- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Police photos
by George＠Orwellian.Org 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

Found some funny stuff at funnysnaps.com. http://www.geocities.com/absea98/iphotopolewrap.html Great T-shirt! http://www.geocities.com/absea98/bombshirt.html

1 0

Banned Research and Raids on "Secret Labs"
by Tim May 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

Here's an item about the Feds banning certain types of biological research. More evidence that government is flexing its muscles to interfere in research it has decided is not acceptable...or that it is not controlling for its own purposes. I wonder what Thomas Jefferson, a noted amateur scientist, would have thought of the federal government raiding labs and subpoening records when it decided it wanted to? His cryptography research, for example? So much for the real spirit of the First and Fourth, amongst others. (Note: I realize, for you lawyers, that the Fourth was technically met, in that a valid court order was issued for the subpoenas and raids. It still sucks, though, to use a nonlegal term. Warrants and orders are issued freely. Fishing expeditions is what they really are. There's not a single one of us who could not have our possessions and papers sifted through if one of tens of thousands of prosecutors and investigators decided they wanted to. So much for "secure in one's papers and possessions" and "a man's home is his castle.") I'll include a few paragraphs, marked with << >> enclosers. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010709/usnews/clone.htm <<U.S.News 7/9/01 The God game no more The feds crack down on a human cloning lab By Nell Boyce and David E. Kaplan For Brigitte Boisselier, cloning a human being isn't just good science -it's a religious imperative. As a trained chemist and a bishop of a sect that believes scientists from another planet created all life on Earth, Boisselier and other followers of the "Raelian" religion say cloning is key to humanity's future. Despite warnings from scientists who say such practices are fraught with potential health risks, some Raelians have built a secret U.S. laboratory and vowed to create the first human clone this year. They also believe the feds have no legal right to stop them. Washington, unsurprisingly, disagrees. U.S. News has learned that a federal grand jury in Syracuse, N.Y., near Boisselier's home, has subpoenaed telephone records and other documents in what appears to be an unprecedented probe into the sect's activities. Food and Drug Administration agents visited the lab recently and ordered any human cloning experiments to cease. Says one official: "There's a timeout in force." >> Comment: So, someone who _says_ they are interesting in human cloning can face a subpoenaing of records and documents. Interesting. So much for free scientific inquiry. And what's the significance of the "secret lab" language? Was it just the "U.S. News" reporter's take on the situation, or does having a "secret lab" enter into the gubment's case? How long before we see _crypto_ treated the same way? For example: "For Joe Cypherpunk, developing digital money isn't just good science, it's an imperative. Not surprising, Washington disagrees. A federal grand jury in Sunnyvale, CA has subpoenaed telephone records and other documents. FCC, SEC, and FBI agents visited the secret lab recently and ordered any digital money experiments to cease. Says one official: "There's a timeout in force."" (Oh, so now we have "timeouts" for banned research? So much for another of the rights enumerated in the BOR, the right to a trial. Yeah, I know about temporary injunctions and restraining orders, given exigent circumstances, blah blah. This sounds more like the harassment and road block issue, though. A "crackdown," as the reporter notes below.) << The crackdown marks the first time that investigators have uncovered a secret lab tied to human cloning in the United States, government sources say. >> Oooh, scary! A "secret lab"! What, all labs are supposed to be public, registering with the government? (There is no evidence the lab is using more dangerous chemicals than are normally found in any hardware store, for example, so "public safety" cannot be a justification.) The article goes on to talk about Clonaid and how they are not violating any laws, but how they plan to leave the U.S. to avoid this kind of "raid" harassment. << The federal investigation was prompted by statements Boisselier made this spring, when she said Clonaid was just weeks away from being ready to clone a human being. On March 27, Boisselier received a letter from the FDA, warning that the company might be in violation of FDA regulations. A similar letter was hand-delivered to the office of Panayiotis Zavos, a fertility expert from Lexington, Ky., who also says he plans to clone a human.>> Yeah, and if I "claim" that I am "just weeks away" from being ready to release a digital money system, can I expect a raid? Is there no consideration of common sense, or are prosecutors just flunkouts in science who can't separate speech acts from actual violations of the law? I can see there may be public safety issues in cases where, for example, a credible group--leave the definition of credible aside for now--makes a claim that they are weeks away from completing their own privately-funded atomic bomb, for example. Or weeks away from completing a batch of nerve gas. Some variants of libertarians and anarchists would disagree even with this, but at least the point is arguable. The issue of whether human cloning research is so intrinsically sensitive or dangerous that it requires preemptive raids and fishing expeditions is a topic worth discussing. For now, I'm pointing out some of the disturbing constitutional issues. << UFOs. But it was the Raelians who really got the FDA's attention. For months, Boisselier has told reporters that she has three scientists and a physician trying to resurrect an 11-month-old infant-the deceased son of a former state legislator, whom the Raelians refuse to identify-through genetic regeneration. >> Again, science flunkouts are running the investigations. << Clearly, the agency is trying to flex its regulatory muscle and show Congress that it hasn't been asleep at the switch. FDA investigators have been knocking on the doors of people like Richard Seed, a Chicago physicist who made headlines three years ago when he announced his intention to clone a human. "I think their purpose was to frighten me, and they did," says Seed. >> Yep. So much for the rule of law, and of valid laws. Consistent with crypto actions, as when NSA agents told Jim Bidzos that if he didn't play ball and adopt Big Brother's plans, they could just have him run over in his parking lot. (Threats like this, which are credible and violent threats, are not prosecuted. Meanwhile, Keith Henson faces a year in prison for a joking remark about a "Tom Cruise Missile" aimed at a Scientology compound. Some country we live in, eh?) << ... Alex Capron, professor of law and medicine at the University of Southern California told Congress last month. Capron points out that the FDA is charged with regulating safety concerns only. >> Indeed, and banning research or raiding "secret labs"--especially those with access to classified UFO data from the Greys living in Area 51!--is NOT a function of a regulatory agency devoted to the efficacy and safety of drugs and foodstuffs. << Even if a law were passed in the United States, it could prove difficult to enforce because cloning operations are easy to hide. Zavos, for example, says he knows of at least two other groups quietly trying to clone a human. Would-be cloners need only basic lab equipment. "It's not like it's a magical, secret thing," says Mark Westhusin of Texas A&M University, who works on cloning animals. A ban may also simply encourage scientists to pursue their work abroad, as Boisselier plans to. Zavos says his team has already set up two clandestine labs overseas. >> Yep. All predictable trends. Blacknet has had an active human cloning special interest section for several years. --Tim May -- Timothy C. May tcmay(a)got.net Corralitos, California Political: Co-founder Cypherpunks/crypto anarchy/Cyphernomicon Technical: physics/soft errors/Smalltalk/Squeak/agents/games/Go Personal: b.1951/UCSB/Intel '74-'86/retired/investor/motorcycles/guns

