On 16 Feb 97, Carin M. Armlin wrote to John Giannini:
 CA>  You just can't stand anyone arguing w/ you, can you John?  Do you 
lways
 CA>  have to be right?
Um...   *sheepish look*  Can I take the 5th?
 CA> Hey, just out of curiosity, WHY were you banned from that one echo?
 CA> Dear me, the name escapes me, but I know when I see the rules
 CA> postings again, I'll know which one it is.  C'mon enlighten me.
I don't want to get Mr. Koster upset with off topicness here, so I will be 
very brief (less than 1 screen).
The echo was SFFAN.  In fall of '95, I posted a few messages there letting 
people know about the new STARMAN echo and the SLIDERS echo I was launching. 
I thought SF-interested people would be interested to know that soon there'd 
be these two echos available nationally.  The moderator, Nicolai Shapero, got 
all on my case about mentioning these other echos in "his" echo.  I figure he 
figured if people started using other scifi echos, they wouldn't use his, or 
something.  That insecurity (or maybe his ego) caused him to disallow any 
mention of any other fido or internet newsgroups related to Science Fiction 
on "his" echo, despite the fact that his rules file says "anything" related 
to SciFi fandom is a legal topic on the echo.  I pointed out that banning the 
mention of other echos and conferences on "his" echo only served to be a 
dis-service to users of that echo, and I opined that since the echo should 
exist for the sake of the *users* of the echo, and not for *him*, that 
mentioning other echos should be allowed on the basis that people interested 
in Science Fiction would find these other echos might be of interest to them. 
He only got more unreasonable.   So after he jumped on me, I ceased all posts 
containing info on other echos.
Jump 6 months.  I spied a message on "his" echo from "his" WIFE, sxtolling 
the joys of the national FILK echo.  I was shocked!  I thought the mention of 
other echos on that echo was against policy!  I authored a message 
criticizing that message, asking why his wife was being allowed to be an 
exception to his own echo policy.  (I don't like double standards.  They are 
an outrageous affront to moral thinking).  His response?  Rather than answer 
my very legitimate question, he simply booted me off the echo and banned me 
from it for life.  That way, he could take the easy way out and not have to 
deal with the issue I brought up, while using the element of fear to keep 
everyone else from questionning his hypocracy.  Ever since, I have not had 
access to the echo, and I have never received an answer to the issue I 
brought up.
I hope this information answers your question, and I hope Rich doesn't kill 
me for this.  But you asked the question here, and I feit I should answer it 
here.
--- GoldED 2.50
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