LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Ford, Natalia (DEO) <Natalia.Ford@dsto.defence.gov.au>
  To  : linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au
  Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 12:33:55 +0930

RE: I'net Bill - What to do? What to do? - Confucius

> I wonder if anybody else has thought
> about educating the general public
> about the Internet (not for the purpose
> of selling them an ISP access package,
> but in the way that 4WD clubs help
> their members get the best out of their
> 4-wheel-drive vehicles...):
> 
	Well you can not educate a public that does not want to be educated
and prefers to let the gov make decisions for them - thats what the problem
is half the time


> I, for one, think that doing the above
> would be giving people a new choice:
> 
> While they'd still be able to do it alone,
> or with cyber-associates, now they
> would be able to meet and socialise
> with people whose values might be
> vastly different from the minority who
> seem to get the air-time (e.g. pedo-
> philes, purpetrators of 'net frauds,
> online gambling, etc.)
> 
	Well that would be catagorizing and i'm all for that - the net needs
branches - its too big to be just another library it should be www-docos,
www-science, www-australia, www-porno, www-howtomurderpeopleandgetawaywithit
(not for my family thanx) but someone else may want to study up on for
various probably quite sane reasons such as being into ferenzics etc etc
etc.


> Less fear... less jumping on Harradine's
> censorship bandwagon.
> 
	I agree with that - we are fearful too that is why we are reacting
so strongly  

> And - who knows? - it might even help
> the economy, e.g. if some new Internet
> User (who's been shown how to find
> info on a new service, technique or
> product happens to work it up into a
> business success for him-/her-self,
> right here in SA...).  It would surely
> help convince the pollies, no?
> 
> Of course, it would!
> 
> So, as I've asked (rhetorically?) before:
> 
> Do you want to quash this bill...?
> 
> Or do you want to sit around sputtering
> about how awful it is...? how unrespons-
> ive the gov't is...? etc.
> 
	Well - i think you are right that the only way it can be done is for
people who actually know what they are talking about to provide governemnt
with an alternate solution (ie solve their problem for them) which does not
hurt their industry because you can bet your bottom dollar that as usual gov
did not consult anyone in the industry.  Go the minister for information
technology ( i think this is a portfolio now).  Did she go out and ask first
- nah - wouldn't have a clue - probably knows less about the internet then
most parents - maybe someone should educate the government first.
>  
> The choice is yours...  ;)
> 
> Let's hope you make the right choice!
> 
	Right choice - depends which side of the fence you're on.

	Sincerely
	Natalia 

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