Skip to content

FidoNews · Vol 7, No 40 · 1 October 1990

     Volume 7, Number 40                                1 October 1990
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |         FidoNet (r)                           |     | \   \\  |
     |  International BBS Network                    | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief:                                  Vince Perriello
     Editors Emeritii:                    Thom Henderson,  Dale Lovell
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings

     Copyright 1990, Fido Software.  All rights reserved.  Duplication
     and/or distribution permitted  for  noncommercial  purposes only.
     For use in other circumstances, please  contact  Fido Software.

     FidoNews  is  published  weekly  by  the  System Operators of the
     FidoNet  (r)  International  BBS Network.  It is a compilation of
     individual articles  contributed  by  their authors or authorized
     agents of the  authors.    The  contribution  of articles to this
     compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. 

     You  are  encouraged   to  submit  articles  for  publication  in
     FidoNews.  Article submission standards are contained in the file
     ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1.    1:1/1  is a Continuous
     Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day.

     Fido and  FidoNet  are  registered  trademarks of Tom Jennings of
     Fido Software, Box  77731,  San  Francisco  CA 94107, USA and are
     used with permission.

     Opinions expressed in  FidoNews articles are those of the authors
     and are not necessarily  those of the Editor or of Fido Software.
     Most articles are unsolicited.   Our  policy  is to publish every
     responsible submission received.


                        Table of Contents
     1. ARTICLES  .................................................  1
        Louisiana meets The Great Abortion Debate  ................  1
        FidoNews now in ECHOMAIL!  ................................ 16
        Answer to a squeeking mouse  .............................. 17
        News about WorldPol  ...................................... 19
     2. LATEST VERSIONS  .......................................... 30
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 30
     3. NOTICES  .................................................. 34
        The Interrupt Stack  ...................................... 34
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 1                    1 Oct 1990


     =================================================================
                                 ARTICLES
     =================================================================

     Alan Jennings
     FidoNet 1:3800/6

     Greetings from The Gret Stet of Louisiana,

     The following is an article which appeared in GrisGris (BR city
     magazine) written by UPI Capital Correspondent Steve Watsky. It
     was uploaded to my system (with his permission AND blessings) by
     Jerry Williams, Gris Gris Business Manager.

     Jerry, who also sysops the LaLaw BBS here in Baton Rouge, is
     making great headway in becoming part of the net. However, his
     software, MAJORBBS, has only recently become friendly to
     networking!

     Anyway, it is both Jerry and Steve's desire to share this story
     of the wonderful 1990 Legislative Session with the world, in
     order that the thinking folks out there know that despite all
     they read, there are a few of us here in Louisiana who have
     retained our reason and who have not succumbed to the insidious
     disease of "YAHOOism"

     Please, read and enjoy this article. Then, if you would be so
     kind, make it available to your callers, and forward this
     article to those whom you know have retained their reason, that
     we may all benefit from the knowledge that we are not becoming
     extinct. Yet.


     *-Alan Jennings

     [Ed's note: This is a really long article. But it's a
     fascinating study in American Democracy. In my opinion, it's
     must reading for anyone who wants some insight into why things
     work the way they do in the United States.

     The issues, while admittedly very powerful ones, are secondary
     to the real message here. I recommend that you sit down before
     starting this article.]


                              A B O R T I O N

            PROLOGUE: Another Fashion Statement Bites the Dust

      The blonde network reporter is confused.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 2                    1 Oct 1990


      All the nice people with "Right To Life" stickers on their
     chests are staring at her, and it isn't with that "You're A
     Teevee Star" look.

      No, not hardly.

      This is Wrath of God stuff she's getting from the
     prim-and-proper set.

      In fact, it is apparent to everyone in the packed-to-the-ceiling
     Senate chamber on this Saturday that Ms. Network sticks out like
     a sore thumb as senators debate whether they will override Gov.
     Buddy Roemer's veto of a virtual ban on abortion -- a bill that
     could become the strictest statute in the nation.

      Purple.

      She is dressed in purple. Abortion-rights purple. To add insult
     to the brewing angst among the pro-lifers, her cameraman also is
     dressed in purple.

      "They got me out of bed at 1:30 this morning to come over here,"
     she later explains. "How did I know purple was the
     abortion-rights color?  Jeez, purple's such a big fashion color
     this year."

      Well, maybe it is in the other 49 states, but there's only one
     thing purple means this Saturday in Baton Rouge: You're for the
     "killing" of 15,000 unborn children in Louisiana every year.

      Or, as Baton Rouge Rep. Louis "Woody" Jenkins is fond of
     saying, "You're for the killing of 15,000 little PEOPLE" as he
     points to replicas of the fetus at various stages of
     development.

      Jenkins is most proud of his model of a five-month-old fetus,
     which he refers to as this "little boy" or "little girl."

      On the last night of the 1990 legislative session, Ted Koppel is
     in no mood for Jenkins' plastic people. There, for the nation to
     see, is Jenkins explaining on "Nightline" his abortion bill --
     complete with his plastic-person-prop.

      "Put the plastic baby down, Mr. Jenkins," mutters Koppel,
     live-via-satellite from his lofty cocoon in Washington D.C.
     Without knowing it, Ted has condensed three months of often
     surreal moments into three seconds of soundbite-life.

      About the same time "Nightline" is signing off at midnight, the
     Louisiana Legislature is signing off for the session, adjourning
     for good a day after passing an abortion bill.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 3                    1 Oct 1990


      Not just ANY abortion bill. But a real-honest-to-goodness
     "Let's-beat-up-the-flag-burner" abortion bill.

                            I: The Holy Crusade

      On a bright April day, three charismatic Christians obtain
     parade permits from the City of Baton Rouge and proceed to quite
     literally shout Bible verse AT the State Capitol. They stand on
     the steps, shouting up at the building that the Legislature's
     "judgement is not God's judgement! The Supreme Court is not the
     most supreme judge of what is right! It is God who is the
     supreme court! Abortion is murder!  Repent!"

      For three straight days they repeat this ritual, driving workers
     in the building to distraction because the ministerings can be
     heard all the way up in the 24th floor offices of the attorney
     general. Some workers devise evil torture for the three earnest
     saviors on the steps below that includes boiling oil.

      The push to ban abortion starts in April, almost a year after
     the U.S.  Supreme Court in its Webster vs. Reproductive Health
     Services decision said that it would not ban abortion outright,
     but would allow states to set some limits on abortion.

