Re: Wherein I argue for the inclusion of libnettle in Emacs 24.5

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

"Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@xemacs.org> writes:

> David Kastrup writes:
>  > "Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@xemacs.org> writes:
>  > 
>  > > Ted Zlatanov writes:
>  > >
>  > >  > Realistically speaking, attacks against Emacs are extremely unlikely
>  > >  > unless specific people are targeted.
>  > >
>  > > Exactly.
>  > 
>  >     Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows the FBI to order any person or
>  >     entity to turn over "any tangible things," so long as the FBI
>  >     "specif[ies]" that the order is "for an authorized investigation
>  >     . . . to protect against international terrorism or clandestine
>  >     intelligence activities."
>
> That order means that not only do you have to turn over the drive, you
> also have to give them the passphrases or PGP keys (as with GPLv3).
> So it's irrelevant to this thread, which is about mechanisms to make
> wiretapping less useful.

Oh, but we are not talking about what this section is _intended_ to
authorize (its own author is trying to gather support for shutting down
its widely overreaching abuse) but rather what it is being used as an
excuse for.

And since it is easiest to overstep authority if nobody notices or is
allowed to take notice, the main overreach in practice is clandestine
eavesdropping using generic tools that can be employed without requiring
billable hours by specialists for particular cases.

> See also http://www.jwz.org/rba-rip.html for more information about
> the defenses you don't have against a subpoena in the U.S.

But at least you'll know of them.

<URL:http://www.bartleby.com/73/1593.html>
QUOTATION:
  “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

  “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

ATTRIBUTION: The response is attributed to BENJAMIN FRANKLIN—at the
  close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, when queried as he
  left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation—in the notes
  of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention.


When Obama hands over office, he'll be able to answer to his successor's
question

    "Well, Doctor, what are you leaving us with?"

with pride

   "An Orwellian police and surveillance state with corporate interests
   lining your pockets for exploiting an apathetic populace, if you can
   keep it."

Mind you, he's been standing on the shoulders of giants.  Carthage was
not razed in a day.

-- 
David Kastrup