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At 11:58 AM 7/25/2000 -0400, Agent Bronson wrote
> The 3rd amendment argument is a losing argument. The purpose of that
> amendment is to prevent repeating something that happened during the
> Revolutionary War. It pertains to soldiers shacking up in civilian's
> houses, not to a civilian law-enforcement organization hooking a
> computer up to your ISP's network.
This reminds me of the argument that the first amendment, freedom of the
press, only covers actual presses, not modern electronic communications
that allow anyone to spread dangerous information at the speed of light.
The general implication of the third is that the government goons cannot
command the use of private property for government purposes, except in time
of war.
> I don't know the specific laws, but this is something the spooks
> have always done anyway. Like Donald Kerr said (if FBI spooks like
> him and me can be trusted), the FBI routinely orders ISPs to do this
> surveillance themselves anyway, when the ISP has the resources to do
> it.
If I received such an order, I would tell them such an order was illegal,
and ask them to take it to court. I think it most unlikely they would take
it to court. Instead they would threaten me with personal harm.
They have the legal authority and the power to tap lines. They do not have
the authority or the power to make me tap lines for them.
--digsig
James A. Donald
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