Dude, Forwarded message:

Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 19:46:55 -0700 From: Greg Broiles <gbroiles@netbox.com> Subject: Re: Webpage picketing

Why is this useful? I think it sounds like an awful idea.

I suspect the visitors to abortion clinics would agree with you. I doubt the right-to-lifers or the judge would. Pleasure and good ideas are not necessarily one-to-one.

Who's going to keep track of all of this stuff? Are ISP's and backbone providers supposed to give other people free hard disk space/connectivity to do this? Or do you want the government to do it? What about blocking software, which erases the picketing notices? Will that be allowed?

One could argue that just as we must pave public sidewalks and roads as well as provide publicly accessible sewer pipes we might be required to provide webspace on the endpoint routers of the public sections of the backbone, and then we ALL get to pay for our daily aggravation ("push the button to torture the subject", subject pushes button and spasms in electric agony). Perhaps that is the real reason it would bite.

Conventional picketing works where private space is adjacent to public space, such that people in the public space can limit access to the private space, or do things in the public space which are visible to peole in the private space. Adjacency isn't really meaningful in "cyberspace", because it depends on arbitrary and changeable "locations" .. and there's very little "public space" in cyberspace, at least in the way that there's public space (like streets and roads and parks) in meatspace.

Hmmm, I have NEVER seen einstein go anywhere nor the cables it is connected to. I can certainly say that I doubt the hundreds of machines in my work lab cavort around the shop when I am gone. No, I don't accept your premise that the connections in the Internet are that mobile. Lack of public space may be the saving grace, unfortunately there is quite a bit of involvment planned by Uncle Sam if I am not mistaken...Internet II... V-II Chip... GAK... ITAR... That supercomputer science network thingy... Get the picture?

Do you think we should adopt "bookspace picketing", whereby public libraries are obligated to include hostile rants with books in their collections, or even notations that "The Authoritarian League believes this book is harmful, read _Why I Need Someone to Run My Life_ by Joe Schmo to learn more"? Perhaps we should implement a program of "wordspace picketing", whereby we're obligated to, before we orally discuss our own opinions in a public place, mention the counterarguments made by critics.

You can certainly stand in front of that store on the public street and offer to give said material away (remember to pick those up people throw down). And there ain't a damn thing you can do to make them leave. I would hope you would explain and address the counter-arguments of your critics. Otherwise your discussions might be a little one sides and hopefuly quite short. I personaly hate monotonic lunatic raves (unless there is a kick-ass band and pretty women). _______________________________________________________________________ | | | Speak the truth, but leave immediately after. | | | | Slovenian Proverb | | | | Jim Choate ravage@ssz.com | | The Armadillo Group www.ssz.com | | Austin, Texas, USA 512-451-7087 | |_______________________________________________________________________|