      Jenkins is the point man for the anti-abortion movement for the
     1990 session, ready for the challenge of leading the Pure and
     Righteous to victory, spewing soundbites and showering photo-op
     on the unwashed photographers.

      He files legislation banning abortions unless the woman's life
     is threatened by the pregnancy, and it become House Bill 1637.
     Jenkins' bill will criminalize abortions, making it a felony for
     someone to perform one, punishable by a fine of up to $100,000
     and 10 years in prison.

      He knows from day one that Buddy Roemer will veto such a
     measure.  Roemer says the only bill he'll sign is one that
     allows abortions in the cases of rape, incest, or if the woman's
     life is threatened by the pregnancy.

      Politically, Roemer's approach sounds like a pretty good
     compromise.  It's the "fight fire with fire" approach. The
     governor gets to give equally good soundbites with words like
     "violent event that is rape" to counter the anti-abortion side's
     "tearing the unborn limb from limb during the abortion."

      But Roemer soon finds he is almost alone in his position. Even
     his handpicked House speaker and Senate president have
     co-authored bills banning abortions.

                       II: The Art of No Compromise

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 4                    1 Oct 1990


      On the third day of the session, about 1,000 anti-abortion
     supporters crowd on the capitol steps to hear from Senate
     President Allen Bares, House Speaker Jimmy Dimos and Jenkins,
     who promise the Legislature will pass a bill banning abortion.

      "The bottom line is we don't intend to compromise in our effort
     to protect human life," says Sandy McDade, head of the Eagle
     Forum. Those words will come back to haunt McDade less than
     three months later.

      H.B. 1637 goes to the House Administration of Criminal Justice
     Committee, headed by Norco Rep. Ralph Miller who knows the bill
     is hot and promises to devote one day of testimony to the
     pro-life alliance and one day to the pro-choice faction.

      Over in the Senate, a virtual carbon copy of Jenkins' bill is
     sent to the Health and Welfare Committee, coincidentally chaired
     by its author, Mike Cross of Baker.

      What the bill is doing in Health and Welfare to begin with is a
     mystery. By Senate rule, it should be referred to a judiciary
     panel because it deals not with health or welfare, but with
     criminal statutes.

      Cross grabs the first headlines in the holy crusade.

      Just 45 minutes before his committee is to meet on June 5, he
     abruptly places his abortion bill on the panel's agenda. Cross
     says he is not sure how much longer he will chair the panel
     because of committee shakeups instituted in the wake of the
     ouster of Bares as president and the ascent of Sammy Nunez.

      The disorganized abortion-rights people are stunned when they
     enter the committee room and see it jammed to the rafters with
     anti-abortion supporters. The word has somehow gotten out to the
     pro-life lobby but not to the pro-choice folks that Cross is
     taking up the bill.

      During a mere 30-minute hearing, Cross repeatedly cuts off
     testimony by abortion-rights activists. Several efforts to
     bottle the bill up in committee are killed, including one to put
     off action for a week.

      "Why don't you also make a motion that we meet next week at
     Memorial Stadium," Cross angrily and sarcastically suggests.

      He is joining Jenkins on the abortion high ground.

      "I don't care -- I don't -- if 80 percent of the people in my
     district are pro-abortionists. I am not going to change my
     mind," he says.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 5                    1 Oct 1990


      His district includes the Bethany World Prayer Center, one of
     the heavy hitters in the anti-abortion battle.

      Three days after the Cross bill is approved in Senate committee,
     the House Criminal Justice panel takes up H.B. 1637.

      Jenkins opens the hearing the first day by testifying before the
     panel it has "the opportunity to influence not only what is
     happening in our state, but in the entire United States."

      Dr. Jerome Lejeune, a noted French geneticist, testifies "the
     symphony of life" begins at the moment the sperm pierces the
     egg, meaning any abortion -- including those for rape and incest
     -- is murder.

      Those arguments are shot down the next day by a host of
     abortion-rights experts, who testify no one knows when life
     actually begins.

      After two days -- seven hours of testimony -- the committee
     unanimously approves the bill and sends it back to the full
     House for debate.

      Miller explains the panel did so because it wanted a "clean
     record of testimony," in case the bill is finally approved and
     makes its way to the Supreme Court where it could be used by
     anti-abortionists to test Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 landmark
     decision legalizing abortion.

      But a couple of members of the panel privately say they're
     "trying to stick it to Roemer," so they vote the bill out of
     committee without objection.

      The bottom line in the Legislature is that the anti-abortionists
     have enough votes to pass some form of the bill in both
     chambers. If they do, Roemer -- who is not popular with the
     Legislature -- will have to put his signature where his rhetoric
     is and veto the measure.

                          III: Cheers From Angola

      Despite the obviously impending approval of H.B. 1637 in the
     House, some representatives are still concerned.

      Because the bill prescribes such a stiff penalty for a person
     committing an abortion, River Ridge Rep. Robert Garrity claims
     the measure could end up in a state court testing Louisiana's
     second-degree murder statutes -- never mind ever making it to
     the nation's high court.

      Garrity, an attorney, says the bill appears to create a separate
     crime of second-degree murder for doctors, as well as the
     10-year, $100,000 penalty. He worries the penalty clause is a
     sure way of having the bill tossed out in court because current
     second-degree murder statutes usually carry a term of life in
     prison.
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 6                    1 Oct 1990


      "I've got some guys up at Angola (serving life for
     second-degree murder) who are clapping and cheering about the
     bill," muses Garrity.  "They want to see it pass because the
     first thing they're going to do is come in and file a writ
     saying, 'If he (doctor) gets 10 years, then I want 10 years.'"

      A week later, the full House takes up the bill, and it's
     showtime for Jenkins.

      He starts his speech with LeJeuene's perfect soundbite, "The
     symphony of life..."

      The abortion-rights lawmakers are slaughtered in their attempts
     to at least amend on the rape and incest clauses. Dimos, a
     co-author of the bill, also rules several attempts to make the
     state responsible for the children born of mothers who wanted an
     abortion are not pertinent to the legislation.

      New Orleans Rep. Mitch Landrieu also questions Jenkins about
     the clause, "Whoever commits the crime of abortion..." The word
     "doctor" or "abortionist" is nowhere to be found, leading
     Landrieu and others to worry that if a woman induced an abortion
     on herself, she could end up in the slammer for 10 years.
     Jenkins says that would never happen, but it is clear the bill
     offers the woman no protection against prosecution.

      Amid shouts of "Amen" and "Hallelujah," the House votes 74-27 in
     favor of H.B. 1637.

