On Sat, 20 May 1995 23:18:57 -0500 D. Winship <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
][...] If Canada, or any other government, is going to hold me
]personally responsible for everything posted on the list, the
]majority of which is distributed automatically without being seen by
]me or anyone else, then it's bye - bye list."
An interesting issue to discuss -I am, at least, interested to know
what other listowners may think- what-to-do when some kind of
brakedown [national or international, political, diplomatic or
militar] arise: How would such phenomena affect e-conferences ?.
For instance, there was -recently- a fisheries dispute between
Canada and the European Union where Navy vessels from two countries
were sent to the Grand Banks (beyond 200 miles off Canadas
territorial sea). The situation came to a point where "diplomatic
brakedown" was discussed and this [which I discussed with my SysOp]
came to my mind: FISH-ECOLOGY is a scientific forum and it will
remain operative beyond any brakedown whatsoever. This is the power
of e-communications which we _should not allow anyone to kill_.
Traffic through e-conferences may be considered "subversive" in many
countries and by many codes of law or dictatoships arbitrary rules.
For instance, ecologists and other scientists, editors and
journalists risk their lives in many countries. In .BZ, someone may
hire a killer for 100 bucks to shoot an ecologist who is making
aware the public on biological diversity issues, etc.
If anyone government would try to attack FISH-ECOLOGY as a whole
[i.e. 1300 academics, the owner, SysOp whatever] I would stand
face and seek back-up in my Government: I am sure they will not let
me down.
As I have learned from some friends of mine, Veterans from the Viet
Nam War: We've got our freedom for free, but it isn't. There may
come the time when even conference owners would have to put up.
Cheers,
APS/FISH-ECOLOGY.
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