Shifty Shell Prompts

[VirginSnow at vfemail.net]

> Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:08:46 -0400
> From: Ed lawson <elawson at grizzy.com>
> Cc: Greater NH Linux User Group <gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org>

> believe police officers increasingly feel empowered to take very suspect
> if not unlawful actions simply by reason of their position of authority
> and for their self interest.

Speaking from personal experience, that's EXACTLY right.  It's
illegal; but that's exactly what happens.

Police officers have recived such blind deference from the public (and
the courts) that they'll often do anything which they feel is in their
interest...  as long as they're confident they won't get caught...
regardless of whether or not they have legal authority to do so.
Theft of post-it notes... perjury... destruction of evidence... you
name it.  In my case, video evidence the police had just
"disappeared".  (More accurately, they claim it never even existed.)

  http://free-smiley.org/

Now, I carry a video camera with me wherever I go, and any
interactions with the police get recorded, NO MATTER WHAT.

> In a argument to a court defending the strip search of
> middle school girl in a recent case, it was asserted  the
> girl's spotless discipline record was not proof she was a good student,
> but only that she had not been caught violating school rules.
> 
> Consider the implication of that statement.

It means that people are "guilty until proven innocent".

Fortunately, we tech folks have an advantage over would-be abusive
cops by virtue of our technological prowess: we can encrypt anything
that might be incriminating, back up seizable data to remote,
undisclosed, locations, and stream live audio/video of police raids
via services like Qik or Porc411.

But (while on the topic) there's one safe place that anyone can stash
something even with no technical skills at all: a lawyer's office.
Anything you give to your lawyer is protected by attorney-client
privilege.  No crypto required. :D

> 
> Ed Lawson
> 
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