don't adjust! Revolt
against the reality! -- Mordechai Anielewicz, Warsaw, 1943
* * *
--- 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'
1
0
Received today by e-mail:
November 16, 1998
Springfield, Missouri
To: friends of Carl Johnson, The Last Canadian
Outlaw (name of his last album)
From: Alia Johnson
I saw CJ today at the Springfield facility for the
criminally disturbing. We spent five hours, a lot of
laughing, a little crying, and talking, with lots of
cameras and mikes on us. The controllers would not
let me take notes!
First, CJ's great hope and request to his friends is
to hang in there with him. He intends to go all the
way with this to trial, being his own defense lawyer,
even though he believes that since the Feds know they
will lose, they will try to get him to plea bargain
down to "walking his dog without a leash" as he puts
it. He is definitely on a mission. He received
John's package, nothing from Declan. He has received
about half the mail I sent him. They are reading his
mail to his lawyers, supposedly forbidden.
CJ has been without glasses and without his teeth for
the whole time since he was arrested. JEFF GORDON
STILL HAS CJ'S TEETH. However, his vision has
improved! He is also without proper medication for
his Tourette's. The shrink told him that the
amphetamines he had been prescribed and which were
working well would probably be stolen by the staff
anyway. CJ is very conscious of managing his
neurological condition, with coffee, sugar, fasting,
and self-control. He does complain that he was so
pleased with himself that he got through his last
rage attack without hurting himself or acting it out
that he punched a wall in celebration and hurt his
hand!
Even though he is supposed to be his own lawyer, he
has not even been informed about his indictment nor
has he been informed about anything else about his
case.
At Springfield he has been in lockup for things that
he purportedly did at the Florence, Arizona prison.
The shrink gets a message this past weekend that
suddenly I am coming down, and this morning before I
get there he rushes in to tell CJ he's finally moving
him out of lockup into the open ward! Wolfson later
tells me that over two weeks ago he notified the
federal marshalls that CJ can be moved back to
Arizona, but he had not told CJ that. I don't know
whether it's true. He actually took me to task for
coming on such short notice.
CJ was very happy that the things he has sent out
have been posted, and it is clear that the support of
the cypherpunks community is important to him.
He did not talk to me about particular defense
strategies for obvious reasons.
He did indicate that the story that I relayed to John
about the incident in the federal courthouse in
Estevan involving a supposed gasoline "bomb" (a
version of which incident was part of a story by
Declan) was a surprise to him; he seemed both
surprised and amused about what actions had been
attributed to him. To say I know and understand
nothing about this incident is an understatement. I
mention it only because it is part of Jeff Gordon's
original complaint, a significant part I assume since
CJ has never been known to do physical injury to a
human being.
CJ has not seen the stories by Declan nor what has
been posted; I sent a hundred pages of stuff to Larry
Dowling his Austin lawyer, including copies of
Declan's articles. I had not sent these things to CJ
on the assumption that they would be censored. CJ
suggested that I ask Dowling to sent them with the
instruction on the envelope "open in the presence of
the inmate only". Again, he wants to see these things
because his spirit is hanging on the support from
John and the rest of the community, although he said
very clearly that he is doing this on his own and
would do it alone if he had to.
Just before I left to come here, having finally been
cleared as a visitor, I got a call from Linda Lou
Reed, saying that she had not done a couple of things
needed to get his music CD together, since she has
been out of town. CJ and I talked about how to get
this together and I will work on it with other Tucson
friends. Someone had the idea of selling the CD's to
support a legal defense fund. I will report progress
as it occurs.
And speaking of legal defense support, thanks to John
and others who made suggestions about legal support.
After many hours of discussion the family decided
that it was not the most intelligent thing to put up
the meagre family fortunes against the federal
government, and therefore we intend at this point to
trust CJ's defense to his stated (and historically
effective) plan to be his own defense, or to public
defenders. With some trepidation I brought this up to
CJ, and he was relieved; he said that he had been
worried that we would try to pay for a defense in
this case, which again he intends to push all the way
through no matter what compromises are offered to
him, and that our paying for his defense was not what
he wanted.
