Sent around to the Sysops...

Diane et al,

FYI -- This just arrived a moment ago. "socrates" sent me a separate copy of the same message, but what you see below is Phil's response, on which he copied me.

I'm still in the midst of my expert-witness gig, and I don't have time at the moment to refresh my memory as to who the other sysops are. I'd appreciate it if you would forward this to the folks I've missed, and "talk amongst yourselfs" (as they used to say on the Saturday Night Live show) about how/if we need to respond

I note that "socrates" is a phony address, but perhaps you folks know who he/she is.

I was delighted with Phil's response ...

Let me know if I can help -- I should be finished with this assignment by Friday night...

Cheers,
Ed

----------
From: Philip Greenspun < philg@zurich.ai.mit.edu >
Reply-To: philg@mit.edu
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 22:00:46 -0500
To: o_socrates@yahoo.com
Cc: jis@mit.edu, ed@yourdon.com
Subject: Re: greenspun.com and MIT associations

Your first amendment rights are protected at greenspun.com: you can set up your own forum at no charge. The existing forums are all moderated and if you don't like the way that they are moderated, please complain to the publisher (i.e., not me).

Philip
who does not monitor or censor the content at greenspun.com

Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 15:36:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Oscar Socrates < o_socrates@yahoo.com >
Cc: ed@yourdon.com

Gentlemen,

I have some questions and concerns about who is legally responsible for greenspun.com. It was my,possibly mistaken, understanding that the servers which lie behind greenspun.com are the property of MIT.

As you may be aware there is a public web board hosted on greenspun.com dealing with discussion of the Year 2000. There is currently a gross amount of discrimination and censorship occurring in this forum on the part of the sysops who are deleting and sometimes altering postings of individuals with viewpoints differing from the apocalyptic outcome of the Year 2000, which is the only accepted viewpoint on this forum.

Before I consider legal counsel I would like an explanation from the two of you as to the nature of the association between MIT and greenspun.com. If greenspun.com is a completely private web hosting service with no ties to MIT then I will concede I may have no legal recourse.

This may seem like a frivolous complaint but first amendment protections are important to me, and I would hate to see the resources of an educational institution, paid for by students, faculty, alumni, and friends of MIT, being used to perpetuate censorship of public discourse.

I wish to remain unnamed for now due to the dangerous types of individuals involved with this Year 2000 forum.

Thank you.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 1999

Answers

This thread covers the gist of the problem...

Opinion: TB2000 Censorship- The Double Standard

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001rKo

-- Jonathan Latimer (latimer@q-a.net), November 26, 1999

-- Anonymous, December 02, 1999

"I wish to remain unnamed for now due to the dangerous types of individuals involved with this Year 2000 forum."

ROFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing. Would this constitute slander?

Mike

=====================================================================

-- Anonymous, December 02, 1999

Damn right there are dangerous types here. I.e., anyone who shows any sign of independent thought about current issues. This actually scares some people.

"People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant." (Helen Keller)

"Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth. When perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth, any cause to wonder that he does not hear it." (Tacitus)

-- Anonymous, December 02, 1999