Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!balkan!crucible!al
From: al@crucible.UUCP (Al Evans)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Fool
Summary: Better fool than...
Message-ID: <288@crucible.UUCP>
Date: 7 Nov 90 18:04:17 GMT
References: <18667@rpp386.cactus.org> <1990Nov2.191240.4568@lavaca.uh.edu> <18684@rpp386.cactus.org> <1990Nov3.193714.4223@lavaca.uh.edu> <1990Nov4.031734.19127@com50.c2s.mn.org> <284@crucible.UUCP> <1990Nov6.030346.11113@com50.c2s.mn.org>
Reply-To: al@crucible.UUCP (Al Evans)
Followup-To: comp.org.eff.talk
Organization: PowerTools, Austin, TX
Lines: 30

In article <1990Nov6.030346.11113@com50.c2s.mn.org> craig@com50.c2s.mn.org (Craig Wilson) writes:

>And the problem is that there is no higher authority to which
>the matter could be passed for judgement.  No Solomon. No Bible. No Magna
>Carta.  No Constitution.  Just some references to Usenet Guidelines.  The
>guidelines may be a start.  But the reason legislators attach punishments to
>laws that are passed is that they realize that not everyone is going to be
>reasonable all of the time.

I'm not at all certain you intended to imply what I thought I saw:-)
But if you're saying you believe there should be some higher structure,
some "organization" governing the net, then I disagree. I'd rather filter
through 4 megs a day of utter drivel than to lose the only "working"
anarchy I've ever heard of. And I'm *certain* I wouldn't want everybody
on the net to be "reasonable" all the time. I'd rather be exposed to some
daily quota of utter raving lunatics -- at least it helps me to firm up
my own views (which are, of course, always reasonable:-)

The net is the first human society in which everybody has the same quality
of weapons -- which is to say, none at all. I think the introduction of
ANY "weapon" -- even a legislative or executive authority -- would be,
at best, an attempt to stuff worms back into the can. Failing *new*
ideas, I suspect ostracism is the only workable technique of enforcing
any standards of behavior.
					--Al Evans--
-- 

Al Evans -- uunet!execu!sequoia!crucible!al
Though pride may be the most dangerous of sins,
self-righteousness is surely the most obnoxious.