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.