ANST - Administrata...

Pug Bainter pug at pug.net
Tue May 26 07:34:17 PDT 1998


Good Morning one and all,

  The list has been removed from moderation status. Every post that
  was made over the weekend was approved. (This including a full digest
  being sent out before all of them were even approved.)

  This message is written in haste since I need to get mundane work done,
  so please forgive any mistakes or confusing areas.

  I am working up full guidelines regarding the actions that have
  happened over the last week and in the past. As some easy guidelines,
  here is what I would say:

----
  If you are unwilling to stand up in court at Coronation to make the
    "warning", don't do it here.

  If you are unwilling to pay to have your "warning" published in the
    BlackStar or you know they are unwilling to publish it, don't do it
    here.

  If you are unwilling to pay to have your "warning" published in the
    TI or you know they are unwilling to publish it, don't do it here.

  If a person has not been found guilty of a mundane law, do not mention
    the accusation on this list until the facts are known and decided upon.
----

  Btw, if you would like to know what the guidelines are for SCA or
  Kingdom publications (which this list is not, but contain some of
  the materials I try to use as guidance) they can be found at
  http://www.ansteorra.org/law. For those who don't know already,
  statements such as were made should not be publishable from my reading
  of the guidelines. (I.B.16 from the Society Chronicler Handbook covers
  it nicely, as does the Kingdom Chronicler Handbook.)

  We still live in America, where people are innocent until *proven*
  guilty. If someone is under investigation, it does not mean that they
  did it, or even that there is a good reason for the courts to think
  they did it.

  There are certain taboos/laws in this country that if a person
  is accused of, they are guilty to the public at large if the information
  is known. It doesn't matter if they actually commited the act or not. A
  few of these that *I* feel the public is this way about are rape,
  child abuse, child endangerment and child molestation. Truly think
  about what you and/or the public think when you/they here that someone
  is under investigation for one of these acts. A lot of the time it is
  not *if* they did it, but how terrible it is that they did it.

  Regarding Litch and this list, there are a few statements that I would
  like to make for those who have been around long enough to remember
  all of it. He may have been rude, obnoxious and boorish, but he never
  accused anyone of illegal activities. If he was accused of illegal
  activities himself, they were either misinterpretations of the law that
  were quickly corrected or of a nature that people do not automatically
  assume guilt, such as libel or virtual threats. As well, he tried to
  keep his comments private as they should be until someone else brought
  them to the list. Not to mention the fact that all the parties involved
  were present and able to defend themselves immediately.

  Maybe I've grown personally to the point that I do not wish for people
  to behave like children in something that I am responsible for and
  am trying to maintain. Just as your fighting, service or artistic
  abilities improve over time, so does my conscious and feelings of duty
  to better our Society in the ways that I can.

  Since the concern has been raised, if there are enough people who are
  truly concerned that I can no longer be a reasonable and unbiased list
  maintainer, please find someone who can and we will transition the list
  to them as soon as possible. I try to make sure that my personal
  opinion and friendships do not come into my decisions on this list.
  This is a difficult thing to do and I may not be successful. I have
  been the list maintainer for ~5 years and maybe I shouldn't any longer.
  (The list archives only go back a little over 3 years unfortunately so I
  don't know exactly how long.)

  Btw Gunnora, I'd already planned on doing the warning system and not
  keeping the list moderated. The moderation was only a temporary
  measure to keep things calm over the weekend since I was unable to see
  what was happening while at Steppes Warlord.

  I would like to thank those who have given me words of support.

  I would like to especially thank those who have questioned what I have
  done and taken me to task for it. Without those individuals, I would
  not have alternate viewpoints from which to question my actions.

  I do not take censorship, especially by myself, at all lightly.

  Freedom of speech or action does not give you the freedom to do as you
  wish at all times.

In Service to My Dream,

-- 
Phelim "Pug" Gervase  |  "We have a constitutional right to make
Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |   fools of ourself."
House Flaming Dog     |   --Lawyer on NPR regarding 
pug at pug.net           |     the Unabomber self-defense
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