From: sysevm@nsrvan.vanc.wa.us
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Limits on the Use of Cryptography?
Date: 12 Nov 92 13:11:07 PST
Organization: National Systems & Research, Vancouver WA

 In article <1992Nov11.061210.9933@cactus.org>, ritter@cactus.org (Terry Ritter)
 
 I've slightly changed the wording...
 
 
 .  Although the discussion of key registration has been interesting,
 .  it does seem a bit like shooting fish in a barrel.  Discussing the
 .  proposition on a computer network invokes an inherent bias in most
 .  readers.  So, suppose we give the issue a different environment:
 .
 .     The police bust an alleged child molester, and take possession
 .     of his HOME(PC).  They believe that the HOUSE AND YARD(hard drive)
 .     contains a full
 .     database of young kids who have been *or may be* assaulted.
 .     That THERE IS A SHOVEL THAT WAS USED TO HIDE THE DATABASE
 .     (database is enciphered).
 .
 .
 .  Now, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to defend
 .  SHOVELS(cryptography) to ordinary voters, congress people and newspaper
 .  reporters.  You also need to explain to a relative of one of those
 .  kids, someone who doesn't own or work with a SHOVEL(computer), why the
 .  government should "allow" private SHOVELS (cryptography) which could hide
 .  this sort of information.
 .                                                   
 .  You *could* say that SHOVELS (cryptography) does not molest children, that
 .  only molesters molest children.  Or you could say that if SHOVELS (ciphers)
 .  are outlawed, only outlaws will have SHOVELS (ciphers), and that criminals
 .  would not register SHOVELS (keys) anyway.  But the district attorney might
 .  point out that, if the law required SHOVEL (key) registration (or even just
 .  the delivery of SHOVELS (keys) *after* a formal court hearing), the molester
 .  could at least be convicted on *that* charge, and would not be
 .  molesting anybody for a while.
 .
 .  So what do *you* say?
 .
 .>  ---
 .>  Terry Ritter   ritter@cactus.org
 
 	I say only a short while with our judicial system.
 
         I say that thinking people use their brains and that when 'congress
 people', the press and an angry mob get together their brains cease to
 function. And as long as I'm at it why don't we just lock them up for suspicion
 of intent to molest we could save big money by not using valuable court time.
 Who cares if we lock up one or two who are not molesters as long as we get the
 real scum of the earth. Heck we don't even need any real charges, lets just
 bring them in for suspicion.
                             
         Ever hear of Westly Allan Dodd? He kept a picture album and diary of
 his victim's. They don't want to execute him for hiding his ablum in a
 breifcase (with a lock on it) they want to execute him for the kidnap, rape,
 torture and murder of THREE 6 year old boys. I have a six year old and live in
 Dodds stalking area. Don't talk about molesters till you think it through. Keep
 the emotional appeal out of the facts.
 
         How does this relate to your story? Dodd is under very tight security.
 It turns out the police are worried that some father, mother, brother, sister
 of one of the victim or possably just some citizen will kill him. They know
 that the other inmates will do him so the keep him isolated.
 
         How long would you keep a suspected child molester in jail for using a
 cipher without a license? Would it be 10 years with an actual jail time of 120
 days? So much for using cryptography to get the real monsters.
 
 Get real. Look around. Visualize yourself as the victim. Does cryptography
 hurt? Who do we need to keep in jail and for how long.
 
 	What would you do to a monster who takes YOUR son/daughter and rapes
 them and beats them and kills them over 3 days. Would you go a buy a gun and
 wait for them to be released 120 days into their cypher charge then BLOW them
 away?
 
         Sorry for rambling, This stupid argument just struck too close to home.
 But really, next time you read about some heinous act see your kids as the
 victim then let me know if registering keys is at all important compaired to
 early detection and real jail time for the monsters.
 
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