5 7

stop the person and determine their identity
by John Doe #2 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

http://www.sptimes.com/News/063001/TampaBay/Ybor_police_cameras_g.shtml Ybor police cameras go spy-tech If there is a resemblance, the computer will rate it from 1 to 10, giving out an audible "whoop whoop!" alarm for 8.5 and above. The officer will then contact others on the street by radio, Todd said, who will stop the person and determine their identity. If they are wanted, they will be arrested. If they are not, the situation will be explained to them and they are free to go. Since when can cops stop you on the street, when you're not committing a crime, and ask for ID? Because a computer gave them "probable cause"??? And in the 'needs organ harvesting' dept, from the same article "That's awesome," said Souders, 35, a caterer. "If you don't have anything to worry about, it won't bother you. As far as any invasion of rights -- if you're breaking the law, your rights are kind of dissolved."

1 0

ANNC: Strong Distribution HOWTO
by V. Alex Brennen 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Cypherpunks, I wrote a HOWTO on the cryptographically strong distribution of free software. I posted a HOWTO I wrote, the GnuPG Keysigning Party HOWTO, here before for review and got some good feed back. Please reply to me via private email with any constructive comments or criticisms on the Strong Distribution HOWTO. Strong Distribution HOWTO: http://www.cryptnet.net/fdp/crypto/strong_distro.html GnuPG Keysigning Party HOWTO: http://www.cryptnet.net/fdp/crypto/gpg-party.html Thanks, - VAB - --- V. Alex Brennen [vab(a)cryptnet.net] [ http://www.cryptnet.net/people/vab/ ] [ http://www.advogato.org/person/vab/ ] C R Y P T O A N A R C H I S T -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Made with pgp4pine 1.76 iD8DBQE7QArh+pIJc5kqSz8RAg8UAJ45vRBokxFjQ8WzAF4gsK0nU9qVjACfaTIC Q/cJDjZZY/copqwBoiynaHQ= =fvZS -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

1 0

Misc
by George＠Orwellian.Org 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

