John Abreau wrote:
>>> I'm also curious how many of us actually use PGP or GnuPG.

dan moylan wrote:
>> i for one have never had occasion to use either, and only vaguely
>> understand what would occasion its necessity.

bill horne wrote:
> When I was about 8 years old, the girl up the street asked me if my
> father was in a union. I told her he was. She asked me if he was a
> communist. I told her I didn't know. She said that everyone in a union
> is a communist, and asked if my father was one. I said "I guess so".

> Two men in brown suits came to our house and asked my father if he was a
> communist. I was amazed at how eager he was to please them and how
> vehemently he denied it.  He even showed them his Purple Heart.

what am i missing?  this is obviously stupid.  those of us who lived
through the mccarthy red witch hunts are familiar with right wing,
anti union bigotry.  that doesn't say to me that i need to encrypt
everything i write.

> In the immortal words of Bruce (Secrets and Lies) Schnier: "There are
> two kinds of encryption. One will keep your wife from reading your
> files, and the other will keep your government from reading your files."

> I don't want my government reading my files: I don't have a Purple Heart
> to show them.

of course not, but exactly what files are we talking about?  those
on my home computer, or those i send out as emails?  do i encrypt
every evil thought i have stashed in a file on my personal computer?

i have the feeling that i am totally missing the point which is
obvious to everyone else.  my understanding is that firewalls (and
admittedly mine is probably not good enough) are designed to keep
undesirables out of my home computer.  my emails are fairly innocuous.
i am not planning any terrorist activity.  what should i be encrypting?

puzzled in brookline,
dan moylan