🚀 go-pugleaf

  Robert Morey writes (#133):

>  Regarding the "PLO" virus and your suggestion that we not call it by
>that name, don't you think that your desire to suppress the link
>between the virus and something which obviously offends you (the name
>"PLO") is a political tactic?

  It's unfortunate that Mr. Morey has read a political motive into my
remarks.  His claims that I'm "obviously offended" by the name "PLO"
and that I'm trying to "suppress" something are products of his
imagination alone and have no basis in reality.  My reason for being
opposed to labelling the Israeli virus the "PLO" virus is precisely
the same reason that I am opposed to labelling it the "DAR" virus, the
"Mongolian" virus or the "Einstein" virus: These names are simply
INAPPROPRIATE.  That's really all there is to it, Mr. Morey.  Of
course, no one can prevent your imagination from concocting other
motivations.  But you have no right to accuse people of them without
evidence, which you certainly don't have in my case since your claims
are false.

>                               That particular virus is known to many
>people already as the "PLO virus"--now you expect them to have to
>worry about changing that name in their minds because it offends
>someone?

  Is changing a name really such a hardship for you?  Suppose it
turned out that the story about the Brain virus originating in
Pakistan was merely a rumor, spread by someone with a hyperactive
imagination, that it really originated in Timbuctoo, and never even
spread to Pakistan.  And suppose on that basis someone in Pakistan
asked us to stop referring to it as the Pakistani virus.  I would
comply immediately.  No problem, no "worry".  Are you so inflexible
that you can't do the same in the case of the so-called "PLO" virus??
If you're offended by the name "Israeli", you can call it the "Friday-
13" virus, the "Little Black Box", or any of about 8 other reasonable
names.  Btw, suppose that someone started calling the Israeli virus
the "Morey" virus and that this name caught on.  Wouldn't you feel
like asking people to stop using this name?  I wonder if you'd be
quite so sympathetic in that case to the plight of people having to
alter their habits simply "because it offends someone" ....

  If you wish to continue this discussion, fine.  But if it's anything
more than a one-sentence apology for attributing false motives to me,
mail your remarks to me personally.  VIRUS-L is not a forum for poli-
tics or slanders.

                                          Y. Radai
                                          Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem

  P.S.  On another subject:  In Issue 116 (May 16) I posted a list of
20 PC viruses and asked if anyone has comments to send them to me
personally.  It turns out that precisely at that time we had mailer
problems and a lot of mail which was addressed to me didn't reach me.
So if anyone sent me mail and didn't receive a reply, please re-send.