
\section{European Autonomy and Domestic Meddlers}

\dropcap{S}\kern3pt ince\plainmargintext{by Tom Jennings,¨
1:125/111, June 89. An article I wrote for FidoNews, the¨
electronic newsletter of the FidoNet communications¨
network.} I see my name is getting dragged into this, I thought¨
I'd respond on the subject of Zone 2's autonomy, which is really¨
an issue of control.

First of all, no one need worry about trademark abuse; I am in¨
contact with all parties involved, and there is nothing to worry¨
about. Things will be settled to everyone's benefit and¨
satisfaction. No further discussion is needed on this matter. 

It is none of our business\margintext{What's going on is,¨
provincial law'n'order control freaks in the U.S. were (and still¨
are) trying to make (in this case) European FidoNet members¨
behave `like us', the `correct' way. Same old story. It's¨
especially embarrassing in an international environment. The good¨
part is that it really {\rm is} an inter-national environment,¨
and people {\rm are} learning. It's not a pretty process to watch¨
though, and real damage does get done along the way. Oh well.}¨
how Zone 2 (or any other zone) runs their network(s), other than¨
how they interface to us, just as it is no business to net 125¨
how net XYZ runs theirs, unless it somehow physically affects our¨
operation. If they have different criteria for joining a network,¨
what business is it of ours? To meddle ahead of time ``in case¨
they do something awful'', is silly; they are no more (or less)¨
likely to do something stupid than we in Zone 1 are. Europe is¨
not just the U.S.-only-different; it is a totally different¨
environment, socially, technically, legally and politically.¨
Europe is none of our damn business. 

Zone 1 is not the police force of the world. Have we not learned ¨
our lessons from other arenas? We do not ``have'' a unified 
world-wide network, nor is such a thing even desirable. What we¨
do have is a number of cooperative networks, that can cooperate¨
in a world-wide networking effort. This is a critical difference. 

Unfortunately, meddlers and control freaks will not give up until¨
everything not exactly like themselves is squashed or¨
controlled\margintext{It's funny for me to read two years later¨
and see how fast and how far the law'n'order mentality has gone¨
in this country. Ha ha.}. Or they are in turn removed. We have a¨
growing bureaucracy in our Zone 1 that wants to reorganize us¨
from being a bottom-up network, where sysops choose their net¨
hosts and other /0's, and determine how to run their own BBS,¨
nets and lives, to one (according to POLICY4) where the existing¨
bureaucracy picks their own region and net hosts. Bureaucrats¨
always tell us, if they can control this one more thing, then all¨
the problems will be solved.

Our network has never run smoothly, and I propose that it will¨
{\it never} run smoothly; this is good, not bad. It means we're¨
alive, only dead rigid bureaucracies are pure order. (Or pretend¨
they are.) Excessive order is not good for any organism. It¨
stifles creativity and free expression. Let's take a hint from¨
history, OK?

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