Therefore I would like to put out to those who know
the situation to help CJ to obtain relevant legal
information and consultation as he goes into this, in
whatever form it is available. If there are costs
that I personally can afford to support, I am happy
to. CJ has made repeated requests for access to legal
books at Springfield, and they disappear into
nowhere, no yes, no no.
An interesting point: CJ related that Dr. Wolfson
had asked him about his filing of IRS tax forms! As
if they were on a fishing expedition looking for
other things to get CJ on, as they did with Jim Bell.
I confronted Wolfson about this, asking how it was
relevant to the issue Wolfson was supposed to be
investigating, which is CJ's competence to understand
the charges against him and to stand trial. At that
exact moment he jumped up and said that he urgently
needed to answer a page which he had received five
minutes before. I overheard the conversation which he
had suddenly urgently to engage in, and it was a
trivial conversation about returning a copy of a
document to someone. But when he returned to me he
said "Well I have three reasons for having asked
that." Already suspicious, to have three reasons. The
main reason Wolfson said was that CJ says he has
attention deficient disorder (ADD) associated with
the Tourette's, and that asking if someone filed
taxes was a good indicator of their attention span!
(Could I be making this up?) I said, why not pick
something like, can you make it through the college
registration process? He replied, "I'm not used to
working with educated people." Other "reasons" he
gave: 1) I want to give a thorough medical,
psychological, social and legal picture as part of my
judgment whether someone is capable of understanding
the charges against him, because if I leave
significant things out of my report I am more likely
to be receiving a subpoena to wherever CJ is being
tried, and that's inconvenient for me; and 2) there
are all these wacko people who question the authority
of government to levy taxes, put people to trial,
etc., and I need to determine whether he's one of
those and therefore suffering as part of a mass
delusion (his words)... he lost me there a little
bit. I didn't know whether that would be evidence of
sanity or insanity.
Anyway he seems to be sending off CJ into the next
stage with a report that CJ might have Tourette's, is
not schizophrenic, and in his experience is not
dangerous.
CJ does have some mighty interesting observations
about how things are done in this federal nuthouse
situation, which god willing we will all get to hear
someday. Meanwhile he has sent out certain
information to Declan on specific incidents in the
facility which he observed, but is concerned that it
was not received.
Our expectation is that CJ will be returned to Tucson
and then extradited to Washington, but clearly as a
form of harrassment the marshalls are taking their
own sweet time about everything.
CJ's "case manager" at Springfeld is Bob Harris. The
phone number there is 417 862 7041, and CJ's prisoner
number is 05987-196. Any correspondence to anywhere
in the prison system needs to have that number on it.
John Bogart in Tucson (520 624 8196) is the public
defender in CJ's local case, pending his extradition
to Washington state. The family retained Larry
Dowling in Austin, a very old friend of CJ's and his
lawyer for a long time, for a small amount to look
after CJ's rights during incarceration; we have not
retained him to go the full way in this defense, for
the reasons stated above. Supposedly John Bogart
will be informed when the marshalls actually choose
to move CJ (after the fact). Therefore I suggest
that those who want to write to CJ write him soon and
by fast mail at U.S. Medical Center, POB Box 4000,
Springfield, Missouri 65801. Larry Dowling's
address is 606 West 11th, Austin, 78701. I assume he
might be willing to forward it to CJ on the
assumption that CJ will in fact be moved. Larry has
been a true friend throughout this and past
tribulations.
CJ has said that since he has been incarcerated for
three months now with no indication to him as to
formal charges, it is time to act to get him out of
Springfield. I concur, and unless I hear within a
week that he is being moved, I will take some of the
cypherpunk friends up on their offer to begin to
address this case through the local ACLU. CJ's
greatest fear is that he will do something that will
justify involuntary drug administration, and he will
be defeated in that way. He is also afraid that he
will simply be killed in prison.
However, all in all I found CJ in pretty good
spirits, and clearly feeling "on purpose" vis a vis
his goals with his cypherpunk activities. I related
to him during our talk that one of my sons just took
some time off from university so that he would have
time to actually read, and that he had accurately
predicted to his friends exactly how I would respond
to the news: "Honey, I'm so proud!" CJ said that's
how I seemed to feel now about his arrest. It is,
finally. I trust that CJ, in spite of a pattern of
sometimes shooting himself in the foot, is
brilliantly inspired by important libertarian values
and goals. I appreciate the education and inspiration
I have gained from getting to know this side of his
life and some of the people, technologies, issues and
ideas of which previously I had only vague notions.