      Some admittedly pro-choice representatives say they voted for
     the bill to simply snub Roemer. Even the majority of the
     governor's handpicked floor leaders and committee chairmen had
     voted in favor of the bill.

                   IV: Rabbi Roasting and Doctor Cooking

      About a week after the House approval, State Police radios
     throughout the capitol crackle that something is going on down
     at the entrance to the House chamber. Bemused troopers
     congregate as a House sergeant-at-arms politely explains to the
     pro-choicers they are not welcome inside, what with their
     unorthodox dress style.

      One young woman is dressed in a black body stocking with white
     tights.  Around the crotch, prop-blood is spattered. Another
     young woman wears a headpiece festooned with coathangers. They
     are protesting the possible return of the back-street abortion.

      "Jesus, we hoped those kinds would stay out of this," says an
     embarrassed abortion-rights lobbyist who watches.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 7                    1 Oct 1990


      On June 20, Jenkins' bill moves to Cross' committee, again an
     apparent contradiction of Senate rules.

      The hearing room is filled to capacity, with another 100
     pro-life supporters patiently waiting outside for seats.

      Jenkins, plastic babies in hand, tells the committee about "The
     symphony of life..." Reporters take out their crossword puzzles.

      Cross makes it perfectly clear he will tolerate little from the
     pro-choice crowd when he asks a testifying rabbi a series of
     embarrassing questions. Some committee members are stunned by
     his performance.

      Panel member Richard Neeson of Shreveport even refers to the
     questioning  of the cleric as "rabbi roasting."

      "I guess after rabbi roasting comes doctor cooking," quips Dr.
     Holly Galland, who followed the rabbi to the witness table.

      Cross dismisses that thought, but Galland is proved right when
     the senator characterizes one of her responses as "the most
     irresponsible answer I've ever heard."

      The panel deadlocks 3-3 on the bill because Alexandria Sen. Joe
     McPherson is absent. Lobbyists say some of the pro-choice crowd
     got to McPherson.

      The panel eventually breaks its deadlock and passes the bill out
     of committee without recommendation.

      Now the full Senate must vote whether to debate the bill, since
     this action gives it no place on the upper chamber calendar.

      That very afternoon, it does.

      The holy crusade reaches the Senate June 26. The national media
     descends on Baton Rouge and one network producer sends the
     message to Nunez that they'd Like it Very Much if the Senate
     votes on the measure by 4 p.m., giving them enough time to get
     the story on the evening news.

      "We heard testimony in committee that the symphony of life..."
     Cross starts. Industrious capitol reporters send out for snacks.
     The national media meanwhile is snacking on soundbites and
     photo-ops.

      "This is what this bill is all about today," Cross continues,
     holding up one of Jenkins' plastic fetuses.

      No, counters New Orleans Sen. Jon Johnson, it's about something
     else.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 8                    1 Oct 1990


      "I don't have a right to say to the women of this state when you
     should or should not have an abortion, and you know what
     gentlemen? You don't have that right either," Johnson says.

      Hours later, after every attempt to amend on Roemer's rape and
     incest exception is killed, the Senate votes 24-15 in favor of
     the bill and sends it to the governor.

      The pro-life forces are ecstatic, but have missed the point by
     not understanding the significance of the vote.

      While the Senate has approved the bill, it has fallen two votes
     short of the two-thirds that will be needed to override Roemer's
     inevitable veto.

      The bill scoots back over to the House for concurrence on a
     couple of minor Senate amendments that clean up some of the
     language problems.

      Pineville Rep. Carl Gunter takes the opportunity to Shed Some
     Light on this whole rape-incest question, envisioning a race of
     superhumans created out of the horror of incest.

      "When I got to thinking, the way we get thoroughbred horses and
     thoroughbred dogs is through inbreeding. Maybe we could get a
     super-sharp kid," Gunter says. Some representatives are seen
     burying their heads in their hands.

                       V: Tastes Great, Less Filling

      Because the Legislature is still in session, Roemer has 10 days
     to either sign, ignore, or veto the bill. If he ignores it, the
     bill becomes law without his signature, a sort-of
     "hold-your-nose" act.

      The governor says he'll veto it. The anti-abortionists say
     they'll override. Tastes great. Less filling. Tastes great. Less
     filling.

      During the 10-day period, both sides in the battle gather at
     different times on the capitol steps to hold media events.

      The first to put on a show is the abortion-rights side, which
     trots out THE Jane Roe -- Norma McCorvey -- to espouse abortion
     on demand.

      The noon event is stolen away from McCorvey by Gloria Allred, a
     Los Angeles-based women's rights advocate who uncorks, "Read our
     lipstick -- no more abortion-restrictive criminal laws."

      A few moments before the anti-abortion rally is to begin that
     afternoon, Jenkins is preparing to read and hand out to the media
     a handwritten appeal to Sammy Nunez to override. The letter is
     from his mother, but it seems no one had the courtesy, or guts,
     to tell Sammy his mother had joined the crusade. The release of
     the letter is avoided when someone -- possibly Cross -- yanks
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 9                    1 Oct 1990


     the letter out of Jenkins' hand, who is standing in front of a
     "Jenkins For Governor" banner.

      Rumors start circulating that some of the pro-life lawmakers
     have less-than-normal sexual predelictions, and have even paid
     for abortions.  Another popular rumor deals with one of the
     leading pro-life lawmakers who allegedly propositioned a man in
     a public bathroom.

      The pro-life movement isn't sitting still, either.

      A few days after the final approval of H.B. 1637, a telegram
     purported to be from Nobel laureate Mother Teresa arrives at the
     governor's office, urging Roemer to "protect all of God's
     children."

      Later, it is determined the telegram is from Lafayette priest
     Joseph Brennan. Mother Teresa says those are her sentiments but
     she never gave permission for her name to be used.

      By the middle of the 10-day period, Roemer still is playing a
     waiting game. He says he is trying to determine if he has the
     votes to sustain the veto before signing the veto message, but
     administration sources say he really is scared Cross will jerk
     his own anti-abortion bill off the Senate calendar and try to
     ram it through the process if the governor vetoes the House
     bill.

      On July 5, white representatives in the House start telling
     stories of being approached by anti-abortion lawmakers who offer
     them a vote on a key education bill in return for the override
     vote. It's Roemer's single board of higher education bill, a
     measure most conservative whites in the lower chamber support,
     but not enough for the 70-vote majority needed for passage.

      But two black lawmakers allege they have been approached by the
     same anti-abortion representatives who offer to vote to KILL the
     education bill in return for a vote to override.

