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.