Alia Johnson (lodi(a)well.com) my phone 510 548 2008;
my fax 510 848 7842.
2
1
This is attorney protected information.
Received today by e-mail:
November 16, 1998
Springfield, Missouri
To: friends of Carl Johnson, The Last Canadian
Outlaw (name of his last album)
From: Alia Johnson
I saw CJ today at the Springfield facility for the
criminally disturbing. We spent five hours, a lot of
laughing, a little crying, and talking, with lots of
cameras and mikes on us. The controllers would not
let me take notes!
First, CJ's great hope and request to his friends is
to hang in there with him. He intends to go all the
way with this to trial, being his own defense lawyer,
even though he believes that since the Feds know they
will lose, they will try to get him to plea bargain
down to "walking his dog without a leash" as he puts
it. He is definitely on a mission. He received
John's package, nothing from Declan. He has received
about half the mail I sent him. They are reading his
mail to his lawyers, supposedly forbidden.
CJ has been without glasses and without his teeth for
the whole time since he was arrested. JEFF GORDON
STILL HAS CJ'S TEETH. However, his vision has
improved! He is also without proper medication for
his Tourette's. The shrink told him that the
amphetamines he had been prescribed and which were
working well would probably be stolen by the staff
anyway. CJ is very conscious of managing his
neurological condition, with coffee, sugar, fasting,
and self-control. He does complain that he was so
pleased with himself that he got through his last
rage attack without hurting himself or acting it out
that he punched a wall in celebration and hurt his
hand!
Even though he is supposed to be his own lawyer, he
has not even been informed about his indictment nor
has he been informed about anything else about his
case.
At Springfield he has been in lockup for things that
he purportedly did at the Florence, Arizona prison.
The shrink gets a message this past weekend that
suddenly I am coming down, and this morning before I
get there he rushes in to tell CJ he's finally moving
him out of lockup into the open ward! Wolfson later
tells me that over two weeks ago he notified the
federal marshalls that CJ can be moved back to
Arizona, but he had not told CJ that. I don't know
whether it's true. He actually took me to task for
coming on such short notice.
CJ was very happy that the things he has sent out
have been posted, and it is clear that the support of
the cypherpunks community is important to him.
He did not talk to me about particular defense
strategies for obvious reasons.
He did indicate that the story that I relayed to John
about the incident in the federal courthouse in
Estevan involving a supposed gasoline "bomb" (a
version of which incident was part of a story by
Declan) was a surprise to him; he seemed both
surprised and amused about what actions had been
attributed to him. To say I know and understand
nothing about this incident is an understatement. I
mention it only because it is part of Jeff Gordon's
original complaint, a significant part I assume since
CJ has never been known to do physical injury to a
human being.
CJ has not seen the stories by Declan nor what has
been posted; I sent a hundred pages of stuff to Larry
Dowling his Austin lawyer, including copies of
Declan's articles. I had not sent these things to CJ
on the assumption that they would be censored. CJ
suggested that I ask Dowling to sent them with the
instruction on the envelope "open in the presence of
the inmate only". Again, he wants to see these things
because his spirit is hanging on the support from
John and the rest of the community, although he said
very clearly that he is doing this on his own and
would do it alone if he had to.
Just before I left to come here, having finally been
cleared as a visitor, I got a call from Linda Lou
Reed, saying that she had not done a couple of things
needed to get his music CD together, since she has
been out of town. CJ and I talked about how to get
this together and I will work on it with other Tucson
friends. Someone had the idea of selling the CD's to
support a legal defense fund. I will report progress
as it occurs.
And speaking of legal defense support, thanks to John
and others who made suggestions about legal support.
After many hours of discussion the family decided
that it was not the most intelligent thing to put up
the meagre family fortunes against the federal
government, and therefore we intend at this point to
trust CJ's defense to his stated (and historically
effective) plan to be his own defense, or to public
defenders. With some trepidation I brought this up to
CJ, and he was relieved; he said that he had been
worried that we would try to pay for a defense in
this case, which again he intends to push all the way
through no matter what compromises are offered to
him, and that our paying for his defense was not what
he wanted.