      Dale Smith, a prime anti-abortion mover, is unswayed by
     allegations of double-dealing.

      While he denies there is any dealmaking going on, Smith does
     concede "the issues coincidentally co-exist, and it's been
     discussed."

      He also adds, "I feel like swapping the superboard for 15,000
     children (who would not be aborted) is a pretty good deal."

      An hour after the story surfaces, the House hastily votes to
     kill the superboard bill.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 10                   1 Oct 1990


      A day later, Roemer vetoes the nation's toughest anti-abortion
     bill, and within hours the House is considering an override.

                      VI: Win One for the Barbarians

      Most of the television cameras are long gone by the time the
     House gets the veto message that day, and Jenkins, apparently
     aware of this, asks the House to make consideration of the veto
     override its first special order for Saturday, the next day.
     That effort fails, but it becomes clear the House has enough
     votes at that moment to override, which it does, 73-31.

      One Republican lawmaker walks to the front of the chamber to get
     a printout of the vote and mutters, "Welcome to the land of the
     barbarians."

      At 11 p.m. that night, bleary-eyed senators finally get to the
     veto message, but can't even decide if they want to debate the
     override.

      In one of the more surreal moments of the abortion debate, the
     upper chamber votes instead to immediately adjourn, drawing a
     chorus of applause from the mostly anti-abortion gallery. The
     few abortion-rights folks just sit and smile, knowing they at
     that moment are close to being the victors.

      Still, Roemer is worried. The abortion-rights crowd has been
     disorganized throughout the whole debate and has done little to
     stand by him in the face of the anti-abortion fervor.

      He quietly asks the pro-choicers to stage a rally on Saturday,
     in an effort to shore up Senate support and help him avoid the
     embarrassment of having his veto snubbed by the Legislature.

      Jenkins gets wind of this rally and calls his own counter-rally.
     In addition, telegrams begin streaming into Baton Rouge, asking
     senators to override. The volume of mail is so great in fact
     that a Senate worker is still sorting through them a day after
     the override debate ends in the Legislature.

      That Saturday, the battle lines are drawn in the chamber, and on
     the steps of the State Capitol. Huge speakers are placed on the
     steps of the capitol so the more than 1,000 anti-abortion
     supporters can hear the debate. They immediately, and for the
     next three hours, chant "override" -- a chant that can clearly
     be heard in the upper chamber.

      A few feeble shouts of "sustain" can also be heard. Tastes
     great. Less filling.

      "Some of these women here really don't know anything," says
     Diana Townsend, who is praying on the steps and casting
     aspersions on her fellow man, or woman in this case. "Being a
     mother is what it's all about. That's what the lord made women
     to do."

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 11                   1 Oct 1990


      When an abortion-rights supporter holds up a sign that reads,
     "Support Vasectomies," an abortion foe shouts, "Your father
     should have had one!"

      Inside, Ville Platte Sen. John Saunders is ripping the
     abortion-rights people.

      "I haven't seen one sign outside that says 'Abortion,'" Saunders
     says.

      A young woman in the balcony jumps up and screams, "Yes there
     is, yes there is. I said it, I said it. Abortion when I want
     it." She is hauled out by the troopers.

      The Senate finally votes 23-16 -- three votes short -- on the
     override.  In the chamber, the 200 anti-abortion supporters sit
     in stunned silence, while a sprinkling of pro-choicers scream
     their approval.

      It's apparent that every senator has made up his mind and isn't
     going to change, but they agree to let the pro-lifers have one
     more shot at override.

      That night, Nunez is called out of a meeting for a phone call
     purportedly from the Vatican. But after a few minutes, Nunez says
     it was clear the call was not coming from the holy city.
     Finally, he asks the female caller for a phone number where he
     could call her back. She gives him a 504-area-code number.

      The next day, Jenkins' legislative aide leaves pictures of
     aborted fetuses on the desks of some of the "swing" votes, and
     the crowds are back outside, although not in the same numbers as
     Saturday. On the front steps, someone spray-paints the words,
     "Stop Killing the Innocent" on the wall of the building.

      The Senate blunders through a series of bills, even taking a
     break for lunch, without again voting on the override.

      During lunchtime, several women lay hands on the building,
     praying and bobbing their heads. Other pro-lifers circle the
     building holding hands and singing. A reporter from a northwest
     Louisiana Christian radio station explains.

      "The walls of Jericho thing, you know," he says.

      In the afternoon, most of the demonstrators are let in the
     rotunda area after a blinding thunderstorm rips through the
     area. In the space of 10 minutes the rotunda is filled to
     overflowing with dripping and angry people. The floor fills with
     half an inch of water, making movement on the granite floor
     treacherous, so the dripping folks just stand still -- afraid of
     creating a wake.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 12                   1 Oct 1990


      At about the same time, Cross and Jenkins disappear to write a
     concession speech. They don't have the votes and figure they
     shouldn't embarrass the movement or themselves with another
     futile attempt to override.

      Cross breaks the news to the Senate that he is not going to ask
     for another override because he knows he doesn't have the 26
     votes.

      Copies of the Cross speech are distributed to the media. It
     contain ellipses, the "..." favored by broadcasters when writing
     dramatic pauses into their scripts.

      Cross allows Shreveport Sen. Sydney Nelson to make a motion the
     override question be tabled, a move approved by the upper
     chamber.

      Almost everyone breathes a sigh of relief. For the lawmakers, it
     ends almost three months of being called out of the chamber to
     face either a confrontational, often scripture-laden lecture, or
     an in-your-face question like, "Do you have the right to decide
     what the women of this state can do with their bodies?"

                  VII: The Sacrifice of the Flag Burners

      In the rotunda, Jenkins is standing on a receptionist's desk
     near the front door, exhorting the folks down on Rotunda Lake by
     saying they are within a vote of passage but they can't get that
     One Vote. Some members of the upper chamber snicker at Jenkins'
     contention that he had found two votes.

      "We will not give up!" Jenkins ironically shouts, not knowing
     what's going on back in the Senate chamber.

      Ville Platte Sen. John Saunders, confined to a wheelchair, rolls
     up to the front of the chamber and knocks the Senate into
     stunned, jaw-hanging silence.

      He announces he wants the Senate to consider a bill by Dry Creek
     Rep.  James David Cain, which would lower the misdemeanor
     penalty for beat up a flag desecrator to $25. But Saunders first
     wants the Senate to consider an amendment -- the abortion bill
     that will be tacked onto the"let's-beat-up-the-flag-burner-bill."

