🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sunday, 4/13/97, my ISP blocked my E-MAIL account so that I could
On Friday, 4/11/97, my ISP, MCI, put a block on my E-MAIL account so
that I could neither send nor receive mail.  After 2 entire days of
attempting to find out why, a 3rd Level MCI Technician pulled the plug
on my account, stating that it was because I was "suspected" of
spamming.  After another 24 hours of stone-walling by MCI, I finally
got my account restored.

The reason I am relating this incident is because this did not happen
due to bulk e-mailing.  I LOST MY E-MAIL ACCOUNT BECAUSE I ADVERTISE
IN THESE NEWSGROUPS, even though such posting doesn't even utilize an
e-mail server, and even though I advertise ONLY in the newsgroups that
consist of NOTHING BUT ADS - NO monitored groups, NO discussion
groups, NOTHING BUT ADS!

And although my account has now been restored, I have been told
bluntly that MCI will cancel it again IF THEY RECEIVE ANY NOTICES FROM
THE SELF-ENTITLED "USENET POLICE" that I am cross-posting!  Didn't the
Gestapo end with World War II?  Obviously, I am now looking for
another ISP and, as soon as I find one that won't do this, I will drop
MCI like a hot potato.

If this scares you as much as it does me, PLEASE join me in finally
getting our voices heard!  The naysayers are in the MINORITY; WE are
the MAJORITY!  How dare they tell us what we can and cannot read and
write, and where??  The Internet is FREE ENTERPRISE at its best, and
if those of us who are smart enough  to be in at the beginning of the
marketing boom on the Net don't stop this blatant abuse of our rights,
who will?

THE SO-CALLED "USENET POLICE" is a VOLUNTARY group.  There are NO
laws, NO Federal or state regulations, that prohibit posting of ads to
those newsgroups that permit them!

Below is an excerpt from my response to one of the idiots that said
the UseNet police were right:

>I don't seem to be able to get across is the fact that the only 
>newsgroups in which I post are  ONLY those that  ACCEPT ADS!  
>I am NOT posting in discussion or moderated groups.  The groups that 
>do nothing but accepts ads hardly seem to have any grounds for not 
>accepting ads, no matter what country the operator of the group may 
>be in.  In other words, the operators of these groups have specifically 
>formed the groups FOR ADVERTISING PURPOSES, or have given 
>their tacit permission to post them by not objecting to them. They also 
>certainly can't object to the wording of my ads because there are other 
>ads in these same groups that are vitually identical to mine!  Certainly, no 
>one who posts ads in these groups can object because they are doing the 
>same thing!   This is why I cannot fathom why the so-called "UseNet Police" 
>would even bother anyone in these groups - everyone in them is there for the 
>exact same purpose:  to post and read ads!!
>
>As an analogy, I am opposed to hunting and, therefore, oppose magazines  
>that promote hunting.  Well, I certainly don't boycott the people that advertise 
>in those magazines and threaten to shut down their businesses just because I 
>don't agree with where they advertise; I simply don't subscribe to or read the 
>magazines.  If certain people object to ads, just don't subscribe to or read the 
>newsgroups and leave alone those of us who use them. We are not talking 
>about mass unsolicited e-mail which shows up in our e-mail boxes. Once again, 
>we are talking about newsgroups which have SPECIFICALLY ACCEPT ADS, 
>i.e., alt.make.money.fast, bbs.ads, etc.

If you are hesitant to challenge your ISP's policies or the illegal
UseNet police because you're afraid you'll lose your e-mail account ,
first get a permanent e-mail address from iName or usa.net, so that
wherever you go, your e-mail address will be the same.  They're free.
There are others like them, as well, that are NOT affilliated with
ISPs.  Then PLEASE let's help keep the Usenet safe for all of us who
understand the power of this advertising medium and want to prevent
the very vocal minority from overpowering the silent majority!!

Thank you for your attention.

Judy Smith
Freedom Partners