From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 12:12:19 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: I don't need no steenking badge...but I got one anyway
Message-ID: <199710290348.EAA28926@basement.replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Tim May wrote:
> 
> At 2:32 PM -0700 10/28/97, Anonymous wrote:
> 
> >I know what you're thinking, kid.
> >You're thinking, "I'm going to try doing this on Halloween, and if I
> >get caught, I'm going to tell mom and dad I was checking on the old
> >lady's health."
> >
> >Forget it. You don't have a badge, and you're going to get your
> >bottom tanned.

> This has some very slight ObCrypto connections, in that badges are, as a
> class, taken to be "face value claims of authority." Flashing a badge is
> often all it takes to gain entrance to a house, or access to controlled
> areas.

  Indeed, many of the so-called 'off-topic' missives sent to the CPUNX
list actually deal with the heart of cryptography/key-identity, namely,
"face value claims of" authority/identity.
  e.g.
> >Forget it. You don't have a badge, and you're going to get your
> >bottom tanned.
 
  Why do the average citizens put up with behavior from legislators and
law enforcement agents that they would not tolerate in their children?
  It is because of the 'forged keys' of authority that they have 
uploaded to the mainstream media servers...
  "As an unelected member of an organization created by executive
   decree, I am happy to accept the reins of power."
  ...and because of the public misconception that a 'valid key' confers
some kind of real authority or integrity on its owner...
-----BEGIN CHIEF CYPHERPUNKS SPOKESPERSON SIGNED MESSAGE-----
  "Timmy C. Mayonnaise carries a turd in his wallet for identification
   purposes."
-----END CHIEF CYPHERPUNKS SPOKESPERSON SIGNED MESSAGE-----

> So, with the proliferation of essentially perfect copies of badges, and
> laser-printed credentials to match them, what happens to "real"
> badge-carrying officers? (And just what _are_ real officers in an era of
> ten thousand police and law enforcement jurisdictions, hundreds of agencies
> authorized to have their agents carry guns and make arrests, and no
> traceability, no top-down authentication system?)

  "Real officers?"
  There was a 60 Minutes show recently on "real officers" who rape and
murder the citizenry under cover of their badges.
  {How does this relate to cryptography? Glad you asked...} 

  Who do I send my GAK key to? 
  To the "real officer" who sexually molested and/or raped over a 
hundred citizens under the cover of authority?
  To the "real officers" who fired this guy when his activities came
to light, but gave him glowing letters of recommendation so that he
could move to other law enforcement agencies to continue his criminal
activity?
  To the "real officers" who rape and murder the citizens?
  To the hundreds/thousands/tens-of-thousands of "real officers" who
use their access to LEA databases to get the names and addresses of
citizen/victims in order to murder, rape and rob them?

> --Lt. Timothy May, sworn Peace Officer, Lagrange County, CLS

AnonymousPoliceOfficerRobberRapistMurderer, swearing Piece-of-Ass 
  Officer, Anytown, USA