      "We'll sacrifice the flag-burner bill for the abortion bill,"
     Saunders tells the Senate.

      There is an audible gasp in the chamber. Cross explodes out of
     his seat shouting his objection, but Nunez decides the move is
     legal as long as Saunders strips every bit of the flag-burner
     stuff out of the bill.  What's left of the bill is not the
     "Crime of Simple Battery" but the "Crime of Simple Battery of
     Abortion." The Senate debates the amendment, adds it to the
     bill, then approves it 32-7.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 13                   1 Oct 1990


      The House immediately takes up the bill, and after cutting off
     debate, votes 83-22 and sends it back to Roemer.

      Anti-abortionists are confused. There is a huge gap now between
     the fundamentalists and protestants on one side and the
     Catholics, led by Saunders, and New Orleans Sens. John Hainkel
     and Ben Bagert who apparently have engineered the "triumph," on
     the other side.

      The protestants say privately they've been sold down the road.
     Jenkins even votes against passage of the bill, as all around
     him lawmakers are building a new, compromised, moral high
     ground.

      "It's more than half a loaf," says one pro-lifer, trying to
     snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. "It's more like
     three-quarters of a loaf."

      A Republican representative walks out into the rotunda area,
     which is filled with half-wet anti-abortionists, surveys the
     scene and shouts, "At least now y'all will all go home!"

      Roemer is given another anti-abortion bill, and has 20 days to
     do something with it because the session is ending. If he vetos
     it, there are rumblings the Legislature would come back to Baton
     Rouge in a first-ever veto session to attempt to override.

                 VIII: Billy Guste Explains Birth Control

      On the last night of the session, the steps are blissfully clear
     of of demonstrators. The only folks out there are the reporters,
     who by tradition toast the end of the session with drinks while
     standing on the Louisiana step.

      One reporter, half-wasted on Canadian whiskey, has taped
     printouts of all his abortion copy over the last week end to
     end. It stretches 40 feet, cascading down from the Louisiana
     step.

      He sets it on fire. It's an emotional moment.

      Four days after adjournment, a group calling itself the Symbolic
     Art Wing of Louisiana Choice holds a poorly attended performance
     demonstration on the steps of the State Capitol.

      It has something to do with lemons, which are nestled in a Radio
     Flyer wagon. They hand some of the lemons -- apparently
     signifying the status of the anti-abortion bill -- to reporters.
     The reporters have a field day, pitching lemons back and forth.
     The performance artists drag their wagon over to the governor's
     mansion, but either Roemer is not home or in no mood for a
     symbolic performance on the wrongs of the anti-abortion bill.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 14                   1 Oct 1990


      At first, sources in the governor's office say Roemer will
     simply let the bill become law without his signature. That seems
     like the best idea at the time because it allows Roemer to avoid
     the embarrassment of a veto session.

      According to both factions, the bill is patently defective from
     the get-go.

      Constitutionally, it is unclear whether it was even legal for
     the Senate to graft the statute onto the flag-burner bill.

      There's more. The bill indeed has a rape clause, but it requires
     the woman to first report the rape to the police, then get an
     abortion within seven days when most women would not even know
     if they are pregnant. In addition, the bill apparently would not
     allow abortions in the case of simple rape, generally defined as
     when a woman does not do everything in her power to prevent the
     attack.

      Then there's the IUD question.

      The standard definition of the intrauterine device is that it
     works by preventing the fertilized egg from attaching itself to
     the walls of the uterus, so the devices theortetically would be
     banned under the new bill which prohibits the use of any device
     to "terminate" a pregnancy.

      "What's an IUD?" asks Attorney General William Guste when a
     reporter questions him whether the device would be banned.

      Guste says if that's the way they work, they'd be prohibited but
     "who's going to report the crime? Who's going to know?"

      A couple of weeks after the session ends, someone spray paints
     numerous pro-choice slogans, such as, "Leave women's bodies
     alone" on the capitol. State troopers are forced to work
     overtime, sitting out front of the building at night protecting
     it from more grafitti.

      As the deadline day draws near, Roemer has a change of heart. He
     says he is influenced by his daughter and estranged wife, but a
     good bet is he also was influenced by the battering Louisiana
     was getting in the national press over the way the bill was
     created.

      On Friday, July 27, Roemer puts pen to paper and vetos the
     bill.

      The Legislature now has the chance to override, but in the
     Senate at least, there isn't much sentiment for the move. A
     majority of the upper chamber is against the override session,
     and votes against returning to Baton Rouge Aug. 18 for the
     attempt. The abortion issue finally dies for 1990 in Louisiana.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 15                   1 Oct 1990


                     EPILOGUE: Another Loaded Question

      The British-sounding network reporter is confused on the phone.

      The IUD business is bizarre, she says. But there is a bigger
     question she asks the reporter at the other end of the line in
     Baton Rouge.

      "How can you stand to live there?" she asks.

      STEVEN WATSKY is capitol bureau manger for United Press
     International in Baton Rouge. He is a contributor to the
     national magazine In These Times, and frequently slots himself
     on public affairs television and radio programs in Baton Rouge
     and New Orleans.


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 16                   1 Oct 1990


     Michele Hamilton
     FidoNet 1:369/21
                         Fidonews Now in an Echo!
                            By Michele Hamilton

     As you  may, or may not, already know, a new echo has been formed
     to present the  FidoNet  News as messages in an echo for yourself
     and your users to  read  online.   While this brilliant idea came
     about primarily because of my laziness in unarcing the news, then
     loading it into a word processor  or  editor  or List to read, it
     met  with  the approval of our wonderful  Editor-in-Chief,  Vince
     Perriello when I presented the idea to him at Conclave90.

     In order to accomplish what I wanted, I needed a program.  When I
     presented  the  problem  to  Eric  Carr,  1:365/47, author of  EN
     (EchoNews, a newsfile writer similar to MakeNews), he very kindly
     wrote NF for me.  NF is a short and sweet  little  program  which
     will  take ANY textfile and break it up into *.msg format, either
     according to  a  set  pagelength or when it encounters a formfeed
     character.  It  will,  through  control files, place anything you
     wish in to TO  and FROM field, but, best of all, it will take the
     name of the file (in  our  case  FIDO???.NWS) and place it in the
     subject line along with the page  number.    The  first page with
     have the page number "i", as an  index, all subsequent pages will
     be incremented as needed beginning with "Page 1".

