On Sunday, January 14th, 1996 - Terry Russell wrote:
 
TR> Wrong Rodney FidoNet is not a "private" Network. Its a public network
 
Wrong.  Yes it is a private network.  The equipment is 100% privately
owned, and the organization is 100% private.  It is not a public
organization.  The network exists upon a cooperative effort of private
individuals who have their own private by-laws and rules, like an Elks
Club.  There are no tax-supports for Fidonet, there is no implied or
expressed right of thoroughfare to the general public, none of the
officials of Fidonet are elected by the general public taxpayers in an
open election, and there is no public financing or subsidy that grant
public oversight of Fidonet rules or policies.  Fidonet is a privately
owned, privately run, non-government network.
 
TR> available to ALL. There may be rules and agreements to these rules 
 
Wrong again, it is not open to "ALL".  Fidonet is not a public sidewalk
that anyone with feet or a wheelchair may access at their discretion. 
Fidonet has precluded many people from participation.  There are
hundreds, maybe thousands of people who have been banned from Fidonet
conferences for flagrant violation of Fidonet's private policies.
 
TR> but its douptful that they are "legally binding" However breaking 
 
Try bringing that to court then.  You won't get far.  Fidonet is 100%
private and may exclude anyone it wishes.
 
TR> echo if the moderator so wishes it. NO conference "specifiacally 
TR> excludes free speech" however, a better way is state it is that some 
 
They all do, with the possible exception of FLAME.  Each Fidonet
conference has a set of rules and a moderator which in each case
specifically ban "free speech".  In each conference, the speech is
highly regulated and confined to a narrow topic or range of topics.
To say otherwise is to be confused about what "free" speech is.
 
TR> moderated echos try to focus "free speech" to given subjects or 
TR> topics. As long as this is observed by the poster then free speech is 
TR> assured and can not be taken away! 
 
Once again, you are now revising the definition of terms.  There will be 
no discussion that descends into a semantic debate or argument over the
definitions of words or terms.  Consider this topic twitted.
 
--- RiBBS v2.10        

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