* Posts by kevinonh

8 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Nov 2015

Teen girl who texted boyfriend to kill himself guilty of manslaughter

kevinonh

Re: Stupid but?

RE: "What good is twenty years in jail going to do?"

It is justice; it is punishment; and it is a warning to others.

The reason for the unusual nature of the trial is that MA state law doesn't appear to have a law in place to cover assisted suicide or a law that requires a requirement to help save a life. So manslaughter was the best that the state could do, and it may not hold up on appeal: it's a stretch. Does her conduct represent a minimum acceptable standard in our society? Clearly not; assuming that she isn't insane but is merely an amoral narcissist with a depraved indifference to human life. If there is any justice, she needs to be shut off from the rest of society, and the full weight of the justice system needs to forcefully educate her on what it is to be a human being.

As a warning to others, this sentence cannot be more clear. Hopefully, the legislature will consider this case and add to state Law. It may prevent others from making similar choices.

Now UK bans carry-on lappies, phones, slabs on flights from six nations amid bomb fears

kevinonh

Re: Checked in luggage

RE: "I have seen it mentioned: all cargo holds are pressurized like the cabin."

Yes, but if your goal is to terrorize people, depressurizing a cargo hold (or starting a fire there) isn't nearly as spectacular as depressurizing a cabin full of people.

kevinonh

Re: Checked in luggage

Aircraft are designed to keep the hold away from critical systems: it takes a pretty big bomb in the hold to bring one down. In the cabin, you can kill people directly, you can punch a hole in the pressurized cabin, and you have the ability to control the placement of the device near critical systems.

'Sorry, I've forgotten my decryption password' is contempt of court, pal – US appeal judges

kevinonh

RE: "If corporations are not people then corporations have no fifth amendment right to assert."

You don't just serve the papers on the Corporation: the papers are served against the officers of the Corporation.

kevinonh

Re: In Terzian's alternate universe ...

Absolutely correct. Terzian's example falls on it's face immediately. Furthermore, the discovery example is also good: you only get the information that is specific to the action. But the real killer is that during discovery, you may interview someone who has broken the law, and they have an absolute right to refuse to answer.

This precedent is terrible. The State doesn't have nearly the evidence it needs, so it has gone on a fishing expedition and put a defendant in a vice: keep silent and remain in jail, or open his mouth and go to jail.

My favorite analogy is information in a safe. The State executes a search warrant. If they are in a good mood, they will offer you the opportunity to open the safe for them. If you refuse, they will drill out the lock. If you create a safe that the State cannot break into, you should have the right to refuse to open it.

FBI drops bombshell, and investigation: Clinton still in the clear

kevinonh

RE: "There was no smoking gun in the e-mails, because there was no gun."

Wrong. The DOJ has determined that there is no smoking gun. There were numerous crimes, but the DOJ will not prosecute because Sec. Clinton is a protected person and is above the Law.

There is a basic issue of fairness. Other (e.g. U.S. Navy Officer Kristian Saucier) people have gone to prison for actions less serious than this. The NSA employee that was recently arrested is facing prison, and the DOJ is attempting to have him held without bail. But the Law doesn't apply to Hillary.

Some in the FBI wouldn't let go of the investigation because it is the right thing to do. This letter by Comey signifies that the DOJ has a handle on the trouble-makers and has applied the necessary pressure. The next step after the election is for President Obama to pardon Hillary.

Are you the keymaster? Alternatives in a LogMeIn/LastPass universe

kevinonh

RE: "Are you the keymaster?"

No, I'm the gatekeeper.

Hi, um, hello, US tech giants. Mind, um, mind adding backdoors to that crypto? – UK govt

kevinonh

Don't you love policies that only affect honest people?

Meanwhile, actual terrorists and criminals will continue to assume that the State is legally or illegally reading their communications and will act accordingly. The bad guys will never use encryption provided by external companies or the State. In particular, they will avoid sending messages through conventional means (e.g. steganography) or will use encryption using their own keys.