Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!cbnews!lvc
From: lvc@cbnews.ATT.COM (Lawrence V. Cipriani)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Soviet Access to Usenet
Message-ID: <2331@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 26 Nov 88 16:49:36 GMT
References: <7649@well.UUCP> <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <17651@gatech.edu> <8114@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <268@lloyd.camex.uucp>
Reply-To: lvc@cbnews.ATT.COM (Lawrence V. Cipriani)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 50

In article <268@lloyd.camex.uucp> kent@lloyd.UUCP (Kent Borg) writes:
>Saving time: So what.  I don't see things on the net that are that
>time-critical.  If I want to get real up-to-date news (even on the
>internet worm) I listen to National Public Radio (plug, plug) or read
>the New York Times.  The KGB can do that too.

This is not the complete picture.  Suppose someone asks "Where can I
find such and such", or "How does one get this program to work".  The
time spent in searching for information can be reduced quite a lot
when one uses USENET.  Would you offer help to someone from the Soviet
Union?  I will not knowingly offer help to someone from the Soviet Union.

>Saving money: Why are we so posessed with the notion that it is in our
>interest to try to get the Soviets to waste their money?  Why are we
>bent on this notion that economic warfare is good?  

The best (peaceful) way to get the Soviets to change their ways is economic.
If they waste their resources on the military then their consumer economy will
suffer.  Over time, Soviet citizens will demand reform; this seems to be
happening now.  To what extent the changes being made are real and will result
in a more freedom in the SU remains to be seen.

>I think that we are better off with a Soviet Union that is fat and
>happy with the status quo than we would be with a threatened Soviet
>Union that feels backed in a corner, that it has nothing to loose.

A Soviet Union that is fat and happy with the status quo would seem to
me to be more likely to engage in military adventures.  Dealing with the
Soviets is a very tricky business, but one fact is very clear, they
respect military strength.

>Whether you think the Soviets are people or just gruff bears, you
>still don't want to corner them and give them nothing to loose.

Agreed.

>Before they they push the button, let them first contemplate the
>serious prospect of USENET withdrawl.

Yeah right, get real.  I'm certain a USENET withdrawl would be at the
bottom of their list of concerns.

>Pointer: If you _really_ want to undermine the Soviet system,
>introduce something as uncontrollable and anarchic as USENET.

USENET is uncontrollable and anarchic in the free world, I believe
it could be controlled in the SU.  Every international phone call that
connects to the SU is recorded, the same can be done with USENET.  Persons
that post an illegal message would get a visit from a "moderator" and
be educated on the proper use of USENET.