Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dartvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!dartvax!rossj
From: rossj@dartvax.UUCP (Ross Jacobs)
Newsgroups: net.jokes.d
Subject: Re: Dave Berry Copyrights Flame
Message-ID: <3031@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-May-85 12:21:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.3031
Posted: Tue May  7 12:21:48 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 10-May-85 21:05:32 EDT
References: <3026@dartvax.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 58

> Hmph.
> 
> Yes, Ross Jacobs, we all know that Dave Berry isn't going to come to Hanover
> to personally shoot you.  Hi lawyers aren't, either.  My 's' key doesn't
> always work.
> 
> But, did you stop to consider that posting such things may be illegal?  Now,
> no, no one is going to prosecute you, but it is still wrong.  Is it illegal
> for you to cheat on exam if you don't get caught?  Is it okay to hit someone
> who is walking along the edge of the road late at night when you are driving
> home, just because there' no one and around and you wouldn't get caught.
> 
> Now, I enjoy Dave Berry articles a much as the next person.  
> However, if it is illegal for someone to post these articles, it is up to his
> conscience to guide him.  Or her.  No, Ross, Dave isn't going to machete open
> your dorm room door.  But, just because you won't get caught, that doesn't
> mean you should do it.  Remember Dartmouth's honor concept?
> --
> "How would you feel if someone                     Peter Merchant
>  took your hard earned work
>  and ate it!"
> "Marge, what else can you do with
>  cake?"

 
     All right Peter, I guess you can take Brad Needham's side of the argument.
But I guess you just misinterpreted my posting. What I meant to say was to leave
us normal people alone.  Us normal people who like seeing funny things in print
and you and Brad can go whining off to the FCC or Small Business Administration
or somewhere bureaucratic where they'll listen to you make more red tape.  If 
you really want to know how I feel on the matter, I'll tell you.  I don't care.
Neither does Dave Barry.  The fact is, Peter, that people like you who only want
to stick their two cents in and flame someone because they think it'll be fun
are truly annoying.  Compound this with the fact that the Dartmouth Honor Prin-
ciple might make more sense to you if you actually WENT to Dartmouth College.
It's really easy to drop names without knowing the concept behind it. If I'm so
much in violation of it you might also like to know that it's a violation of the
Honor Principle to let a known violation go unreported. So report me, Peter.
Then you'll have our Committee on Standards laughing at you. Like, no doubt,
the rest of the net is laughing at you.
     Your question about something being illegal if you're not caught at it is
irrelevant.  It's an ethical question, yes.  But reality is a nasty beast.
So if you want to flame my ethics, fine. Go ahead.  It just shows up your short-
comings and please try not to remember the fact that most of the rest of the net
tends to have similar ones. And for God's sake be more tolerant. Don't just
flame for the sake of flaming. That's for people with nothing better to do than
show the rest of the world they have nothing better to do.
                                   
                                       --Ross
-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
                                           Ross Jacobs
                                    {ihnp4,decvax,linus}!dartvax!rossj
                                      ARPA:  rossj%dartmouth@csnet-relay
                                     CSNET:  rossj@dartmouth
 
               Always be good. But if you can't be good, be careful...(-:
______________________________________________________________________________