Re: The Four Horsemen Go to the Olympics!

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 4:32 PM 7/27/96, Nathan Syfrig wrote:

>This is very worrysome, as it truly is a "world stage" event that could
>really serve to galvanize various governments into uniting against strong
>non-escrowed crypto.  Hey, it will look good for the international PR,
>never mind the fact that not everybody will be so 'diligent' in registering
>their keys and/or use the "approved" crypto.

Well, the large crowds milling in public squares with massive numbers of
world journalists watching...a classic series of "soft targets."

If several million-dollar bomb sniffers are placed in all airports, the
terrs will just shift to _trains_, as experts point out. Or _ships_. Or
_crowds_. Next time you're out driving around, think of places where a car
bomb could take out dozens of people, or where a bag or backpack could take
out crowds.

(The Mad Bomber in New York or Boston killed quite a few people by using
lockers in public places....kind of hard to put bomb sniffers in all such
places. And bomb technology, timers, detonators, etc. have advanced apace
in the last several decades since the Mad Bomber.)

While I don't claim there is nothing to be done about terrorism, the fact
is that modern nations highly value free travel and often mingle in "soft
target" areas. Even a police state wherein people's movements are carefully
controlled cannot fully avoid such acts.

By the way, the airline solution is not too difficult to visualize:

1. Eliminate checked baggage, or at least require those with checked
baggage to deposit it enough hours in advance to be inspected and to pay
any surcharges for this inspection. (I try to only have carry-on baggage,
and this seems to be a major trend.)

2. Let the market decide. Airlines could announce their baggage inspection
policy, and customers could decide on the tradeoffs between increased
inspections and higher costs, and greater confidence in security.

I think I'll repost my "Soft Targets" piece of a few weeks ago, in the
light of TWA 800 and this morning's bomb in Atlanta.

--Tim May

Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Licensed Ontologist         | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."