Therefore I would like to put out to those who know
the situation to help CJ to obtain relevant legal
information and consultation as he goes into this, in
whatever form it is available. If there are costs
that I personally can afford to support, I am happy
to. CJ has made repeated requests for access to legal
books at Springfield, and they disappear into
nowhere, no yes, no no.
An interesting point: CJ related that Dr. Wolfson
had asked him about his filing of IRS tax forms! As
if they were on a fishing expedition looking for
other things to get CJ on, as they did with Jim Bell.
I confronted Wolfson about this, asking how it was
relevant to the issue Wolfson was supposed to be
investigating, which is CJ's competence to understand
the charges against him and to stand trial. At that
exact moment he jumped up and said that he urgently
needed to answer a page which he had received five
minutes before. I overheard the conversation which he
had suddenly urgently to engage in, and it was a
trivial conversation about returning a copy of a
document to someone. But when he returned to me he
said "Well I have three reasons for having asked
that." Already suspicious, to have three reasons. The
main reason Wolfson said was that CJ says he has
attention deficient disorder (ADD) associated with
the Tourette's, and that asking if someone filed
taxes was a good indicator of their attention span!
(Could I be making this up?) I said, why not pick
something like, can you make it through the college
registration process? He replied, "I'm not used to
working with educated people." Other "reasons" he
gave: 1) I want to give a thorough medical,
psychological, social and legal picture as part of my
judgment whether someone is capable of understanding
the charges against him, because if I leave
significant things out of my report I am more likely
to be receiving a subpoena to wherever CJ is being
tried, and that's inconvenient for me; and 2) there
are all these wacko people who question the authority
of government to levy taxes, put people to trial,
etc., and I need to determine whether he's one of
those and therefore suffering as part of a mass
delusion (his words)... he lost me there a little
bit. I didn't know whether that would be evidence of
sanity or insanity.
Anyway he seems to be sending off CJ into the next
stage with a report that CJ might have Tourette's, is
not schizophrenic, and in his experience is not
dangerous.
CJ does have some mighty interesting observations
about how things are done in this federal nuthouse
situation, which god willing we will all get to hear
someday. Meanwhile he has sent out certain
information to Declan on specific incidents in the
facility which he observed, but is concerned that it
was not received.
Our expectation is that CJ will be returned to Tucson
and then extradited to Washington, but clearly as a
form of harrassment the marshalls are taking their
own sweet time about everything.
CJ's "case manager" at Springfeld is Bob Harris. The
phone number there is 417 862 7041, and CJ's prisoner
number is 05987-196. Any correspondence to anywhere
in the prison system needs to have that number on it.
John Bogart in Tucson (520 624 8196) is the public
defender in CJ's local case, pending his extradition
to Washington state. The family retained Larry
Dowling in Austin, a very old friend of CJ's and his
lawyer for a long time, for a small amount to look
after CJ's rights during incarceration; we have not
retained him to go the full way in this defense, for
the reasons stated above. Supposedly John Bogart
will be informed when the marshalls actually choose
to move CJ (after the fact). Therefore I suggest
that those who want to write to CJ write him soon and
by fast mail at U.S. Medical Center, POB Box 4000,
Springfield, Missouri 65801. Larry Dowling's
address is 606 West 11th, Austin, 78701. I assume he
might be willing to forward it to CJ on the
assumption that CJ will in fact be moved. Larry has
been a true friend throughout this and past
tribulations.
CJ has said that since he has been incarcerated for
three months now with no indication to him as to
formal charges, it is time to act to get him out of
Springfield. I concur, and unless I hear within a
week that he is being moved, I will take some of the
cypherpunk friends up on their offer to begin to
address this case through the local ACLU. CJ's
greatest fear is that he will do something that will
justify involuntary drug administration, and he will
be defeated in that way. He is also afraid that he
will simply be killed in prison.
