🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov3.090942.1626@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu> denning@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu writes:
>I apologize for the insult.  What led me to say what I said was that 
>many people had said things that I interpreted as disrespectful of
>all law enforcement.
	When law enforcement starts behaving in a respectable manner
	they will enjoy the *earned* respect of the populace.  
	When they stop such abominations as civil forfeiture and 
	other abuses in the name of the war on some drugs they can hope
	for respect.  In the mean time they deserve nothing but contempt
	from a proud and free people.  You may think like a serf if you
	wish but don't be surprised when others don't follow suit.


>The word "crisis" is probably too strong.  But let me elaborate on the 
>effect of COURT-AUTHORIZED taps.  According to the FBI, they have been
>essential in preventing serious criminal activity including organized 
>crime, drug trafficking, extortion, terrorism, kidnaping, and murder.  
	Law enforcement agencies always say that whatever the latest 
	affront to the constitution it is absolutely necessary to protect
	decent god-fearing burghers from the bad guys.  You are free
	to believe whatever nonsense they tell you but don't expect 
	everyone to be so credulous. 

>If law enforcement loses the ability to conduct court-authorized 
>taps, they will have to use other means if even possible, such as
>breaking and entering.  This is not necessarily better in terms of
>protecting liberties and privacy.
	In some sense it is not worth disputing this point because law
	enforcement has already lost the ability.  As has been pointed
	out before, there is no way to distinguish encrypted data from
	random binary gibberish being shipped about via modem.
	As more and more binary data is shipped about the possibilities
	for burying secrets in a sea of 1s and 0s become limitless.
	There are a lot of very talented computer people in this country
	and the Medellin cartel pays better than the FBI.  Who do you think
	will win? ;-)
	
>Are there other
>approaches that would give you greater assurance against the
>government and still allow for meeting the legitimate needs of
>law enforcement?  If so, I'd love to hear them.
	I challenge the assertion that there is anything legitimate 
	in the current war on some drugs (and on the entire constitution ;-).)
	Government has completely gone haywire and until the drug problem
	is solved by taking it out of the realm of law enforcement and
	putting it in the realm of medicine where it belongs we will
	have a continual erosion of our constitutional freedoms with
	no appreciable reduction in violent crime.  


						smg