Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 00:48:59 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: Terry's Anti Semitic Insults --
In-Reply-To: <F140pGtS79AX7Ur5qWn00009ca7@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Recently, when someone posted a pornographic link to the List, it happened
while administrator Tom Carrington was out of town. However, when he learned
of it, he was very quick to state (in no uncertain terms) that it was
inappropriate and would not be permitted on the list again. Thus he made it
clear that this is a moderated list, and "off color" topics do not belong
here.
This has nothing to do with free speech. Pornography, racism, etc. are
constitutionally protected, and as such are fully entitled to their place on
the internet, just as Vanagon discussion is. But racist attacks are no more
appropriate to a VW mailing list than VW questions are to a racist website.
I have remained silent, expecting that any day Tom would settle the issue by
making the same strong statement against racist attacks on the List that he
did about pornography. I assumed that if Tom feels that pornography is
inappropriate to a list about VW's, he would certainly feel the same about
overt racism.
Tom, I really hope that you are out of town again, and simply unaware of
this situation. Because otherwise you would be implying by your obvious
silence that it is perfectly fine with you if listmembers start hurling
racial attacks at eachother. Can we now start attacking all races? Is the
"N word" approved for use on the list, then? Can we use choice terms for
homosexuals, too? Is this really appropriate to a list about VW's?
Tom, are you there?
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
p.s. For those who would like to learn more about what you can do to fight
racism, visit www.tolerance.org (or its parent site www.splcenter.org).
Every year since its inception, The Bus Depot has donated a portion of its
profits to this and other likeminded organizations. Racism, both overt and
covert, is everywhere - yes, even on this list - but that does not mean that
we have to accept it as inevitable. From gradeschool education to community
involvement, we can make a change. To see one thing our local community is
doing to fight racism, see http://www.user.fast.net/~isaacs/plposter.jpg .
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