Choate on Eco-Terrorism: # http://slashdot.org/science/01/07/01/1634213.shtml While searching for 'fire unsolved "melt concrete"', I came across: http://www.landrights.org/ALRA.oregonian.eco-terrorism.htm The robotic blimp idea reminded me of a TV report I saw where someone is occasionally setting fires around the country using some sort of chemicals that burn very, very hot. It burned holes through some concrete building tops. A real mystery, and they didn't know what the chemicals were. No "cause" was involved, just the love of fire. But I don't remember the channel, and I can't find a trace of it using google. If anyone has heard of this let me know. Sounds like good blimp payload for radomes. ;-) ---- Found a lot of weird stuff while searching. ---- The melting point of concrete varies between 1800-25000C. Arcstarter: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6160/ Things to do with a 25000 Joule capacitor... Explode a hotdog using #24 copper wire and a large capacitor (pending) (did you know - a hotdog will dissipate 5 million watts at 20,000 volts???) http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6160/jacko.html Melt a penny, WWW supported by NASA (USA military) http://wattwatchers.utep.edu/penny.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2001/06/13/speede… # # Speeder Clocked At -- 712 MPH?! # Wednesday, June 13, 2001 # # KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A driver accused of going 712 # mph in a 56 zone says there must be some mistake that's nearly # the speed of sound. # # While he doesn't claim to be completely innocent, Lim Ang Hing # says his speedometer on his sedan goes only up to 161, The Star # newspaper reported Tuesday. # # In February, a taxi driver received a speeding ticket for # allegedly driving at 696 mph. Police said the problem is # probably a technical glitch. Barbicide: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1609480292 The Unix Haters Handbook http://catalog.com/hopkins/unix-haters/login.html There is this on the Department of Defense adopting StarOffice... http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2779806,00.html

1 0

Tampabay: Ybor police cameras go spy-tech
by Jim Choate 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

http://www.sptimes.com/News/063001/TampaBay/Ybor_police_cameras_g.shtml -- -- ____________________________________________________________________ Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. Ludwig Wittgenstein The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

National Association of Trucker/Guinea Pigs
by John Doe #2 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

At 11:36 PM 7/1/01 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote: >Now this is highly cypherpunk-relevant. > >I hear the National Association of Truckers is electing a new >chief comptroller. Heh, the truckers beta-test the geographic surveillance gear before its pushed onto Joe Sixpack. (Their precious bodily fluids are also randomly sampled...) ...and the schoolchildren beta-test the video gear... The former tolerate it as conditions of work on public roads, the latter have no choice.

1 0

Re: Aluminum underwear, pants, suitcases illegal in CO stores
by John Doe #2 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

At 11:57 AM 7/1/01 -0400, George(a)Orwellian.Org wrote: > >Aluminized Pants, 15 ounce Rayon, >Kevlar. Thread, Large, 32 inch Inseam Length: >http://www.grainger.com/images/products/5t323.jpg See also http://www.zapatopi.net/afdb.html And http://www.stopabductions.com/ ........ The great thing is they'll just think you're paranoid, chemically, instead of tempest/crypto paranoid. Unless you start talking. (Maybe even then :-) ........ Note that a simple magnet is capable of de-activating certain kinds of anti-theft tags. EDN has a recent article on how they (and other kinds) work.

1 0

Re: compelled speech in texas
by mmotyka＠lsil.com 02 Jul '01

02 Jul '01

It looks unconstitutional. And dumb too. What is "fully-functional"? Which operating system? I lean towards RTEMS myself. Exactly which material should it screen? You could probably be in full compliance and protest at the same time. Let's say something like : <a href=http://www.mysite.com/fuckfilter.tgz target=_top>Howdy Howdy Howdy Cowpokes! Texas State Law sec 35.102 compliance</a> How does filter sw work? How do you intercept the data between Netscape and the sockets calls? Is it some kind of proxy on the local machine? Isn't there some sockets or perl whiz who could whip up a fully functional freeware gizmo for Linux that filters the word fuck from an http connection and replaces it with peck in italics? That would fix the peckers. Mike Sec. 35.102. SOFTWARE OR SERVICES THAT RESTRICT ACCESS TO CERTAIN MATERIAL ON INTERNET. (a) A person who provides an interactive computer service to another person for a fee shall provide free of charge to each subscriber of the service in this state a link leading to fully functional shareware, freeware, or demonstration versions of software or to a service that, for at least one operating system, enables the subscriber to automatically block or screen material on the Internet. (b) A provider is considered to be in compliance with this section if the provider places, on the provider's first page of world wide web text information accessible to a subscriber, a link leading to the software or a service described by Subsection (a). The identity of the link or other on-screen depiction of the link must appear set out from surrounding written or graphical material so as to be conspicuous. \ . . . \ Sec. 35.103. CIVIL PENALTY. (a) A person is liable to the state for a civil penalty of $2,000 for each day on which the person provides an interactive computer service for a fee but fails to provide a link to software or a service as required by Section 35.102. The aggregate civil penalty may not exceed $60,000. (b) The attorney general may institute a suit to recover the civil penalty. Before filing suit, the attorney general shall give the person notice of the person's noncompliance and liability for a civil penalty. If the person complies with the requirements of Section 35.102 not later than the 30th day after the date of the notice, the violation is considered cured and the person is not liable for the civil penalty.

2 1

CNN.com - NOW elects new president - July 1, 2001
by Jim Choate 01 Jul '01

01 Jul '01

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/07/01/NOW.gandy/index.html -- -- ____________________________________________________________________ Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. Ludwig Wittgenstein The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

2 1