🚀 go-pugleaf

Just my $0.02 worth (for Geoff) from a random point in the discussion:

We can be liberal or conservative,

X> Since pornography is demeaning to women, I believe the AarNet and any other
X> Australian network, should not be subscribing to such rubbish.

Y> Well, lets extend this line of thought - ban all the newsgroups except
Y> aus.* comp.*  bionet.* and sci.* 

and we can be anywhere else too,  and the neat thing about AARNet
or USENET is that so many points of view are tolerated and often
vigorously :) discussed.

HOWEVER, we all know what the media make of such things
in their scramble for advertising ratings, and remember what
happened to Prodigy.......

If the discussion of AARNet and its content ever hits shows like
Hinch, Current Affair or even 7:30 Report, we all know that the
'outraged (not to mention recession-squeezed) taxpayer' routine
will be dragged out, leading to the government imposed 'quick fix'
to mollify the supposed 'outraged taxpayers'.

Should this happen, the parameters of the 'quick fix' will probably
include, but not necessarily be limited to, the easiest targets, IMHO.

This raises the question:  Should there be easy targets available, i.e.
should AARNet allow a few controversial newsgroups to remain, which
may then be 'sacrificed' in case of trouble.....or.....should AARNet remove
such newsgroups in the hope of avoiding media attention to begin with?

Of course this assumes a definition of 'targets' limited to newsgroups.

Just, as I said, my 'passing thought'  ichi-yen (inflation modifed) worth...

Jon

BTW Is there any truth to the rumor that some major component of
AARNet funding has been removed in the interests of 'user pays'??

--
                        | Internet:            jonathan@gauss.psy.uq.oz.au
Jonathan Dwyer          | Bitnet: jonathan%psych.psy.uq.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Department of Psychology| JANET:     jonathan%psych.psy.uq.oz.au@uk.ac.ukc
University of Queensland| EAN:                    jonathan@psych.psy.uq.oz
AUSTRALIA   4072        | UUCP:     uunet!munnari!psych.psy.uq.oz!jonathan
                        | JUNET:               jonathan@psych.psy.uq.oz.au