On (21 Dec 95) Judith Labonte wrote to Tim Dill...
 JL> I have used Matrika for an alias since the mid eighties. 
 
 It was not hard for me to figure out due to the fact that the stories
 where too, too close to be a different person...
 It shows that I do pay attention to the echo I moderate ;-)
 
 JL> And about see
 JL> ing (oops) Sip_AA for a barbie joke along those lines, I don't DO 
 JL> Sip_AA anymore or several other conferences because, in my opinion, the
 JL> moderators are too rigid about what may or may not be discussed there. 
 I have talked to Monte on occasion, I ran afoul of him a time or two 
 myself.. Gary, I have had netmail contact with on occasion...
 The thing about that particular echo is that it's for recovery from
 alcoholism and using the bigbook to do it.. so it has a singleness of
 purpose... I sent you the history of the echoes some time ago to explain
 this.. apparently you did not get my netmail....
 JL> In my opinion, I agree with what I heard from a real old-timer down in 
 JL> the Maryland, Washington D C, Northern VA. area of AA.  He said that if
 JL> he had a pimple on his butt and that pimple made him want to drink, do 
 JL> drugs or whatever, than it was appropriate to talk about it at an AA or
 JL> NA meeting.  I can't agree more.  
 True, however it may treat the symtoms but the pimple is still there if you 
 don't take corrective action to treat it. Here is where the experience of
 working the steps come in... my step sponsor had me doing the most important 
 steps by the time I was 5 months sober... the inventory thru the amends 
 steps.... 
 JL>And one major problem I have with 
 JL> electronic recovery is how it avoids the traditions totally - there is 
 JL> NO anonymity.
 It sure does, I don't know what you look like unless you decide to put up 
 a website with you photo in it as my friend Jeff did... all you know is my
 name but you don't know how I look or where I live or even what color my 
yes
 are... I have met or seen under 10 people that populate these echoes so far
 and that is still not breaking anonymity in my opinion.. 
 I mean, how anonymous shall we be and still be effective in carrying the 
 message? Shall we hide and say we are sober/clean/whatever? How anonymous
 were we when we were drunk/whatever?
 
 JL>  I can't help but think the prohibition against breaking 
 JL> anonymity in the press, on radio, on t.v., etc.  might also seem to 
 JL> extend to this electronic medium since it is public in the extreme - 
 JL> anyone can read these echoes, not just you or I.
 No so public.. it's a semi public network that does not get widely 
 advertised.. so it's essentially word of mouth... I found it through
 an article in the AA Grapevine ;-)
 JL> The other problem I have with it is that there is no group conscience 
 JL> and, in my opinion, I believe that some of the moderators on some of 
 JL> the fido echoes come on like the "elder statesmen" (AND WOMEN) that the
 JL> traditions half of the (AA) Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book 
 JL> warns us about.  When someone comes across like that to me, I choose 
 JL> not to be in that echo any longer.
 let me first break some sad news to you and it's been the same since I have
 been here....
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      To:  Tom Baughman
    From:  Rick Ward                  Submitted:  14 Aug 89 19:25:00
 Subject:  Echo Moderator
Recovery echo is not a meeting and echoes are not democracies.  It is
a forum for all persons using any 12 step program as a tool in
living life to it's fullest.  We, Bob K 125/9 - George C 103/602 -
Jeff B Burrell's Ball Park up in Wash. state - Leonard ? in Hawaii -
Mario ? on Cape Cod and about 20 other bbses in between, carried
RECOVERY and MEETING (which was an AA meeting more or less guided by
Penny P ((P2)) of VA and San Franc..) for quite sometime and MEETING
just never made it.  In those days we had to pay the phone bill
ourselves (NO STARS to carry the echos) and it ended partly because
the same message would be posted in both echos by the same person
and that just double the traffic etc etc.......
                      Rick Ward, 109/133
 JL> That's why I stick to THIS echo nowadays where it's generic recovery 
 Thank you....
 JL> If this sounds like I am coming on strong, well I am.
 JL> HOWEVER, I must add that I have NEVER experienced that here and I am 
 JL> grateful to you and the other moderators here for that - because I 
 JL> still feel like I have a place to go.
 That is good...
 JL> But then it wouldn't take much to have me write of ME at this point, 
 JL> either.
 Hmm I deleted a lot of what you wrote here because I know that part
 of your story and I have seen the reality of it once too often....
 Stick around....
 Hugs 
 Tim...
... Therapy helps, but screaming obscenities is more fun.
--- PPoint 1.92
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