Re: of censorship and etiquette

["Lewis A. Mettler" <lmettler@lamlaw.com>]

Eric,

If all you do is promote a particular product then that is advertising.

If you refuse to permit consumers to buy separate products separately
then that does come across as a forced sale or product promotion.

"Eric M. Hopper" wrote:
> 
> 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) --

-- 
Lewis A. Mettler, Esq.(Attorney and Software Developer)
lmettler@LAMLaw.com
http://www.lamlaw.com/ (detailed review of the Microsoft antitrust
trial)