From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 06:58:24 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: What it's like to get a subpoena (re Toto) (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <199810132108.QAA07675@einstein.ssz.com>
Message-ID: <199810132233.SAA20920@camel14.mindspring.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Jim Choate's sharing his experiences with the IRS is
very welcome, as with Tom Allard forwarding the Jeff
Gordon request for assistance.

Other inquiries of folks on the list will probably happen,
and information about those would be beneficial. It would be
a great help to post here any other overtures, anonymous
if preferred.

It's tough being the earliest ones contacted, having to decide
as Tom and Jim have had to do about whether to go public
or deal with the inquiries in private and hope that nothing worse
develops.

It's likely that more serious targets will be approached later,
using material obtained from those not at risk, those with
no reason to fear the friendly, courteous IRS.

At least that's what happened with Jim Bell and CJ. They, too,
said they were handled in a friendly courteous manner until ... 
the case was presented to a magistrate.

According to CJ's sister even the shrink at Springfield is
the friendliest most courteous person she's talked to, helpful, 
considerate, and said he had CJ's interest at heart. She said 
she just hoped he didn't cut off CJ's medicine, cause him to 
go berzerk, then to disappear.

It's that switch from friendly and couterous to the other that
none of want to think about, eh? "You're under arrest. Anything
you say can and will be used against you." Hmm, what was I
saying, posting, here.

BTW, the offshore archives, if they are offshore, are a problem
for getting legal access to, and to use in court. I think a human 
linkage is preferred, in deposition, in court, testifying for the record.

Makes a more convincing case to have a live body telling the
facts of the matter, explaining how things work, somewhat eager 
to instruct and please, in self-preservation, to keep the cops and
court friendly and courteous. What was told to the investigators 
in private, that's what hung Jim Bell and CJ.

But, hey, they were nuts, right? Fuck them. 

Then the friendly folks came for you and me, working a list.