From: jet@nas.nasa.gov (J. Eric Townsend)
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 93 11:41:53 PDT
To: Karl Barrus <elee9sf@Menudo.UH.EDU>
Subject: ANON: free speech
In-Reply-To: <199307011355.AA09915@Menudo.UH.EDU>
Message-ID: <9307011841.AA01966@boxer.nas.nasa.gov>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



This is not an official NASA document, nor does it in any way reflect
any of NASA's opinions, actions or views.

Karl Barrus writes:
 > Gregory Steshenko was fired from Microsoft because users on a elist
 > he was on complained.  Check out the USENET post (I saw it in
 > alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk) but it was crossposted to zillions of
 > groups.


This sort of thing happens all the time, actually.  A close friend of
mine was put on an 'employee improvement plan' (the first step to
being fired, actually) because she read/posted to rec.pets.cats.  Upon
closer examination by her grandboss and subsequent review of her
actions before, during and after the plan, it was determined that the
action was taken for political reasons.  (ie: her boss was looking for
a reason to get rid of her because they had a personal conflict).

In other words, if they want to fire you, they'll look for a reason.
I could be fired for sending this message, if someone wanted to push
the issue and my bosses didn't like me.  As it is, they do like me,
and I do a very good job, so the worst that would happen (first
iteration) is an official direction to stop contributing to the
cypherpunks list from my work machine.  (non-work related use of my
government machine.)