gordon@utacfd.arl.utexas.edu (Gordon Burditt) (10/09/90)
Mr. Moderator, I urge you to be careful about posting calls for mass
retaliation by phone. I would hate to lose the Telecom Digest because
the government views it as a weapon of telephone harassment,
regardless of how much the targeted government agencies deserve it.
On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with including email addresses
found in public directories in the Digest, provided they are not
presented with the idea of "let's bomb these guys into submission".
Gordon L. Burditt
sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon
P.S. In light of recent budget problems, what would happen if ALL Federally-
controlled prefixes moved into area code 900?
[Moderator's Note: First, let's begin with you showing me where in the
Digest you have ever seen a message saying 'bomb them into submission'
or where you saw a message calling for 'mass retaliation by phone'.
I am not going to waste space here reprinting all the original
messages on the theme of 'who should we complain to about redlining by
telcos on international card calls?' YOU go back and re-read them.
Since email is as legitimate a form of communication as paper mail,
then there is absolutely no reason why email letters cannot be sent to
persons and corporations to express opinions and ask for explanations.
It is not my concern if one person or one million people write.
Second, you say 'you would hate to lose the TELECOM Digest because the
government views it as a weapon of telephone harrassment' ... and that
is all well and good, but until you can show me where you have given
the same admonishment to the {New York Times} and the {Washington
Post}, both of whom routinely urge their readers to contact
legislators, corporations and government agencies regarding issues
those two newspapers want to settle, then I'd suggest you stay off my
case. I have more readers here each day than several hundred small
town newspapers ... they should encourage readers to lobby on issues
of importance but I should not?
Third, your little postscript merits an answer: If all goverment
agencies took their calls on 900 numbers that would suit me fine, and
it would further illustrate just how unreachable and uncompromising
most government agencies can be. Could the Congress-creatures be
installed on that area code also? Please?? PAT]