Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!shelby!eos!data.nas.nasa.gov!amelia!prabhu
From: prabhu@nas.nasa.gov (Dinesh K. Prabhu)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Censorship and soc.religion.eastern - Opinions(2)
Message-ID: <1990Nov10.094748.5903@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 10 Nov 90 09:47:48 GMT
References: <1990Oct24.074140.20304@nas.nasa.gov>
Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov
Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Lines: 55
Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov


From: J Ramanathan <ramanath@unix.cis.pitt.edu>

A while back (possibly before you took over as moderator), I had sent via
e-mail a message to the previous moderator (for subsequent posting on s.r.e.)
in which I had suggested that s.r.e. be 'unmoderated' for a brief period, on
an experimental basis.  The article never saw the light of the day.  I didn't
even receive an e-mail reply.

Now that you've brought up the question on the net, I propose to you once
again to remove the moderated status of s.r.e. for, say, 2 weeks or so.  I
firmly believe that a group devoted to discussions of eastern religions and
philosophies should be unmoderated - I hope the readers of this group are
less doctrinaire in their views than those of some of the other religion 
groups on the net.

Please think over my suggestion and if you feel it's reasonable (and can be
implemented), please have this trial 'unmoderation' go into effect.

Thank you.

-jayaram
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Doug Auerbach <csc051@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu>

Dinesh,

     I think that there is no need to censor offensive words from
this newsgroup.  Language allows for many ways of personal expression,
and "the s-word" has usefulness as does any other word.

     Considering the newsgroup is moderated, I don't think there will
be a problem with someone posting messages full of swearing, as happened
recently on alt.conspiracy, alt.drugs, and rec.music.gdead.  

     Besides, with the coming of NREN (if you haven't heard, it will
be the Internet/Usenet under the control of a joint venture between
management groups at IBM and MCI) in the near future, censorship might
become the norm all too soon.  Why rush it?

        Thanks,

           Doug Auerbach
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: pgd@bbt.se (P. Das)

I think it is good that the texts are censored a little bit. Just look
at "talk.religion.misc", if you want to see a horror example.

This particular case maybe is special. But I think that the word were
not so well chosen. For example, he could have used the word "stool",
which means a similar thing, but appears more cultivated. (English is
not my native language, so I might be wrong on that point).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------