     So, at last, those of us who want  to  easily  read the news, and
     perhaps chat about it amongst ourselves, can easily do  so.   The
     areaname  of  the  echo  is  NEWSCHAT.   Currently available from
     myself  at    1:369/21   or  Orville  Bullitt,  1:135/36  who  is
     PCPursuitable.  We're hoping to get this on the backbone soon and
     the  more  systems who  wish  to  take  advantage  of  this,  for
     themselves and their users, the faster it'll get there.

     Please  understand  that although the  news  messages  themselves
     indicate  that they are coming from  Vince  at  1:1/1,  they  are
     actually originating from my system.  Also  understand  that this
     echo is strictly for the reading of and  chatting  about Fidonews
     and not an area to place submissions.

     I hope you'll join us and enjoy reading the  news comfortably and
     with ease.

                        Michele Hamilton, 1:369/21

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 17                   1 Oct 1990


     Mark Bornstein,  Island Logistics BBS
     FidoNet 1:101/111

           Where did you say it was better to rule in ???? or,
                      an answer to a squeeking mouse!

     It appears  that  some  people's  computer  world,  (if not their
     entire world,) has  come  crashing down around their ears because
     Fidonews is now arriving  in a different format.  Oh Woe, Oh woe!
     I was forced to insert  another short line in my batch file which
     loads the news in the "List" program for my perusal.  It's a good
     thing I had the Lharc program in  my  path  else I would have run
     around tearing my hair out.  Oh Woe!

     I mean really, it is almost as if all the complainers, railing at
     Vince's dastardly deed, have instead had their wives leave  them.
     (Certainly  cause    for  celebration  instead  in  many  cases.)
     (Celebration...  by the wives that is!)

     Now I am  an  old line conservative from way back and do not like
     my routine interrupted any  more  than the next guy.  However, in
     this case some of you  are  acting as if your favorite barber had
     died  before  you,  (hence,  no more  great  haircuts,)  or  your
     favorite bagel bakery now has a new baker making lousy bagels.

     Accusing someone of being unfair is an  argument  that the "weak"
     always  use against the "strong" when they can't  get  what  they
     want.    And  what do they want?  "[L]engthy  consultations  with
     others!" To those who want "lengthy" discussion, I firmly suggest
     that  you  join  the  ridiculous  debate on abortion in the Flame
     echo.  Choose any side and take some pot shots!  It will make you
     feel strong again.

     "Lengthy  consultation" indeed!  This obfuscatory  comment  would
     have old "Winnie" turning over in his  grave.  (Winston Churchill
     believed  in  "full  and complete discussion of the  subjects  at
     hand, followed by complete agreement with what [he] wanted in the
     first  place."  Those  who  are  objecting  to Vince's simple and
     certainly unobtrusive change are quite laughable really.

     I for one am delighted to see a change entered here,  by  one who
     is "Churchillian,"  and  sees  no  need to discuss this situation
     with us lesser  mortals.   After all, better a "Churchill" than a
     "Mister Rogers" who is complaining about a broken batch file.

     The mere fact that  there  are  some  "lesser mortals" railing at
     Vince,  itself  indicates the correctness  of  Vince's  decision.
     Besides, why in the devil would a technical giant wish to discuss
     technical details with a boob.

     Vince must be sitting back chuckling and  calling "higher" at the
     furor  he  has  loosed.  I sure wish  Vince  would  start  acting
     according to his beliefs rather than making things up  as he goes
     along.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 18                   1 Oct 1990


     ...by Mark Bornstein 101/111



     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 19                   1 Oct 1990


     Pablo Kleinman
     FidoNet 4:900/101


               --  News about the Worldwide Policy Proposal --

       After the publication on FidoNews 730 of version 1f of the
     current FidoNet Worldwide Policy Proposal, I got an unexpectedly
     great amount of feedback; remarks, criticism, and even
     congratulations. I was unable to reply to every single message
     received, so here go my apologies and gratitude to all those who
     participated.

       Here follows the last release of WorldPol (version 1g from
     September 21st) for you to check out and comment. I hope this
     document will be soon voted and hopefully approved to replace the
     current Policy4.

       Thank you very much for your attention.



                 FidoNet Worldwide Policy Document         Version 1g
                                                   September 21, 1990

       This Worldwide Policy document has been released for vote by
     the Coordinator structure and is not yet in force.


     1 FidoNet

       This document installs an international (inter-zonal) policy
     for sysops who are members of the FidoNet organization of
     bulletin board systems worldwide.  FidoNet is defined by a list
     of nodes (NodeList) issued on a weekly basis by each of the Zone
     Coordinators, on behalf of the International Coordinator.

       Each FidoNet Zone is entitled to issue its own policy
     document, according to its own needs and customs.  This
     International Policy, determines general rules which must be
     specified -and may not be contradicted- by the Zone Policies.

       Regions and local Networks may also issue their own policies,
     provided such policies do not contradict this International
     Policy or the respective Zone's policy.


     1.1 Overview

       FidoNet is an amateur electronic mail system.
     As such, all of its participants and operators are unpaid
     volunteers. From its nearly beginning in 1984, as a few friends
     swapping messages back and forth mainly in North America, it
     consists now of an International community of more than seven
     thousand systems all over the world.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 20                   1 Oct 1990


       FidoNet is not a common carrier or a value-added service
     network and is a public network only as much as the independent,
     constituent nodes may individually provide public access to the
     network on their system.

       FidoNet exists to provide electronic mail services to its
     member sysops.
     To efficiently provide such services, various structure and
     control mechanisms are essential. The structure is organized into
     multiple nets, with decentralized administration.

       This document delineates all of the procedures at the
     international level of FidoNet, as well as some general rules for
     the lower levels (intra-zonal), developed to manage the network.
     Authorities in the international level not defined by this
     document, shall be defined by the Zone Coordinators Council and
     the International Coordinator.


     2 Language

       Each zone has the right to determine its own official language.

       At the international (inter-zonal) level, for practical
     purposes, FidoNet adopts English as its official language. All
     the FidoNet documents issued at the international level must
     exist in English. Translation into other languages is encouraged.


     3 Access to FidoNet

       FidoNet membership is open to everybody that fulfills the
     technical standards described in paragraph 5.9. Lower-level
     policies may issue additional restrictions only if particularly
     authorized by the Zone Coordinator Council.


     4 Organization

       The organizational structure of FidoNet, has been developed to
     distribute the administration and control of FidoNet, to the
     lowest possible level, while still allowing for coordinated
     action over the entire system.
       Effective administration is made viable by operating in a
     top-down manner.
       This means, that a person at any given level is responsible to
     the level above, and responsible for administrating the level
     below.

