How's this? Judith Yates Borger is essentially correct, except for one thing. Reporting what is said on a street corner is hearsay because a person may or may not have said what was reported. When a person writes to a list that is at a minimum 800 people, and signs that post, it is not hearsay. It is an overt act that is traceable. That overt act is also a knowing action to distribute ones ideas to an indeterminate audience. Such action knowingly puts ones ideas into the public realm. These are not private, intimate conversations.
"List" posting makes the information public by its very nature. On many occasions I have had requests by someone to reuse some material I have posted. My answer is always, "of course, once it's posted its public." It is always nice to get asked, but it is a courtesy and nothing more. In my opinion ideas once expressed belong to the public. Every word we speak and almost every thought we think has been previously "USED". We may arrange them in a slightly better or worse way, but they belong to society, we just get to temporarily use and take credit for them. Speaking of thoughts. I do not know about Jim Mork but I resent being lumped in with him as a strictly police supporter. Doesn't Nolley realize that Jim Mork and I are supposed to be fighting about these things? How are you supposed to take pride in your arguments with a highly prized opponent when this outsider says we are the same? I do not know about Jim Mork, but I believe as old anarchists, we condemn miss-use of authority and criminal behavior by police far more critically than Mr. Nolley. In fact we probably do not like authority of any kind, but especially the miss-used variety. One of the advantages of being an "OLD" anarchist is that we have probably lived long enough to know that all of "anyone" are not the same. All Police are not bad (some are), all cab drivers do not participate in prostitution and drug activity or know where to find it (some do), all lawyers are not disreputable shysters (some are). I once had a very small amount of Mr. Nolley's bias towards lawyers, but after knowing a few I discovered even a lot, if not most, of them were decent people. Trying to do good! Making more money than Cops, (if they were worth a darn), but still good people trying to do good. (I know many will disagree about honest lawyers dedicated to doing good, but believe me most are) Almost everyone in our society is good people, trying to do good! Is there evil in our society? Yes, but not compared to the amount of good. We just notice evil more; evil gets better press. Policemen work very bad hours and do not get rich, because they are dedicated public servants who have a drive to be "Do-Gooders". Why they do this I do not know. It would be far easier to be lawyers, but I guess most Cops have a greater calling to do good. Being good-doers they usually despise bad cops a whole lot more than rational people, but probably not as much as people who hate them for just being Cops even when they are good Cops. Jim Graham, Ventura Village in greater Metropolis >>>There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies and revolution into minds - TOE <<< TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
