Subject: Re: Threat to the Internet

From: "Oscar N. Ventura" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 11:30:44 -0300 (TZ )

Hi,
 The message yesterday about the Senate Bill S.314 (Communications Decency
Act) reports on a very real threat to the Internet (once the land of
the free men). I imagine it is just the natural process of "civilization":
the process by which a set of consensual, autoimposed, "natural" regulations
ruling the interconnection of a bunch of pioneers, is substituted by a 
body of laws implanted from outside the group so as to allow the masses 
to participate in a "properly ordered" and "well-behaved" way. Like
any beautiful natural place perishes under the feet of mass tourism once
publicity popularizes it, the Internet is dying under the burden of its
own usefulness.
 I am skeptical about the force any amount of pressure from scientists
may carry in this subject but, of course, we should try it. On the other
side, what happens in the USA is affecting also all of us, scientists
located in many other countries and relying heavily on the Internet for
our work. I am concious that perhaps these messages are not too appropriate
for the CCL, but may I suggest that the knowledgeable US scientists 
post some recommendations as to how we foreigners can act upon this subject?
After all, even if Internet is global, the Senate Bill S.314 is rather
local.
 Thanks and sorry for the bandwith abuse!
 O. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Oscar N. Ventura                 Tel.     +(5982)941860
MTC-Lab                              Fax      +(5982)941906
Gral.Flores 2124, C. C. 1157         E-mail   [email-masked]
Montevideo 11800, URUGUAY            MTC-Lab  http://bilbo.edu.uy/MTC-Lab.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------