       If a person at any level above sysop is unable to properly
     perform their duties, the person at the next level may replace
     them.  For example, if a Region Coordinator fails to perform, the
     Zone Coordinator may cause the Coordinator to be replaced.
     Coordinators may also be removed by a majority vote of the level
     below. For example, if network Coordinators in a region lose
     faith in the ability of a Region Coordinator to effectively
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 21                   1 Oct 1990


     perform, they may vote to have a new Coordinator elected.


     4.1 International Coordinator

       The International Coordinator (IC) is the Executive Officer of
     FidoNet and coordinates the joint production of the master
     nodelist by the Zone Coordinators. The International Coordinator
     is responsible for creating new zones in FidoNet, but can only do
     so with the approval of the Zone Coordinator Council.

       The International Coordinator is selected by unanimous vote of
     the Zone Coordinators, and removed by a majority vote of the Zone
     Coordinators.


     4.2 Zone Coordinator Council

       The Zone Coordinator Council (ZCC) consists of the Zone
     Coordinators -each having a single ballot- and the International
     Coordinator. In the event of a ZCC vote tie, the International
     Coordinator may cast an additional vote to untie the election.

       The Zone Coordinator Council is the legislative body of
     FidoNet, it represents each of the zones in FidoNet. It is the
     highest authority of the network's Top-Down organization.


     4.3 Zones and Zone Coordinators

       A zone is a geographic area containing one or many regions,
     covering one or more countries.

       The Zone Coordinator is the Executive Officer of the Zone, and
     the zone's representative to the other zones.

       The Zone Coordinator compiles the nodelists from all of the
     regions in the zone, creates a master nodelist and a difference
     file, which is then distributed over FidoNet within the zone. A
     Zone Coordinator does not perform message-forwarding services for
     any nodes in the zone, whereas the Zone Coordinator is
     responsible for the formation and/or administration of one or
     more zone-gates to provide interzone mail facilities.

       The method used for selection of Zone coordinators is left to
     the  discretion of the relevant Zone Policy.  In the absence of a
     Zone Policy selection method, Zone Coordinators are elected and
     removed by a majority vote of the Region Coordinators in the
     Zone.


     FidoNews 7-40                Page 22                   1 Oct 1990


     4.4 Regions and Region Coordinators

       A Region is a well-defined geographic area containing nodes
     which may or may not be combined into networks. A typical Region
     will contain many nodes in networks, and a few independent nodes
     which are not part of the network.

       The Region Coordinator maintains the list of independent nodes
     in the region, and accepts nodelists from the Network
     Coordinators in the Region.
     These are compiled to create a regional nodelist, which is sent
     to the Zone Coordinator. A Region Coordinator is encouraged to
     perform message-forwarding services for nodes within the region,
     but is not forced to, unless the appropriate Zone or Region
     policy imposes such a requirement.

       The method used for selection of Regional coordinators is left
     to the discretion of the relevant Zone or Region Policy.  In the
     absence of such a policy selection method, Region Coordinators
     are elected and removed by a majority vote of the NCs in the
     Region.


     4.5 Networks and Network Coordinators

       A network is a group of nodes, normally but not exclusively in
     a local geographic area. Networks coordinate their mail activity
     to decrease cost.

       The Network Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the list
     of nodes for the network, and for forwarding netmail sent to
     members of the network from other FidoNet nodes. The Network
     Coordinator may make arrangements to handle outgoing netmail, but
     is not required to do so, unless the appropriate Zone, Region or
     Net policy imposes such a requirement.

       The method used for selection of Network coordinators is left
     to the discretion of the relevant Zone/Region/Net Policy.  In the
     absence of such a policy selection method, Network Coordinators
     are elected and removed by a majority vote of the Nodes in the
     Network.


     4.5.1  Network Routing Hubs

       Network Routing Hubs exist only in some networks. They may be
     appointed by the Network Coordinator, in order to assist the
     management (especially routing tasks) of the network.


     4.6 Individual systems (Nodes)

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 23                   1 Oct 1990


       The smallest subdivision of FidoNet is the individual system,
     corresponding to a single entry in the nodelist. The system
     operator (SysOp) formulates a policy for running the board and
     dealing with the users. The sysop must mesh with the rest of the
     FidoNet system to receive and send mail, and the local policy
     must be consistent with other levels of FidoNet.


     4.6.1 Users of an individual system

       The sysop is responsible for the actions of any user when they
     affect the rest of FidoNet (i.e. if the user is annoying, the
     sysop is annoying). The users have no rights under this policy
     document.


     4.6.2 Points

       A point is a system that is not in the nodelist, but
     communicates with FidoNet through a node defined to as bossnode.
     A point is generally regarded in the same manner as a user and,
     for example, the bossnode is responsible for mail from the point.
     Points are addressed using the bossnode's nodelist address; for
     example, a point system with a bossnode of 125/111 might be known
     as 125/111.6. Mail sent to the point will be sent to the
     bossnode, which then routes it to the point.

       Point operators are not FidoNet members, they are only users of
     a FidoNet node, as any other regular user; they have no rights
     under this policy document.


     5 General Procedures for All Coordinators

     5.1 Making Available Difference Files and Nodelist

       Each Coordinator is responsible for obtaining and making
     available for file request and download by users, on a weekly
     basis, nodelist difference files and complete nodelists.


     5.2 Processing Nodelist Changes and Passing Them Upstream

       Each Coordinator is responsible for obtaining nodelist
     information from the level below, processing it, and passing the
     results to the level above.
     The timing of this process is determined by the requirements
     imposed by the level above.


     5.3 Ensure the Latest Policy is Available

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 24                   1 Oct 1990


       A Coordinator is responsible to make the current version of the
     International Policy available to the level below, and to
     encourage familiarity with it.


     5.4 Minimize the Number of Hats Worn

       Coordinators are encouraged to limit the number of
     FidoNet-related Coordinator functions they perform. A Coordinator
     who holds two different positions, compromises the appeal
     process. For example, is the Network Coordinator is also the
     Region Coordinator, sysops in that network are denied one level
     of appeal.

       Multiple hats are also discouraged due to the difficulty of
     replacing services when a coordinator leaves the net.

     5.5 Be a Member of the Area Administered

       A Coordinator must be a member of the area administered. This
     is, a Network Coordinator must be a member of the network he is
     to coordinate.
     A Region Coordinator must be either a member of a network in the
     region, or an independent in a region.


