🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Sep14.202359.23445@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> dave@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Dave Hayes) writes:

   merlyn@ora.com (Randal L. Schwartz) writes:
   >	Freedom of the Press does not mean that everyone gets a Free Press.

   Then what good is freedom of the press?

I didn't see the smiley.  I looked.  So I'm going to presume you need
a serious answer.

Freedom of the Press restricts *government* from passing *laws*
restricting the *content* of speech (or "speech acts").  If *I* want
to write a newsletter about how bad the government is, and pass it out
to everyone, I can't be shutdown by the government on the basis of
content alone.  True, I'm held responsible for the net effect of the
message, like printing something libelous or something that incites
property damage (Tom Metzger got canned in Oregon for this with his
pin^H^H^Hskinhead videos and newsletters last year).  But the act of
speaking my opinion, no matter how outrageous and contrary it is, is
protected, as long as I do it on my own dime.

How does this apply to Usenet?  Well, within the United States, the
national, regional, and local governments can't touch us for saying
that they're all too bloated and mucked up.  But Usenet, being a
cooperative anarchy, has its *own* rules and etiquitte-- part of which
is respecting the folklore and common goals in a gentleman's
agreement. And part of this etiquitte is that you post messages in
groups according to group charters, and that you avoid doing anything
on Usenet that you wouldn't do face-to-face with someone, and that you
understand and respect the fact that your message is being carried
worldwide on the good will of many thousands of companies and
instituitions in hopes that it will benefit all concerned.

It is in this last sentence that I challenge the noisy poster.  We
have seen a number of "Usenet violations".  Time to stop, please.

Just another long-time usenetter,
--
Randal L. Schwartz / Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095
merlyn@reed.edu (guest account) merlyn@ora.com (better for permanent record)
cute quote: "Welcome to Portland, Oregon -- home of the California Raisins!"