I'd like to invite discussion, either private or listwise, on: Why is the govt. targetting BBSs? I note Eric S. Raymond accuses the govt and its mouthpieces of using the largely manufactured horror of 'kiddie porn' as a "fait acompli", to yank the rug from under our feet when we take exception to the idea that the U.S. Govt. should have the authority to inspect our private lives and operations. Not to mention also using the treat of 'terrorism' and 'dangers to national security' et al. ad nauseum. I'd like to tell you a short anecdote: I frequently grep the entire disk system here for accessible .GIF files. I need them for my BBS, and even though this grepping about hogs CPU time, it is certainly less bandwidth costly than firing up a full FTP session to go hunting for such "warez". Inevitably, many of these graphics files are 'porno'. Also inevitably a few are 'illegal' porno, such as that featuring beastiality and or nude children. Most of these appear to originate from the orient and from Europe. I have no use for such materials, but apparently someone does. I did an experiment. Noting the filenames, I looked about in alt.binaries.pictures.erotica, and did an xarchie search, and many of these files are available from US educational institutions, via both FTP archives (usually in the uploads area -- I am confident that the maintainers of such sites ditch this stuff in a jiffy. There are exceptions, however) and the UseNet system. Now, maybe I missed something, but I have yet to see the secret service raid ftparchive.blah.edu, or UNM where I work, for 'pandering'. Yet BBSs get raided for SUSPICION of having such material, and get their equipment con- fiscated. I am pissed off enough that I am having a hard time even formulating my displeasure into a logical post, but here goes anyway: 1) who gave the govt the right to distribute this material, and deny others to do so (for whatever reason) - these universities ARE part of the govt. 2) why is the govt scapegoating BBSs? Are we THAT 'dangerous and subversive'? 3) why is it that people in general cannot see this BS for the BS it is? Is it REALLY so hard to see that "terrorism" and "kiddie porn" are not real threats, but that stomping all over our privacy rights IS? 4) why is nothing much really being done about these civil rights violations? The SJG case is a case in point. EFF did plenty to help out, but where was the ACLU? I see lots of NETTERS mad about clipper, but where is the media blitz? Where are the demonstrations on the White House lawn? Are the people in this country really so apathetic? Where is the outcry over the Waco massacre? For a govt to willy-nilly burn a bunch of children to death and lie like hell to the people the whole time, is enough to start a civil war in a lot of places, yet here it's just another "oh well". Well before I really get lost here, I will just finish up by saying that I became a BBS system operator with enthusiasm and happiness, and now find my self embroiled in the fringes of a bitter war, and one which the general populace seems 100% ignorant of. I don't care what Mike Godwin says, the media DO see BBSs as a threat. I just got word that the article that was supposed to be done by a local paper on BBSs in our area was nixed. I don't like conspiracy theories, but christ, it is almost impossible to get the media to do anything on the online world that is not negative; the only VR-oriented movie I have ever seen was a horror film designed to turn people OFF the idea (_Lawnmower_Man_), MTV wants to do stories about neo- nazis using BBS for their goals; the media worked hand in hand with the govt in the Waco mess, and now the media are generally silent, even supportive, about the clipper; I try to do my part in distributing crypto, and get legal threats from a govt. contractor... What gives? How far is this going to go? -- Testes saxi solidi! ********************** Podex opacus gravedinosus est! Stanton McCandlish, SysOp: Noise in the Void Data Center BBS IndraNet: 369:1/1 FidoNet: 1:301/2 Internet: anton@hydra.unm.edu Snail: 8020 Central SE #405, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108 USA Data phone: +1-505-246-8515 (24hr, 1200-14400 v32bis, N-8-1) Vox phone: +1-505-247-3402 (bps rate varies, depends on if you woke me up...:)