I  agree with  your proposals,  but... what  is 'the  correct peer'?  Take the
LINKFAIL list as an example: there are two peers, one at each side of FRMOP22
 
 
  CEARN <---- (FRMOP22) ----> EB0UB011
                  |
         (other french nodes)
 
Now, a node accessed  via FRMOP22 is as far from CEARN  as from EB0UB011, i.e,
when adding  a subscriptor from,  say, FRHEC11,  LISTSERV will add  him/her at
CEARN or  EB0UB011 depending  on the  original SUBSCRIBE/ADD  request (EXPLODE
will not complain,  too, and keeping french  people at CEARN or  EB0UB011 is a
matter of  taste and of load  distribution). Now someone tries  to DELETE user
ZZZ@node 'at' the DEARN peer; the DEARN peer finds that ZZZ@node is not in its
list, and forwards the request... where?
 
Note that  this is  just an example,  there could be  more than  two 'optimal'
peers.
 
Jose Maria