However, all in all I found CJ in pretty good
spirits, and clearly feeling "on purpose" vis a vis
his goals with his cypherpunk activities. I related
to him during our talk that one of my sons just took
some time off from university so that he would have
time to actually read, and that he had accurately
predicted to his friends exactly how I would respond
to the news: "Honey, I'm so proud!" CJ said that's
how I seemed to feel now about his arrest. It is,
finally. I trust that CJ, in spite of a pattern of
sometimes shooting himself in the foot, is
brilliantly inspired by important libertarian values
and goals. I appreciate the education and inspiration
I have gained from getting to know this side of his
life and some of the people, technologies, issues and
ideas of which previously I had only vague notions.
Alia Johnson (lodi(a)well.com) my phone 510 548 2008;
my fax 510 848 7842.
1
0
Forwarded message:
> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:30:56 -0500
> From: John Young <jya(a)pipeline.com>
> Subject: CJ Update Corrected
> This is attorney protected information.
Not now.
____________________________________________________________________
Lawyers ask the wrong questions when they don't want
the right answers.
Scully (X-Files)
The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate
Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com
www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087
-====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'-
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1
0
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1
0
Vin McLellan (or someone using his name), in an otherwise closely argued
posting, subtly missed the point with:
[...snip...]
> I was never impressed by the absolutist argument against
> patents on math-based processes. Mr. Cordian summarized
> this POV: "The fact that the [RSA] patent couldn't be
> successfully challenged even though its mathematical
> underpinnings were well known years prior reflects badly only
> upon the notion of mathematical patents, and hardly refutes the
> facts in evidence." By that logic, it seems to me, a basic
> knowledge of physics could invalidate almost all patents
> for mechanical inventions.)
> [...snip...]
>
The real point is surely that a patent for a device invented by someone
with a basic knowledge of physics is used to protect the *invention*
not the *knowledge*. They are not used to prevent anyone else inventing
another device using the same basic knowledge of physics.
Even if it is perfectly just for the RSA (or any other) patent "taken as
a whole" to be used to protect "not merely a disembodied mathematical
concept but rather a specific machine"; that *doesn''t* mean it is
neccessarily just to use the patent to protect that "disembodied
mathematical concept" when it is used in some other "specific machine".
But software patents *are* used to try to stop people employing the same
algorithms in other inventions. So, despite the ingenuous ruling of
the court they *are* being used to try to control "disembodied
mathematical concepts" - in other words ideas.
I have no idea if Watt had a patent on the steam governor. But I bet he
didn't try to take one out on Boyle's Law.
Ken Brown
3
2
Since your email address was listed on a related web site page
or database, I thought you might help. I am seeking an individual
within the following conditions:
I am working for one of the leading technology software companies
in the Business software industry. We are seeking people experienced
in Unix system and/or Windows NT administration. This person
will work in any of three areas (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio)
They will join either of two groups; Systems Engineering or Post
Sales Implementation. This position requires; 3-5 years experience
with Unix and/or Windows NT administration, prior experience in
project management or pre-sales support of software product,
excellent communication skills, a solid understanding of network
management, GREEN CARD (minimum) and ability to travel within
a well-defined territory(and occasionally, outside the territory).
We offer an opportunity to become involved with leading edge
technology, and excellent compensation package (to $80,000 plus bonus),
outstanding benefits (including company paid medical and dental, 401K,
tuition reimbursement etc.), outstanding working environment and
an opportunity to work for one of the largest, most recognizable companies in the software
industry .
Geographic Location of Position: New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Ohio
If you know anyone that might be interested, please forward this
to them or contact:
Dave Eide
Quest_IT
Voice: 609-584-9000 ext. 273
Fax: 609-584-9575
Email: 915604(a)candseek.com
1
0
These are excerpts from US Patent 5835596: "International
cryptography framework" issued on November 10, 1998, to
inventors Keith S. Klemba, Santa Clara, CA, and Roger
Merckling, Gieres, France and assigned to Hewlett Packard.
Source:
http://www.patents.ibm.com/patlist?icnt=US&patent_number=05835596&x=19&y=4
It's an update of US Patent 5651068 issued for the same
methodology in July, 1997. Summaries of the patents are
also available at < http://www.uspto.gov >.
INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOGRAPHY FRAMEWORK
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a four-part technology framework
that supports international cryptography, which includes a
national flag card, a cryptographic unit, a host system, and a
network security server. Three of the four service elements
have a fundamentally hierarchical relationship. The National
Flag Card (NFC) is installed in the Cryptographic Unit (CU)
which, in turn, is installed into a Host System (HS).
