msmith@dasys1.UUCP (10/02/87)
I have been advised that Larry Lippman has phoned the SA at this system
regarding my article.
The Big Electric Cat is a public access unix system, and has a notice
posted publicly that it is in no way responsible for any postings by
users of the system.
I am fully and totally responsible for all my postings, and in
particular I am specifically fully responsible for my postings
regarding Larry Lippman. BEC (dasys1) is in no way responsible for
anything I post.
While we're at it, this group is now at leasst 50% attacks on me, and
75% attacks on feminism or individual women. Bill Vajk aka "Rhonda
Scribner" has used a female pseudo to attack me before. This happened
on chinet. When Bill's attacks on me became too repetitious for
anyone to stand, he created a female pseudo. The female pseudo used
Bill's style, and Bill's arguments, which are recognizable as they
parrot the party line of the Fascist BBS. Ethnic jokes are harmless, porn
is harmless, protitution is harmless, I am ashamed of my sex, and I am
not furthering the cause of feminism. (I suppose only porn and
prostitution do that well enough to satisfy Bill.) In that case, on
chinet, someone with root privileges checked the address and phone
number the pseudo had given, neither of which existed. Then two of
Bill's friends pretended to have met the pseudo, my password was pulled,
and the pseudo disappeared. Now Bill has a new one, but with the
same old tired lines.
I haven't gotten the Feminist mailing list in a month, and I hope
Heather is okay. Much of my mail bounces, and many other women are
having the same problem. It is my feeling that the Fascists are
stepping up their attempts to silence, censor and suppress feminist
views and strong feminist spokesmen. (that's inclusive, of course.)
They don't let women, humanists, feminists, nonseperatists, or
minorities post to their Fascist BBS, but like Fascists everywhere, they
spend much of their time attacking these groups, usually banding
together to attack a single individual.
I understand why Valerie spoke of leaving. I hope there is still a
Feminist list to go to. I want to read Cheryl, aMAZon, Ellen, Sherry,
skyler, and many other women and feminist men. But when a group becomes
50% attacks on me, and 75% attacks on feminism or individual women, by
men, some using female pseudos, it is difficult for anyone to wade
through the garbage. Last night out of about 50 articles, I managed
to read only about ten.
It is very interesting that those who defend porn are *not* defenders
of free speech. They use every trick in the book to try to silence,
censor and suppress feminist views. Larry Lippman's phone call to the
operator of this site was apparently meant to intimidate. He
apparently wanted to hold the site responsible for my postings, which he
apparently claimed were slanderous. If he believes that anything I
said was slanderous, which it definitely was not, he can contact me
directly. I am responsible for my postings, not the site. Larry
phoned, rather than writing to, the SA, apparently to maintain
plausible deniability regaring his intimidation. Such intimidation
is reprehensible. For public access and free speech to exist, Larry,
you have to accept that the individual, not the public access site,
is responsible for postings. If you have a problem with me, contact me.
And post publicly, where people can see what you are saying and doing.
We've already seen quite a bit of you, Larry. Most of it was
very unpleasant and consisted solely of personal attacks.
While I have several sites I can post from, this site is important
to other people, being the only public access site in its area. If
you have a problem with me, Larry, say so. If you want to silence me,
say so. If you intimidate the site, and they shut down, other public
access sites might also shut down and it might be the end of public
access. I have an account on one public access site that has its
own legal staff, so I will be able to continue posting. also several
non-Fascists have assured me that if I have future trouble getting
accounts, they will get me accounts on their systems to ensure that I
can continue to post. If the site were to pull my password, they
have no guarantee that you might not resent something a future user posts,
so if you hold them responsible, pulling my password will not solve the
problem. They would have to shut down. I don't think anyone would like
to see that happen.
Porn is not flattering to women, Larry. It usually protrays women
as sex objects, and you yourself have low esteem for women who pose
for porn. Those who oppose porn want women who are thus denigrated,
to have the right to sue. But porn magazines have editors who select what
goes into the rag. Public access systems do not moderate or edit
what users post and are not responsible if somebody feels they have been
slandered because an article was not flattering to them. I have no
obligation to be flattering to you, and I did not slander you.
Why is it always the ones who defend porn on the grounds of free speech, who
are the first to try to censor, silence and suppress feminist views?
--Mark
--
Mark Ethan Smith {allegra,philabs,cmcl2}!phri\
Big Electric Cat Public Unix {bellcore,cmcl2}!cucard!dasys1!msmith
New York, NY, USA {philabs}!tg/learn@chinet.UUCP (william vajk) (10/05/87)
In <1514@dasys1.UUCP> Mark Ethan Smith says : >While we're at it, this group is now at leasst 50% attacks on me, and >75% attacks on feminism or individual women. Bill Vajk aka "Rhonda >Scribner" has used a female pseudo to attack me before. This happened >on chinet. When Bill's attacks on me became too repetitious for >anyone to stand, he created a female pseudo. The female pseudo used >Bill's style, and Bill's arguments, which are recognizable as they >parrot the party line of the Fascist BBS. Ethnic jokes are harmless, porn >is harmless, protitution is harmless, I am ashamed of my sex, and I am >not furthering the cause of feminism. (I suppose only porn and >prostitution do that well enough to satisfy Bill.) In that case, on >chinet, someone with root privileges checked the address and phone >number the pseudo had given, neither of which existed. Then two of >Bill's friends pretended to have met the pseudo, my password was pulled, >and the pseudo disappeared. Now Bill has a new one, but with the >same old tired lines. Sorry to upset your personal applecart, Mark, I have never been, nor will I ever be, Rhonda Scribner. Depending on Rhonda's decision, I will assist her in any way I can to whatever purposes she decides. It is time that personal battles end. You have now performed the equivalent of shouting 'fire' in a theater where no fire exists, except in your imagination. You have painted the 'fascist' picture once too often. Your charges, as usual, are unfounded and untrue. No matter how often you repeat them, they will never come true simply because you personally 'will' it. I don't need any pseudos to post to usenet or anywhere else. Are you claiming a conspiracy against you, including in such a conspiracy, the system administrator of chinet ? >Such intimidation >is reprehensible. For public access and free speech to exist, Larry, >you have to accept that the individual, not the public access site, >is responsible for postings. Best you heed your own advice. This is a forum of divergent opinion, and is not solely your platform. I have no knowledge of the events Larry might have been involved in, and it doesn't sound good, but still you best heed your own advice. We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast. William J. Vajk replies learn@chinet flames > /dev/null email learn@igloo I am responsible for the contents of this posting. I wouldn't have it any other way. Articles quoted from usenet are repeated by license implied by the original posting.