[arin-discuss] Justifiable Censorship?

[Kyle Ackerman]

Mr. Plzak,

Many of us would have to agree that Dean Anderson can be outright
annoying.  He appears to have a significant amount of time to pursue
angles and details that many of us would never consider nor take the
time to discuss.  While I can't say I agree with his approach, nor do I
condone his "soapbox" approach, do you or we have the right to restrict
his First Amendment rights?  Is there really proof that he has violated
the ARIN AUP or is "someone" just tired of reading his emails?

We live in a country where people can burn flags, where protesters can
waste considerable time and money, where we have the right to voice our
opinion.  Like it or not, these are things that are part of our American
foundation.  I am not a supporter of Dean's tirades but I AM a supporter
of our U.S. Constitution and the right to voice an opinion.  There are
others on the list that have seen merit in some of the concerns that
Dean has outlined so it appears that, at the very least, some of the
members are benefiting from this discussion.

I would like to request a clarification, for the sake of Dean's First
Amendment rights as an American citizen, on how he violated the current
list AUP.  I realize that the list is not a public forum for
"soap-boxing" and that you have the right to censor certain
discussion... But... is this REALLY what we want to set as a precedence
for future topical discussions?  If the discussion gets ugly do we want
to simply "turn off" those that disagree with our viewpoints?

Dean obviously has a mission and is passionate about certain things.
Some would say "way too many things".  But, again, have we unfairly
censored his right to participate in this organization?  You mentioned
that he was "blacklisted" for the following reason:

"untrue and per se defamatory posting alleging criminal activity."

Could you please provide some supporting details on this?  I am
embarrassed to admit how much time I have spent reading the submissions
to this list in the past 6 months.  But, the one thing that I do notice
is that Dean typically supports all of his claims and/or discussions
with information that can be verified as factual (or not).  If he
chooses to risk a lawsuit for defamation and/or character damage, isn’t
that his risk and not ARIN’s?  Unless you have proof that the
information he has posted is untrue, isn't he innocent until proven
guilty? 

If you can truly support your allegation listed above, then I will
support your decision 100%.  If not, shouldn’t we consider Dean’s right
to free speech?  I’d be interested to hear what the other members think
on this topic.

Regards,

Kyle

Kyle Ackerman
Founder
Xtratyme Technologies, Inc.
"Home of the Blueprint America Program"
www.xtratyme.com
888.987.2896 (888-XTRATYME)
 
"We develop partnerships with individuals, groups, businesses, and
governmental units that understand the importance of bringing good
quality high-speed Internet access to everyone in their local community"

P.S.  What will I do for interesting reading if Dean is not available?
Maybe he should start his own “soapbox” website???? ;)  I guess I will
have to do REAL work today!