On Tue, 17 Jan 1995 anonymous-remailer@xs4all.nl (Name withheld on request) said:
This comment is grossly unfair. Obviously Homer is going to a lot of effort to operate his remailer in the best way possible.
It's easy for others to be critical. "head on a plate" is a strong term to use, given Homer made it clear he would not reveal the identity of an anonymous user without a court order. Also, one wonders to what end remailers are being put by people who are worried about being "sold out".
It's always been a good policy to use a foreign mailer in a chain where anonymity is critically important. That doesn't mean it's OK to make Homer the whipping boy.
I agree that it's a bit much to expect the remailer operator to heroically perform beyond what any of us would do in the same lonely spot under duress. Tim has written recently on another list that the USG grabs enemies in other domains when the national interests are at stake -- the 800-pounder can define any of its actions legal, or to hell with legal niceties as the Beast opts, the picky lawyers can sort it out later, or never. Does not Duncan and others have wisdom on this: Don't roll over out of ignorance and faint-heartedness, but do carefully protect your keister, with feet-on-ground planning, mercury-technology and out-wits. Watch for signs of sneak attack through the guy being squeezed next door, or by a cahoots-machine zipping psy-war toot-alarms to foster fearful quiescence. Some warning examples may be in the offing in the rising heat of dreaded horse-threats to civil society. If so, some will be arranged by provocateurs like past G-guy tricks. So it goes. So what. Nesta said, it's fun to lance swollen infected over-controlling heads.