newsgroup v news-list

I have been mulling over the pro's and con's of both for a group such as this and realy I don't see it makes a great deal of difference. The problem right now to me is staying on topic (ie crypt and politics). Neither of these forums will provide that kind of discipline w/o some kind of moderation. Also, I would appreciate any more comments on the distinctions between this mail list, CypherPunks as promoted in the media, and the CypherPunks as it realy exists. I am intrigued by the various distinctions that I have recieved in private mail (and they span the whole gamut of views). If one thing has become clear is that everyone disagrees about what c-punks is and how it works.