[talk.bizarre] Why restrict USEnet? An answer.

COK@PSUVMA.BITNET (R. W. F. Clark) (03/15/88)

In article <1426@homxb.UUCP> <kyl@homxb.UUCP> (Cindy 'Sushi' Parker) writes:

>     rec.psi exists at my site, but there have only been 115 articles
>     posted to it.  They did not give any reasons why they do not want
>     to support specific groups. I find the whole idea of restricting
>     netnews pretty bizarre.
>
>               Cindy

Well, Cindy, I disagree with the admins about this, but their reasons
for restricting netnews are _very_ sensible, which you would know if
you had even bothered to think about it.  The nice people at AT & T
(I assume you already know you're working there) provided USENET
as a fringe benefit of employment.  This is not a responsibility
of theirs, nor is it something they are legally required to do,
unless USEnet access is provided in a contract.  Since it is, in
fact, a mere fringe benefit, they are justified in doing whatever
they damn well please with it.  If the company's wage-slaves revolt
as a result of this, then they may be forced to reverse their decisions,
but the company supporting the net at a certain site has _de jure_
power to remove a certain newsgroup.  The logical objection to
this is that if a wage-slave contracted for USEnet access, and during
his employment the company changed their local handling of the net,
then the company has changed the terms of USEnet access, making
it less than what had been contracted for.

As I've said, I don't agree with company policy in any case, as
it is generally as self-serving as possible.  Double standards are
almost ubiquitous.  E. g., a company can withhold payment for certain
services a full quarter (royalty payments) and earn interest on _my_
goddamn money, while if I'm late on a bank payment they are legally
justified to screw me over financially.  Large companies are the
single greatest threat to true free enterprise in America.

All notwithstanding, the idea of restricting USEnet access is not
'bizarre' at all.  It's very sensible, if wrong.

[And Cindy:  You still don't know how to use a text-editor.  You
_don't_ have to quote the original article, the article it was
following up, the article _that_ article was following up, _et sic
cetera_.  Do try to achieve higher quality with your postings.]
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