
\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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