how about this idea:
 
set the list to send= private  and subscription= by owner
get the list and save that in a file.  copy it to another file, delete
ALL the members, and send back only the header (maybe leave yourself on
the list)
 
when you want to resume discussion, simply send the old list to the
listserv and everything will resume where you left off.
 
will this cause some weird problem which i'm forgetting about?
 
-nate