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From: gnu@l5.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: semi-moderators, or, what I tell you three times is true
Message-ID: <367@l5.uucp>
Date: Sun, 29-Dec-85 21:01:40 EST
Article-I.D.: l5.367
Posted: Sun Dec 29 21:01:40 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 31-Dec-85 00:39:36 EST
References: <397@cad.cs.cmu.edu> <246@neurad.UUCP> <1717@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
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Aside from today's technical problems with mod groups, I would be a lot
happier with them if we implemented the semi-moderator suggestion.
Maybe we could make the threshold 3 copies, with the obvious link to
"I tell you three times" (cf Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner).

I believe it's great that today's moderators [tend to] follow this
rule.  I am leery of setting up such a structure without tying down
the rule in a "constitution" of sorts, so it persists after the current
set of moderators and users has turned over.  Can we agree that:

	Nobody will moderate a newsgroup without having first agreed
	that they will always post verbatim an article received three
	times from the same person, and containing the string 'I tell
	you three times' in the last copy received.  The moderator may
	enclose an explanation of their objections to the article if
	desired.

	If a moderator refuses such an article, the sender may appeal
	in any (moderated or unmoderated) newsgroup of their choice.
	Moderators agree to post any such appeal received.  This
	reduces the chance of "blacklisting" to the chance that *all*
	the moderators are corrupt.

	To "moderate" a newsgroup is to exercise intentional control
	over its contents, whether for technical, legal, editorial,
	or any other reasons.

I think this policy, if enforced by us (the users) on the moderators,
would preserve the basic anarchy and resulting free exchange on the
Usenet, while providing a significant trash filter.