3/31    I have decided to start reporting all incidents of copyright
        violation on soda to the FBI and the University.  Yes, this
        does include pirating of software and gifs.  Expect federal
        response and possible university expulsion if such activities
        continue.
         \-"bite me" --psb
        \_ Since when are gifs illegal?
          \_ gifs are not illegal.  distributing gifs of copyrighted works
             is illegal (assuming they haven't given permission), but then
             again i'm not a lawyer so i have no real knowledge of this -oj
        \_ I LIKE GIFS OF NEKKID GURLZ!!!
        \_ i would like to ask again, please, if you are going to post
         something in the motd which is beligerent and threatening,
         sign it.  i think i know who this is, but i would
         rather not be guessing.  -hh
         \_ The posting may be belligerent, in that it is "combative"
            and "assertive" - that should be expected.  In this brave
            new world, it is necesary that the law abiders combat
            the law breakers.  The posting is only threatening in the
            same way that laws are - if you break them, you will be
            punished.  The poster is simply helping that punishment
            along.  No less should be expected.  Break the law, go
            to jail.  Period.  It's sad that someone has to do it
            on their own, when staff@soda should be the one's
            responsible for making sure laws aren't broken on their
            machine.
           /_ Just because something is illegal, that doesn't mean
              that it's necessarily right to help enforce or even
              to obey the law.  Obeying the law blindly or
              attempting to be a secret policeman is not always
              the right thing to do.  As an example of a bad law,
              consider the school teacher (featured on "A Current
              Afair" last night) who was raped by her 14 year old
              student and then convicted of having sex with a
              minor.  Think carefully about the function of any law
              before you decide destroy the basic legal principal
              of the accused having the right to confront the
              accuser.
          \_ I was a bit worried about this initially too.
             Fortunately, you don't know what you're talking
             about.  Last time I spoke with the FBI, they
             assured me there would be no issue.  I am
             simply providing information.  The FBI will
             be doing the accusing.
              Bringing this back to copyright, I and many
              others believe that the creation and exchange of
              information would be helped rather than hurt by
              dramatically reduced intellectual property restrictions.
              (I'm not advocating breaking the law in this case.
              I just want to suggest one possible way your decision
              to rigorously enforce copyright laws could be, on
              the balance, counter-productive to society.)  --Adam R.
          \_ Spoken like a true Peefer.  It has long been the
             case that the unimaginative and the uninventive
             have tried to steal from those that can.
             Fortunately, the law protects us artistes, us
             programmers, us writers and us cartoonists from
             you banal masses.
           \_Excuse me, but I'm a writer, and an artist,
             and a cartoonist, and a musician, *and* a
             programmer, and I _still_ think you're
             a bozo.  The only thing you've just
             proven is the abnormal size of your
             ego. By the way, you forgot engineers,
             architechtects, theorists and hardware
             hackers in your list of "creative"
             people. --Lee
             \- WHat exactly does ego have to do
         with law enforcement?  You break the
         law, you pay the price.  Simple.
             \- You're about as much of a programmer as
         George, that is, not much.
                                \_as far as i'm concerned you can stick your
                                  ego up your banal mass.  --howlee
          \_ Personally, I would be proud to be considered a
             "banal mass" considering that most of the great
             thinkers have always based their works on previous
             ideas.  Galileo, for example, stole the design for
             the telescope--and then was the first to think to
             point it up.  And Shakespeare wrote exactly one
             original plot in all his years of playwriting.
             A free exchange of ideas is far more benificial
             to society than keeping thoughts under tight
             reign.  Look at the technical progress of the U.S.
             compared to the U.S.S.R.  (The space program is
             of course, an exception, but then, that was the
             area where the U.S. was almost as tightlipped as
             the U.S.S.R.) -boss
         \_ how will *you* decide if I'm breaking the law
            without looking at the content of my files ?
            did you discuss search warrants the last time
            you spoke with the FBI ?  --cynthia
                  \_ some people left things world readable.  it's mentioned
                     in the minutes of the last meeting.                 -oj
        \_ Just to let you know, despite all of the bleeding heart
           liberals complaining about being punished for breaking the
           law, I am STILL filing reports with the FBI (and will be
           sending a large packet of information to the Student Conduct
           Office this weekend).  The FBI today stated to me that they
           nearly had enough information to file some search warrants
           (and thanked me for my work :).
         \-who you callin liberal? bite me --xxx
                \_ Bite me, too, while you're at it. -xxxxxx
         \_ Bite my f*ckin' ass, moron -- calling me a liberal is
            like calling you intelligent -- xxxxxxxx
        \_ Sure you did.  Did you talk to J. Edgar himself?  Anonymous
           motd posts are hardly credible, dude.
        \_ Go to *HELL* you self-important son of a bitch.
        \_ "I never knew I was a thought criminal until my little girl
           turned me in."  Thanks for taking it upon yourself to turn
           our little corner of the world into your version of Airstrip
           One.  I feel sorry for you, informer. -- xxx
        \_ Hey you SOB, watch your files very closely.  Make sure *YOU*
           don't have anything illegal in there.
        \_ Maybe you should just report me anyway, you weed.  xxxxx
           xxxxxxxxxx, 12xx xxxxxxxxx Dr. #xx, xxxxxxxxx, CA 94xxx.
           Who are you?
        \_ Well, personally I think we should thank this patriotic asshole
           for keeping our country, and in particular, Soda, safe from the
           sort of lowlifes who advocate the free spread of information (the
            \- It isn't free spread of information
        you fucking dumbshit.  It's theft,
        pure and simple.  Would you like
        it if someone didn't pay you while
        you were working register at
        McDonalds?  Same fucking thing.
        Just advocating the free spread of
        McNuggets.
           damn pinkos).  I'd also like to salute his/her courage in standing
           up for what he/she believes in, and in cowering in anonymity
           while doing so.
        \_ I'm sure you'd love to see my true login so that you can harass
           me, try to drive me from this machine and maybe try to kill me.
           Such are the stigma that we true patriots face.  Rest assured,
           I will keep watching and you will be punished.  Period.  I do
           not understand why you are incredulous when I talk of how I talked
           to the FBI.  They do have local office, you know.  If you wish
           to speak with them, ring: 553-7400 (that's 415 code).
        \_ Of course the FBI has a local office.  But why should we think
           you're anything but a prankster?  I think you're just making
           noise for chuckles.