The Privacy/Untraceability Sweet Spot

[Declan McCullagh]

On Thu, Aug 30, 2001 at 11:50:53PM -0500, measl at mfn.org wrote:
> today, there is no difference between speech and action (from the legal
> point of view).  I am not talking here of the theoretical way that things
> "should be" (and that are taught in larvae school as the way things
> _are_), I am talking about how it really *is*, when you are actually in
> the courtrooms, at the mercy of the fascists who are to "judge" you.

It is reasonable to note the distinction between theory and practice.

> Remember Mr. London: "He has not recanted", and "Its still posted on the
> internet today"

I'm aware of this; I mentioned it in a Politech message yesterday, which
you may have seen:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02455.html

> Other interesting examples are most certainly familiar to many of the
> members of the list - certainly I cannot be the only one of us who has had
> personal visits from federal badge holders because of political views
> expressed here?

But, as I've said before, both CJ and Bell crossed a visible line. I'm
not saying that the location of that speech-vs-action line exists is good,
but it is clear enough. Tim doesn't cross it and neither do just about
all the rest of the posters here. If badge holders don't like what you write,
well, Duncan has told you repeatedly not to answer their questions.

Bell was just getting plain weird at the end:

http://cryptome.org/jdb040901-2.htm
A. I would like to precede my answer with a comment that 
yesterday Mr. Leen delivered a death threat to me on behalf 
of the federal government against myself and six other 
members of my family if I talked about certain things that 
happened in 1997 to me at Pierce County and Kitsap County 
Jail.

-Declan