From: Mixmaster <mixmaster@remail.obscura.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 10:05:49 +0800
To: mail2news@myriad.alias.net
Subject: Another Anti-Privacy Bigot Heard From (was: The Guilmette/Burnore deba
In-Reply-To: <slrn67eevb.fjb.sjsobol@devel.nacs.net>
Message-ID: <199711240054.QAA27858@sirius.infonex.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



sjsobol@devel.nacs.net (Steve Sobol) wrote:

> So my challenge to the people posting anonymously is to either go away, or
> find some balls and post non-anonymously. I know this won't happen, as much
> of the stuff being said is rather libelous and can get the poster into a lot
> of legal trouble, but hey, if any of the cowards involved would *like* to
> reveal themselves...

If you'd to expose ... er, I mean "reveal" yourself, be my guest. <g>

But knock off the bigotry -- anonymous posters are not going to be relegated
to the back of the bus just because some control freak is annoyed by hearing 
things with which he disagrees posted by people that he can't identify.  
You're merely chanting the same line we've all heard over and over -- 
"unless you have something to hide, you won't mind my snooping and meddling 
in every aspect of your life".

Threats of "a lot of legal trouble" for speaking one's mind are nothing new.  
But the tort of libel requires that the information be FALSE.  There's a 
difference between something being libellously false and merely being 
embarassingly true.  And, of course, the burden of proof is on the person 
making the charge.

--