"Wolfgang" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
SNIP
Allow me to clarify.
Others may have declared that ROFF is a democracy. I have never done so.
I
am well aware of what a democracy is and, for what it's worth, essentially
agree with the outline you provided above.
SNIP
I concede that up to a point, and I actually assumed you were using
"democratic" in its "social equality" "free"or "egalitarian" sense. However,
many do not. Quite a few also regularly confuse democracy with freedom. The
terms are not synonymous.
Also, the fact remains that the egalitarian aspect of "this" "democracy",
does not negate the basic premise that a majority decision is binding. It
is doubtful whether it woukd even be possible under "normal" circumtances
to even reach such a decision on any given subject, much less enforce it on
"minority" dissenters.
Your point about an Internet Service Provider being able to terminate
access
to Usenet is taken (and it is certainly true), but it is completely
irrelevant to the nature of the institution under discussion. Your ISP
exists and acts outside the confines of Usenet. Anyone who doesn't like
you
or what you have to say, or has any other reason legitimate or otherwise,
can hire an assassin to slit your throat and thus summarily halt your
participation in anything and everything. This fact, in and of itself,
has
nothing to do with the nature any organization you might have interacted
with. It sucks, but it's another issue entirely. To argue otherwise is
simply to confuse what happens within a certain context with external
conditions or factors that prevent that context from applying.
I see your point, but an ISP is essential to gain access, and therefore a
fundamental part of the "equation" of this group. Also, this group has no
binding rules, constitution, or even generally accepted guidelines. Only
ISPīs have the ability to enforce such, and the ISPīs vary considerably.
Although of course the Usenet heirarchy may also make some general
decisions. Which indeed are of a democratic nature, within the confines of
that organisation. These things have direct bearing on the ability to post,
and are therefore germane.
An assassin, or the local TV shop, ( where you can freely buy a TV in order
to watch the news for instance),can not be compared to an ISP.
As for integrity and responsibility, these are highly subjective matters.
You and I have both been criticized a good deal more than the average
ROFFian with regard to both, and the casual unbiased observer would, prima
facie, have no reason to suppose that such criticism was necessarily
undeserved.
Agreed. Something I consider extremely unfortunate, ( or indeed extremely
fortunate?) but indubitably true.
Rather strange as well, for quite a while now I have not considered myself
to be a ROFFian. Although of course anybody who posts here is de-facto such.
Indeed, I only post rarely, on subjects which interest me, and I now
generally avoid fishing posts as well, as they apparently merely generate
gratuitous aggression among the great unwashed.
One last thing. No one does ANYTHING here with impunity as long as I'm
around.
Wolfgang
who hears the sound of dozens of little feet scurrying toward the
dictionaries. 
Indeed, we must be grateful that semantics is such an exact science!
TL
MC