At 7:28 PM -0500 5/23/97, William H. Geiger III wrote:
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In <1.5.4.32.19970523233752.00988164@pop.pipeline.com>, on 05/23/97 at 05:37 PM, John Young <jya@pipeline.com> said:
We offer the May 16 complaint against Jim Bell:
After reading the complainant I have to say that with friends like that who needs enemies?
Not clear whom you mean...do you mean with friends like Bell, who needs enemies? Or do you mean, with friends like East and Daly, for Bell, who needs enemies? I was spellbound by the complaint John Young made available. It was, at the least, very clearly written and extremely interesting to read. We have focussed our comments on the charges related to Bell's essays, esp. his "Assassination Politics" stuff. I remain convinced that no charges per se will be successfully prosecuted on these writings. Whether he planted stink bombs, and what that means, is another matter. (I have to be honest and admit that it sure does look convincing to me that he planned the stink bomb attacks, executed them, and then bragged to friends that he'd gotten revenge. And I expect a jury to be similarly convinced.) However, I think they're going to have a real hard time proving that an interest in castor beans and ricin means that a *fatal* attack was planned. Having read Bell's stuff, off and on, for more than a year and a half, I just don't see the guy spreading botulism or ricin or Sarin. And proving future plans, as opposed to actual past events, is tough. The Social Security Numbers thing seems like a slam dunk to prove. Two of the numbers differ by only digit (501 and 510). While this is a standard ploy, based on my c. 1974 involvement in some libertarian tax avoidance seminars, to "throw off" computers, it is also arguably a natural mistake, a simple transposition of two digits. However, several of the numbers are wildly different...the Hamming distance is such that the only explanation is deliberate intent. So, I think Bell is in serious trouble on several charges: the tax evasion charges, the SS number charges (which may be subsumed in the tax charges), and the "stink bomb" charges. The other various claims and charges in the complaint, things like the anti-government essays and the "assault" rifles found, don't seem likely to go anywhere. The "plotting to poison the water supply and drop carbon fibers down air shafts" charges sound sensational. Indeed, Bell went further in terms of buying stuff than I would have (or ever have), but this may have been technical curiousity. In any case, I expect it will be hard to prove a "might have," as opposed to a "did." Whether disappointingly or with relief, I noticed no mention of "Cypherpunks," a name which surely would have been scattered amongst the various documents on his computer. We'll see what comes up during the trial. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!" ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."