On Aug 29, 2005, at 8:41 PM, G.R. Crona wrote: > What is at stake is the freedom of speech, > and when we start curtailing it, for whatever reason, we are being > no better > then those bullies who seemingly take over an international forum > which was > created for discussing lute-matters to make it their own little > backyard > where to air their personal disagreements.
But this is not curtailing their free speech and WE are not curtailing it, IMHO. They are still free to post elsewhere. This list is public to the extent that Wayne chooses it to be public. It is more like someone allowing their home or church to be used as a meeting place. They may offer it to the public at large, but at some point, if someone's behavior becomes unacceptable, they have a right to ban them. That is not curtailing their free speech, it is just telling them to speak elsewhere. In other words, if someone comes into my house they have to abide by my rules. Please tell me if I am misunderstanding the ownership of this list. Wayne? I belong to another list and it is similar, in that people with a common interest discuss matters of interest to them. However there are several thousand members on that list and the list administrator occasionally has to: warn people not to discuss off topics or get personal (He's set up a forum where people can carry on off topic discussions); put people on moderated status when they break the rules (this means their posts must be approved before being posted); ban people who continually break the rules. This makes the list run smoothly. It also means someone, the list administrator, volunteers his time and puts in a lot of FREE labor. I like the idea that there are a couple of simple rules that everyone freely agrees to when they join the list: stick to the topic, no abuse. Unfortunately, it takes a real person with real authority to warn and administer. I don't think we are in a position to demand that of Wayne. > The lutelist is in no need of "parenting" and will be much stronger > and more honorable for it. It could certainly do with a kind of minimum standard of civility that we all agree upon when we join. I see this as a problem with my self. Why the heck do I get sucked into reading this stuff? Others have intelligently established filters. I guess because I've gotten to know these people on the list and see them as human beings even though I've never met them. Why do I keep reading to the end an email that is of no interest to me? No self discipline, I guess. I would just love it if everyone stuck to lute topics, kept their posts to the point and discussed things without getting personal. Oh, yeah, world peace and prosperity for all too. About as likely. > And for the few lutnetters just battling with "Katrina". We feel > for you! I hope Stuart LeBlanc is surviving and not having to use his lute as a floatation device! Note to self: hit the delete key and go play the lute. cheers, Ed Durbrow Saitama, Japan [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