Cryptographic instructions on the Host system cannot be
executed without a Cryptographic Unit, which itself requires
the present of a valid National Flag Card before its services
are available. The fourth service element, a Network
Security Server (NSS), can provide a range of different
security services including verification of the other three
service elements.
The framework supports the design, implementation, and
operational elements of any and all national policies, while
unifying the design, development, and operation of
independent national security policies. The invention thus
gives standard form to the service elements of national
security policies, where such service elements include such
things as hardware from factors, communication protocols,
and on-line and off-line data definitions. [Snip drawing and
detailed descriptions.]
APPLICATION OF THE FRAMEWORK
The invention has various applications. In particular, the
framework is ideally suited for various national security
schemes and operates consistently across a variety of local
laws. For example the framework could be used to support a
key escrow policy. Key escrowing is a process where the
keys or family keys used for cryptography are kept by a third
party, in the national context, typically a government agency.
This allows the third party to decrypt information when, for
example, a law enforcement agency is required to see the
contents of an encrypted message.
For example if the policy of nation-X requires key escrow,
then when nation-X NFC's are put into circulation they
contain a key escrowed by nation-X. Law enforcement
would be able to use the electronic stamp on a message to
determine that the message was encrypted under the policy
of nation-X. It would also be able to determine unique
identification information of the specific NFC used to enable
the CU. If nation-X agrees to cooperate, the escrowed key
for the NFC involved may be obtained to decrypt the
suspicious message.
The actual encryption algorithm used in nation-X may be the
same encryption algorithm that is used in nation-Z, such that
when a user from nation-X visits nation-Z it is only
necessary to put a NFC from nation-Z into the CU. The
encryption algorithm in the CU remains the same, but what
is governing the use of cryptography is the policy of nation-
Z. For example, the policy of nation-Z may require a trap
door, such that the government of nation-Z is able to take a
back door into the users system to read the deciphered text.
In this case the nation-Z NFC provides a back door rather
than an escrowed key to law enforcement. Several such
schemes are known in the art and it is a feature of the
invention that the framework is readily adapted to
accommodate such schemes as may be implemented in a
particular national policy without affecting the basic
hardware, or data structures of a user system, with the
exception of the NFC.
Thus, the encryption algorithms in CU may be the same
encryption algorithms used everywhere. The NFCs control
the use of these encryption algorithms in accordance with
the local law. Because the NSS is a trusted third party that
validates proper local use of the framework, it is not
possible to use cryptography unless a locally accepted NFC
is installed in the CU. In the example above, even though the
encryption engine operates properly in nation-X, it would
not operate in nation-Z unless the NFC was replaced with a
nation-Z's NFC. For international communication of
encrypted information, (e.g. where an encrypted message is
generated in nation-Z and sent to nation-X) the involvement
of cryptography for such messages will be independently
controlled by two NFCs -- the X flag card in nation-X and
the Z-flag card in nation-Z. The invention therefore offers
the ability to support government policy, whatever that
policy may be, and still provide uniform cryptographic
services.
In addition to the nationalization issues that are illustrated
above, within a certain nation there may be multiple
encryption policies (e.g. nation-X might have a policy for
banking that is more liberal than its policy for
manufacturing). Accordingly, the framework is adapted to
operate within each country under several different national
policies, or with several different levels of encryption. For
example, just as there are different stamps for first class and
priority mail, the framework may allow for different levels
of encryption based on the type of NFC installed.
It is a feature of the framework that CUs may have the major
standard encryption algorithms built-in (e.g. DES, RSA,
DSS, MD5). However, it is also possible to install custom
algorithms into the CU providing that the policy in the
governing NFC permits this type of activity. Software
algorithms can be transferred completely or partially into the
CU from either the NFC or the NSS. Hardware algorithms
can be added to the CU via the NFC. The actual encryption
of a message may involve the NFC, CU, or NSS, or any
combination thereof. As soon as the NFC is removed from
the CU these custom algorithms are no longer operative,
perhaps not even present, in the CU.
[End excerpts]
1
0