lazarus@athena.mit.edu (Michael Friedman) (04/16/88)
Barry Seems to get hot under the collar. In <21496@bu-cs.BU.EDU> Barry wrote } In-reply-to: lazarus@athena.mit.edu's message of 12 Apr 88 01:35:47 GMT } >If someone at ATT decides to revoke Tim Sevener's net-access I will } >complain, just as I complained when Scrooge was muzzled. Why were you } >quiet then? } That's not fair, there are several people out there who I have } vehemently disagreed with but have supported publicly (and privately, } where I thought it might help, I know quite a few sysadmins out there) } when an issue like this came up. I think they know who they are, } perhaps they will speak up. } As to the Scrooge thing, I believe I missed most of that except for } some trailers here and there making past reference to it recently, } perhaps it was during the week or so we were having a lot of trouble } with our net feeds in early-mid March? } No one out there should ever hesitate to send me private mail or call } me asking for my help to keep a news account which is being removed } for politically motivated reasons (ask first, then we can decide if } there's something more going on.) You'd be surprised how many people I } know out there and could perhaps re-open some reasoned discussion on } the matter. It's even possible to generate a list of machines where } you can have an account, or at least ask for one. } -Barry Shein, Boston University Notice ... Barry says he missed the Scrooge episode. He says, however, that he know a lot of people out there and can, perhaps re-open discussion on the matter. He implies that he knows how to generate a list of machines where Scrooge may ask for an account. So, in the interest of justice and freedom, I searched back through the news.admin newsgroup, and found an article which quoted the administrator who booted Scrooge. In <4636@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> I wrote } >> >In article <3365@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU >, lazarus@athena.mit.edu (Michael Friedman) writes: } >> > > In article <68@rolls.UUCP > news@rolls.UUCP (The Nutter) writes: } >> > > >As a netnews administrator here and on terminus, I never suspected } >> > > >that I would ever compile as a fascist. Lately, though, postings by } >> > > >a user "scrooge" from this site have forced me to do so. } >> > > It is, of course, your site, and you have the right to do what you } >> > > want with it. Scrooge is also something of an asshole. } >> > > Despite this I do not think it is appropriate to stop him from } >> > > posting... } OK Barry, do your thing. Let's see your commitment to free speech in action!! Please note that the administrator is posting from a machine with suffix UUCP. Am I correct in assuming that that is something to do with University of California? Barry responded to an earlier posting of mine in <21688@bu-cs.BU.EDU> }In-reply-to: lazarus@athena.mit.edu's message of 14 Apr 88 23:41:30 GMT }>I don't remember Scrooge's site, and I don't think I have it anywhere. }>Perhaps someone else can let Barry Shein in on this and we can see if }>he is as good as his word. }Hey, no problem, I'll go one better, if Scrooge wants an account on a }machine here he should send me mail or call me (617-353-2780). I don't }know if distance makes that prohibitive, but what more could I do? I. Distance does seem to make that prohibitive. II. What more could you do? You could do what you first offered to do - you could "re-open some reasoned discussion on the matter." You could help Scrooge find a LOCAL account, which you implied you would be willing to do. I said as much in <4653@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Barry got rather upset. He responded, in <21723@bu-cs.BU.EDU> }In-reply-to: lazarus@athena.mit.edu's message of 15 Apr 88 23:54:37 GMT }>You previously claimed that you had enough connections out there that }>you could often prevent people from being booted, get them reinstated, }>or get them an account at another nearby machine. }>I have posted (in another message) the address of the sys-admin who }>booted Scrooge. May I suggest that you get cracking? }Ya wanna know something Mike, you're an asshole. }Does anyone doubt only an asshole could write something as arrogant as }the above in response to my offer to help anyone who is being kicked }off the net? You know, I really don't understand why Barry's so mad. Perhaps he doesn't like being put on the spot? All I can say is that Barry's much-vaunted dedication to freedom of speech seems to be ringing a little hollow right now. Comments, folks? These are the official opinions Mike Friedman of my organization. So, TOUGH!!