Date:         Mon, 2 Jul 2001 10:09:51 -0700
Reply-To:     Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Golen <rgolen@UMASSD.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Free Speech on the Vanagon List
In-Reply-To:  <000001c102f5$5990f600$c46c0f18@iowact1.ia.home.com>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii

Hi all,

Just wanted to briefly throw in my $.02 worth...as far as the "free speech"
argument goes, free speech does not apply to this list. The first amendment
right of free speech refers to government action, not private action. As
far as I know this list is maintained on a private server, owned by a
non-governmental entity. If we were back in the days of "Gerry" being
housed at UMN, then one could raise the "free speech" argument if the
University of Minn. decided to curtail the discussion on the list because
that would be governmental action.

Just for the record, here's the appropriate part of text of the 1st
Amendment: "Congress shall make no law ....abridging the freedom of
speech..." "Congress" has been interpreted, especially given the 14th
amendment, to mean any governmental body...state..federal..city..etc...etc...

So yes folks certain topics can be controlled by those in charge of the list.


Ric


At 07:48 AM 7/2/2001 -0500, Donald Baxter wrote:
>I couldn't have said this better myself.  If my mailbox keeps getting
>fillled with drivel like this thread I will have to unsubscribe after
>being a listmember since 1994.  Let's get the list back to the
>discussion of Vanagons.  It's a mistake to think that anyone but the
>government is in the business of guaranteeing anyone's free speech
>rights--your employers isn't, and this list isn't.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>Of Steve Schwenk
>Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 1:29 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: rights
>
>
>The outrage in the comment below is genuine and
>sincere...and it illustrates why racist jokes are even
>more inappropriate than pornography in a forum like
>this.  The Internet is big enough to accommodate hate
>speech for those who want/need it.  The vanagon list is
>not.
>
>Sorry, i thought this whole mess was dead, but then the
>bigot starts joking about his unbelievably offensive
>comments.  It is too much to ask that others just sit
>here and accept it as OK.  It can't possibly be ok in
>any civil forum.
>
>Steve Schwenk wrote:
> >
> > YOU RACIST PIG.  NOW YOU JOKE ABOUT IT.  DIE PIG.
> >