Fight Govt. Censorship! (fwd)

[Hans Steiner]

>>> Subject: URGENT PETITION -- Fight Govt. Censorship!
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello everyone...
>>>
>>> A matter has come to my attention that is of the utmost importance to all
>>> of us online.
>>>
>>> Simply put, a couple of senators have proposed a particularly
>>> heinous piece of legislation titled the "Communications
>>> Decency Act of 1995"  (Senate Bill S. 314).  Basically, the
>>> bill would subject all forms of electronic communication --
>>> from public Internet postings to your most private email --
>>> to government censorship.  The effects of the bill onto the
>>> online industry would be devastating -- most colleges and
>>> private companies (AOL, Compuserve, etc.) would probably have
>>> to shut down or greatly restrict access, since they would be
>>> held criminally liable for the postings and email of private
>>> users.
>>>
>>> Obviously, this bill is designed to win votes for these senators
>>> among those who are fearful of the internet and aren't big
>>> fans of freedom of speech -- ie., those who are always trying to
>>> censor "pornography" and dirty books and such.  Given the
>>> political climate in this country, this bill might just pass
>>> unless the computer community demonstrates its strength as a
>>> committed political force to be reckoned with.  This, my friends,
>>> is why I have filled your mailbox with this very long message.
>>>
>>> A petition, to be sent to Congress, the President, and the media,
>>> has begun spreading through the Internet.  It's easy to participate
>>> and be heard -- to sign it, you simply follow the instructions
>>> below -- which boil down to sending a quick email message to a
>>> certain address.  That's all it takes to let your voice be heard.
>>> (You know, if the Internet makes democracy this accessible to the
>>> average citizen, is it any wonder Congress wants to censor it?)
>>>
>>> Finally, PLEASE forward this message to all your friends online.
>>> The more people sign the petition, the more the government will
>>> get the message to back off the online community.  We've been doing
>>> fine without censorship until now -- let's show them we don't plan on
>>> allowing them to start now.  If you value your freedoms -- from
>>> your right to publicly post a message on a worldwide forum to your
>>> right to receive private email without the government censoring it --
>>> you need to take action NOW.  It'll take fifteen minutes at the most,
>>> a small sacrifice considering the issues at hand.  Remember, the age
>>> of fighting for liberty with muskets and shells is most likely over;
>>> the time has come where the keyboard and the phone line will prove
>>> mightier than the sword -- or the Senate, in this case.
>>>
>>> Yours in liberty,
>>>
>>>             -don
>>>
>>> >
>>> > Here's what you have to do to sign the petition:
>>> >
>>> > send an e-mail message to:  S314-petition at netcom.com
>>> > the message (NOT the subject heading) should read as follows:
>>> > SIGNED <your online address> <your full name> <U.S. Citizen (y/n)>
>>> > eg.  SIGNED lsewell at leland.Stanford.EDU  Laura Sewell  YES
>>> >
>>> > If you are interested in signing the petition, I would highly suggest
>>> > investigating the details of the situation.  You can find out more on
>>> > the Web at    http://www.wookie.net/~slowdog    or in the newsgroup
>>> > comp.org.eff.talk
>>> >
>>> > Save the 'net!  If you won't do it for the sake of justice and the
>>> > American way, DO IT FOR ME!!  PLEASE!!!!!!
>>> >
>>> >                                             --Laura