I've never removed the logs which form the archives - don't want to
as we have over six years of them and plan to keep them - but I have
done minimal editing when glitches have happened (weirdo stuff which
causes some mail systems to shut down).  I did this while we were on
VM, haven't tried it since we've been on UNIX.

get listname LOGxxxxx

Edit whatever you like with an appropriate editor.
You can change the content, delete entire postings, whatever.

put listname LOGxxxxx

I do not delete embarassing items regardless of desperate pleading;
I have some highly embarassing stuff of my own in there and I ain't
going to delete that so I sure ain't going to go to the work of
deleting soneone elses faux pas.

If this person wants everything he ever sent to the list deleted from
the list archives what about replies to his postings which quote what
he said? Does he want those removed also?

My attitude is: you sent it to the list of your own free will, knowing
we retain archives which subscribers can access whenever they please.
Archives are archives, one does not tamper with them except to correct
a technical problem in a posting which may cause problems for some.
You could call it an ethical issue: if you edit the archives on demand
are they really archives?  On the practical level, if you do it for
one person what justification will you have for refusing to do it
for another?  I will not remove my own ill advised postings, which
are generally about as blushfull as can be imagined, so I have no
qualms about refusing to do it for anyone else.  The archives are the
archives, not "The Congressional Record."

Douglas
       Douglas Winship   Hays County, Texas  [log in to unmask]
                    Secondary AUTOCAT Listowner
                              MEDLAB-L