From: amz@iguana.cis.ohio-state.edu (Arnold M Zwicky)
Subject: Re: a small flame on rec.gardens
Followup-To: soc.motss
Summary: what counts as a newsgroup?  as a newsgroup *on* x?
Organization: earnestly practicing faggots
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 14:50:42 GMT

in partial response to elf, let me share with you a follow-up
posting on rec.gardens by vince summers and my e-mail reply
to him.  (i will, of course, respect his privacy and not post
any e-mail from him.)

 From: vsummers@polaris.cv.nrao.edu (Vince Summers)
 Newsgroups: rec.gardens
 Subject: naturalism
 Message-ID: <VSUMMERS.92Sep8083656@polaris.cv.nrao.edu>
 Date: 8 Sep 92 13:36:56 GMT
 Distribution: rec.gardens
 Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory

     I really am interested in such a group.  Yes, there is a group on hamster
and duct-tape.  
     My point is that many encouraging and elevating subjects have no group.
GNUS is not enlightening people on these subjects.  Every perversion under
the sun has a group.  puke puke puke.  highly intelligent and meaningful
isn't it?
     Wildflowers such as goldenrod even are worthy of consideration.  Some
50 varieties, I believe.  Misunderstood.  People think goldenrod causes hay
fever, when they would do better blaming the two varieties (at least) of 
ragweed.
     The purpose of my previous posting was really to discuss this.  Perhaps
the others, who disregarded (all but one) the intent of my posting are so
sensitive out of bad consciences.
    Plea888888994444
?
Vince
vsummers@polaris.cv.nrao.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 To: vsummers@polaris.cv.nrao.edu
 Subject: Re: naturalism
 Newsgroups: rec.gardens
 In-Reply-To: <VSUMMERS.92Sep8083656@polaris.cv.nrao.edu>
 Organization: ohio state, stanford, linguistic society of america,...

what is the *matter* with you?  why can't you discuss a reasonable
topic without going out of your way to insult people?   *again*?

you come across as a violently homophobic, ranting, dangerous
person.  why else would you connect the existence of soc.motss
to the need for a natural history newsgroup?  

you spit in my face and then tell me i have a "bad conscience"
about being gay because i object to the insult.  (let's imagine a
little parallel: i call you a disgusting slimy cuntfucker and
tell you that everyone knows straight guys rape their daughters...
just like "everyone knows" faggots put little rodents up their
assses...how does that feel to you, asshole?  look, there's
some real *truth* to the idea that straight guys rape their
daughters.  you wanna hear some real funny incest jokes?   HOW
DO *YOU* LIKE THE KIND OF CRAP YOU'RE SERVING UP TO OTHER
PEOPLE?)  you are the lowest kind of shit-eating creep there is.

there is no hamster-and-duct-tape newsgroup on USENET, at least not in
the thousand or so USENET groups my sites get.  there might have been
an alt group; the alt groups are separate from USENET proper, and
anyone can create one, without proposals and votes.  hundreds of
short-lived groups have been created, many as jokes.  most sites do
not carry them; many sites carry no alt groups at all.

so there might have been, or even still be, an alt group about
hamsters and duct tape.  but it cannot have been a group about doing
sexual things with rodents and duct tape, because no one has ever done
those things.  there are no hamster enthusiasts to have discussions
together.  the group was undoubtedly about hamster/gerbil/etc.
*jokes*, which is to say it was as an arena for guys to parade
the very same sorts of insults you've introduced into rec.gardens,
only unadulterated.  probably there's been a group for fat-lipped
nigger jokes and nympho catholic girl jokes and oriental-women-
slit-horizontally-rather-than-vertically jokes and all that
other appalling stuff.  there are a lot of nasty people in the
world, and some of them have net access.

you have, of course, the right to enjoy such jokes and to tell
them.   and i have the equal right to say that you are sick and
nasty for telling them, and that i hate you.

arnold m. zwicky
university professor of linguistics, ohio state university
visiting professor of linguistics, stanford university
president, linguistic society of america
fellow, american academy of arts and sciences
and very public faggot