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From: heiby@mcdchg.UUCP (Ron Heiby)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,news.admin
Subject: Re: Fascism Lives (Courtesy and counterproductive lack of it)
Message-ID: <7167@mcdchg.UUCP>
Date: 14 Apr 88 18:48:56 GMT
References: <1048@ut-emx.UUCP> <2475@c3pe.UUCP> <328@nvuxk.UUCP>
Reply-To: heiby@mcdchg.UUCP (Ron Heiby)
Distribution: na
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer, Schaumburg, IL
Lines: 39

A D Domaratius (perseus@nvuxk.UUCP) writes:
> but preventing him from
> posting his putrid comments would still be quashing his first
> amendment rights.

It's amazing how confused some people can be about the Bill of Rights.
Too bad our schools don't know how to teach, any more.

The first amendment guarantees rights of "speech" and "press".  It does
not say that I have the right to go to the neighborhood office supply
store and walk off with a package of paper without paying, simply because
I am going to exercise my free press rights with it.  I must pay for the
paper, and the pen I use, and the ink.  If I cannot afford to pay for
these things, I can exercise my rights of free speech and stand in the
public square, expressing myself and asking for donations with which to
purchase the supplies needed to express myself in print.

If I can't afford to pay for a computer with which to express myself,
I must depend on the kindness of others (in this case, my employer) to
make computing resources available to me to allow me to do so.  The
computer is not mine.  Neither are the modems or phone lines.  If my
employer tells me that I am to stop, I stop.  The people who pay for
the vehicle of expression have the right to stop providing the vehicle.

Let us assume that some slime-bucket got itself bumped off a computer
system that had previously been made available for said party to express
itself.  Said slime-bucket has every right to buy its own computer
system and attempt to find a feed site to re-join the Usenet.  Note,
however, that there is NO requirement that another site agree to feed
the slime-bucket's new system or accept postings from it.  This is the
right of "assembly", which allows people to associate with (pretty much)
whomever they want and to exclude (pretty much) whomever they want.

The bottom line is that nobody has the right to make me pay for their
speech.  If you disagree with this, then please email me for the address
to which the HP LaserJet II and Motorola VME Delta should be shipped.
-- 
Ron Heiby, heiby@mcdchg.UUCP	Moderator: comp.newprod & comp.unix
"I believe in the Tooth Fairy."  "I believe in Santa Claus."
	"I believe in the future of the Space Program."