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From: gsmith@brahms (Gene Ward Smith)
Newsgroups: sci.misc,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: military funding in mathematics
Message-ID: <146@cartan.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Wed, 29-Oct-86 23:20:34 EST
Article-I.D.: cartan.146
Posted: Wed Oct 29 23:20:34 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 31-Oct-86 02:08:30 EST
References: <48@cartan.Berkeley.EDU> <73600001@uiucdcsp>
Sender: daemon@cartan.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: gsmith@brahms (Gene Ward Smith)
Followup-To: talk.politics.misc
Organization: Math Dept. UC Berkeley
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Xref: mnetor sci.misc:59 talk.politics.misc:679

In article <73600001@uiucdcsp> ashby@uiucdcsp.cs.uiuc.edu writes:

>What I criticize is [Thurston's] injection of politics into a technical
>notesfiles.  I believe Thurston could have made his posting in an unbiased
>way, while still soliciting the comments he wants.

   If computer scientists are welcome to post to sci.math, does it not
seem reasonable that mathematicians should be welcome to post *brief*
articles which are of interest to fellow mathematicians? There was, after
all, no better place (certainly not talk.politics!) to put it. Political
commentary and "What's New?" stuff is a regular feature of sci.physics.
Why should it be banned on sci.math because it upsets the delicate conservative
political sensibilities of a few non-mathematicians? Speaking personally, I
was delighted to see Bill Thurston starting to post to sci.math. I think it
would be very unfortunate if hostile attitudes expressed by non-mathematicians
were to cause him to cease posting.

ucbvax!brahms!gsmith     Gene Ward Smith/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720
"What is algebra exactly? Is it those three-cornered things?"J.M. Barrie