Security Contingencies

[Jeff Davis <eagle@deeptht.armory.com>]

Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 23:48:29 -0400
From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@access.digex.net>
Subject: Al Haig and Secure Communictions

>incident involving then Secretary of State Al Haig.
>Specifically the point was in reply to Mr. Sternlight's 
>assertion that because a public relations official for the 
>NSA had made statements regarding the Data Encryption 
>Escrow plan's harmless nature and the equally harmless and 
>benign character of the NSA's paternal hand, they were 
>unquestionably authentic and complete.

Sternlight is an idiot educated beyond his intellegence, unworthy of
futher comment, exept to say you're beginning to make an exceptional point.

>Secretary of State Al Haig was not next in line for either 
>succession stream, and his asserting so in the national 
>media was a gross error.
 
>The relevant authorities are the Department of Defense 
>Directive 5100.30 (1971) and the Constitution of the United 
>States.

[skipping the event of peacetime Presidential elimination]
 
>The national command authority line kicks in when the 
>President and his/her successors are dead or cannot be 
>located and immediate U.S. military decisions must be made:
 
>1. Secretary of Defense
>2. Deputy Secretary of Defense
>3. Secretary of the Army
>4. Secretary of the Navy
>5. Secretary of the Air Force
>6. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
>7. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
>A plethora of the Assistant Secretaries of Defense and 
>General Council to the Defense Department in order of their 
>lengths of service.

Well let's hope that the President survives the unlikely event of a 
tactical nuclear detonation or we're all fucked.  While we're on the
subject:

--
Article III, section 3.    

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war
against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and
comfort.  No person shall be conviced of treason unless on the testimony
of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but
no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture
except during the life of the person attained.
--
So if encryption is outlawed, outlaws will get life.

I talked to Federal Reserve President Thomas Hoenig (KC Branch) in an
open public forum yesterday.  I asked him if the Fed was going to let
Clipper encryption cripple US competitiveness in the world monetary
market.

He looked down at his feet and said, "No."

He was very suprised that I was already using public key encryption.  He
knew well the superiority of software encryption.  However, he had never
heard of Phil Zimmerman.  When I elucidated a brief history of PGP, he
agreed that embargoing encryption is tantamount to embargoing wind.

This hand is an economic warfare expert.  He agreed the 4 February policy
decision is economic warfare.  I don't think the Fed is going to let the
NSA severely hobble its ability to wage economic warfare in the world
monetary market.  Digital cash is the Fed's dream.

That's my analysis based on the facts presented and what I saw in the man.
So I think now, more than ever, we really have to stick together.  
-- 
PGP PUBLIC KEY via finger!  JAFEFFM  Speaking & Thinking For Myself!
 
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