🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct5.172525.17375@m.cs.uiuc.edu> kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes:
>Randy,
>
>I'm sorry the original version of the Banned List didn't mention that
>the Virginia Tech policy was being revised. I based the list mostly on
>the CAF-News abstracts, I forgot about your email message to me last
>April. The current version of the List (the version included in new
>CAF-News) notes that the Virgina Tech policy is currently being
>revised.
>
>- Carl
>

Carl, thank you for the apology but I'm still perturbed over the intent
of posting a "Sites that BAN stuff" list. Certainly, other sites as well
as our own are in the process of adopting and revising acceptable use
policies but your original post served no real purpose other than to
misrepresent the entire issue of "what is acceptable use" at a site.
All you have to do is check out the spinoffs from your original thread
in order to see how far we've drifted away from the issue.

I do appreciate the fact that the new version of your post states that
our policy is under revision. As I mentioned in previous posts, you've
created the scenario where the revised 'list' is similar to a   a
retraction that appears in the back pages of the newspaper. Technically,
you have corrected an error but in reality, the majority 
of readers will only remember the original message.
 
Carl, the thing that I really don't understand is that you published a
'List' without contacting the named institutions IN ADVANCE. The failure
to do this indicates 1) you didn't verify the accuracy of your
information. You had contact names since most of these sites submitted
policy statements to you for review. 2) you failed to give the named
institutions due process by not giving them an opportunity to verify 
the information you were planning to publicize.

I do object to the creation of any such 'list' in this form. Handled
improperly (as I feel was done in this case), such a list creates an
atmosphere of suspicion toward the named entities. 
I hate to use the term, "McCarthyism" but that's what this whole affair
smacks of. Enlightening the Usenet community via a "list" is noble but
make sure your information is accurate and that you've contacted the
affected parties beforehand.


	-Randy Marchany
	VA Tech Computing Center
	Blacksburg, VA 24060

INTERNET: marchany@vtserf.cc.vt.edu