Re: of censorship and etiquette

["Eric M. Hopper" <hopper@omnifarious.mn.org>]

On Sun, Dec 12, 1999 at 02:21:34PM -0500, Lewis A. Mettler wrote:
> 
> Justice Anthony Kennedy has commented upon occasion that whenever
> anyone suggests censorship might be in order the same person never has
> a problem being the one to carry it out.
> 
> Personally, I have never suggested censorship of any kind.  In fact,
> I publish any and all articles submitted by authors on my own web
> site regardless of their view. If anyone really wants to draft an
> article supporting bundling or any other issue related to the
> current antitrust litigation, I'll publish it myself.

	As I recall, you recently suggested that people who advocate a
particular brand or product be removed from the list.  You then also
suggested that we are all such people because we support bundling.  This
sounds like a call for censorship to my unenlightened intellect.

	I, for one, am beginning to see the benefit of this particular
act of censorship.  But here you are telling me that censorship is bad.

	I would like to reverse the recent trend of quoting others
merely so some point can be added that's largely irrelevant to what the
quoted text said.  In the service of this strange desire of mine, I
present your words to you.

On Sat, Dec 11, 1999 at 06:40:59PM -0500, Lewis A. Mettler wrote:
> pap wrote:
> 
>> I'm not sure if you recall, but there have been instances where it
>> appeared that the list was being used for largely the single purpose
>> of advancing the promotion of something and in their exuberance,
>> involved some underhanded scheme to create an illusion. IIRC, they
>> were summarily taken off the list.
> 
> As they should have.
> 
> If you or anyone only wants to promote a particular brand or product
> and make up silly arguments why consumers must be forced to buy it,
> they should be removed.

	I'm sure we'd all be very interested in hearing an explanation
for the contradiction that seems so painfully obvious.  I'm sure, more
than likely, it will be discovered that we are missing some important
(but obvious to a higher intellect) hint, or are simply too dumb to see
the meta-truth which encompasses and embraces these two statements.

	I humbly request that you enlighten us, and sate our curiosity.

Have fun (if at all possible),
-- 
Its name is Public Opinion.  It is held in reverence. It settles everything.
Some think it is the voice of God.  Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet
broke a chain or freed a human soul.     ---Mark Twain
-- Eric Hopper (hopper@omnifarious.mn.org  http://omnifarious.mn.org/~hopper) --