Xref: utzoo news.admin:2581 news.sysadmin:746 news.groups:4505
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!psuvax1!vu-vlsi!hvrunix!wpohl
From: wpohl@hvrunix.UUCP (Walter E. Pohl)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.sysadmin,news.groups
Subject: Re: JJ's phone number
Summary: Public access good, four legs bad.
Message-ID: <427@hvrunix.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 88 17:09:14 GMT
References: <5954@cup.portal.com> <2877@palo-alto.DEC.COM> <6013@cup.portal.com> <1098@micomvax.UUCP>
Organization: Haverford College, Haverford, PA
Lines: 15


     It's true that the outpouring of complaint propogated more copies of JJ's message than his original message did,  but it seems that, according to Portal
and the evidence they have, the guy wasn't just panhandling, but the postings
were some kind of joke.  JJ is probably just as responsible for the outcry as
he is for the original post.  The response of the net was predictable, and JJ
should have realized this would cause a hue and cry.  On top of the fact that
bit about needing money from college is apparently not true, and his actions
become indefensible.
	Portal isn't unique in the lack of monitering.  Here at Haverford, we'renot monitered any more than portal.  And I don't see why that is necessarily a
bad thing.  How often do people run amok with their net.privileges?  Not all
that often, as far as I can see.  There is no special morality that the rest
of us gains from being connected with a university or industry.  JJ ran amok
not because he  was a Portal user, but because he was JJ.

	walt