     5.6 Encourage New Sysops to Enter FidoNet

       A Coordinator is encouraged to operate a public bulletin board
     system which is freely available for the purpose of distributing
     Policy and Nodelists to potential new sysops. Dissemination of
     this information to persons who are potential FidoNet sysops is
     important to the growth of FidoNet, and Coordinators should
     encourage development of new systems.


     5.7 Tradition and Precedent

       A Coordinator is not bound by the practices of predecessor.
     However, it must be clear that Coordinators are bound by all
     requirements of this document, both as FidoNet sysops and as
     Coordinators. The holding of a Coordinator title does not grant
     license to annoy others or to flaunt policy.


     5.8 Technical Management

       The primary responsibility of any Coordinator is technical
     management of network operations. Decisions MUST be made only
     on technical grounds. A Coordinator has the responsibility to act
     as objectively as possible; objectivity must be considered an
     essential factor when making a decision.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 25                   1 Oct 1990


     5.9 Exclusivity of Zone Mail Hour

       Zone Mail Hour is the heart of FidoNet, as this is when network
     mail is passed between systems.  Any system which wishes to be a
     part of FidoNet must be able to receive mail during this time
     using the protocol defined in the current FidoNet Technical
     Standards Committee publication (FTS-0001 at this writing).  It
     is permissible to have greater capability (for example, to
     support additional protocols or extended mail hours), but the
     minimum requirement is FTS-0001 capability during this one hour
     of the day.

       This time is exclusively reserved for netmail.  Many phone
     systems charge on a per-call basis, regardless of whether a
     connect, no connect, or busy signal is encountered.  For this
     reason, any activity other than normal network mail processing
     that ties up a system during ZMH is considered annoying behavior.
       User (BBS) access to a system is prohibited during ZMH.

       Zone Mail Hour will be defined by each Zone Policy. In the
     absence of a Zone Policy, it will be defined by the Zone
     Coordinator.


     6 Election and Referendum Procedures

       Any election or referendum at any level of FidoNet, must be
     democratic by western standards.
       Each zone will issue its own election procedures, which must be
     approved by the Zone Coordinator Council before implementation.

       If a worldwide election, with the participation of all zones,
     is to be held, the Zone Coordinator Council will determine the
     election procedures.


     7 Policy Referenda

     7.1 International Policy

       A referendum on International Policy modification is invoked by
     the International Coordinator at the direction of a majority of
     the Zone Coordinators, or a majority of the Region Coordinators
     of all zones, a majority of the Network Coordinators of all
     zones, or by one third of all the sysops in all zones.

       All the members of FidoNet are entitled to vote on an
     International Policy referendum, which is to be held according to
     the procedures described by the Zone Coordinator Council before
     the election is called.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 26                   1 Oct 1990


     7.2 Zone Policy

       A referendum on Zone Policy modification is invoked by the Zone
     Coordinator, by a majority vote of the Region Coordinators in the
     zone, by a majority vote of the Network Coordinators in the
     zone, or by one third of all the sysops in the zone.

       All the members of the zone are entitled to vote on a Zone
     Policy referendum, which is to be held according to the
     procedures described on the Zone Policy. If such document does
     not exist, the procedures will be determined by the Zone
     Coordinator with the approval of the Zone Coordinator Council.

       The formulation of Region and Network Policy documents is
     encouraged, and must be regulated by the Zone Policy documents in
     each zone.


     7.3 Transition to a 'Worldwide Policy environment'

       After the approval of this Worldwide Policy, the previously
     existing policy will still be in effect for the Zone level until
     the approval of a new Zone policy, according to the methods
     provided in this document.

       All the procedures introduced by this Worldwide Policy document
     adjourn the procedures existing in the previous policy document.


     8 Resolution of Disputes

       The FidoNet judicial philosophy can be summed up in two rules:

            1) Thou shalt not excessively annoy others.

            2) Thou shalt not become excessively annoyed.

       The parties involved in a dispute are encouraged to solve their
     problems directly, without the intervention of a Coordinator.


     8.1 Mediation Requests

       Any of the parties involved may request the intervention of the
     respective Coordinator: Network Coordinator if a dispute between
     members of the same network, Region Coordinator if a dispute
     between members of different networks on the same region; Zone
     Coordinator if a dispute between members of different regions on
     the same zone; International Coordinator if a dispute between
     members of different zones.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 27                   1 Oct 1990


       The Coordinator requested as "mediator", will ask each party to
     provide all the information before two weeks from the request and
     will make a decision within forty-five days after he received all
     the information from the involved parties.

       A Coordinator, unable to resolve a dispute, may name a third
     party to act as "mediator", provided the parties involved in the
     dispute agree.

     8.2 Appealing to a Mediator's Decision

       A mediator's decision may be appealed to the immediately
     superior level if considered unfair: Region Coordinators handle
     appeals from decisions made by Network Coordinators;  Zone
     Coordinators handle appeals from decision made by Region
     Coordinators; The International Coordinator handles appeals from
     decisions made by the Zone Coordinators; and the Zone Coordinator
     Council will handle appeals from decisions made by the
     International Coordinator,  being the Zone Coordinator Council's
     resolutions, unappealable.

       For appealing to a decision made by a third person named by a
     Coordinator to act as mediator, it will be as if the Coordinator
     made the resolution and the previously enumerated sequence of
     appealing will be appropriate.

       For appealing to a decision made by a mediator, the same terms
     and procedures as for any Mediation Request apply.


     8.3 Statute of Limitations

       A mediation request may not be filed more than 60 days after
     the date of discovery of the source of the infraction, either by
     admission or technical discovery of the source of an infraction,
     either by admission or technical evidence. Mediation requests may
     not be filed more than 120 days after the incident, unless they
     involve suspected unlawful behavior, in which the legal statute
     of limitations of the country involved shall apply.


     8.4 Echomail

       Each FidoNet Zone is encouraged to establish it's Zone Policy
     concerning the manner of handling Echomail and the resolution of
     disputes arising from such distribution.

       No sysop may be required to carry an echomail conference as a
     condition of joining or remaining in FidoNet.


     FidoNews 7-40                Page 28                   1 Oct 1990


     9 "CCC": Comments, Credits and Copyright!

     This section will be automatically removed upon approval of this
     document.


     9.1 Comments on Implementation

       This document is not final; FidoNet sysops are encouraged to
     make suggestions for changes, as well as comments, which can be
     addressed to FidoNet node 4:4/50 (The Policy5 Project).

       This World Policy will be adopted according to the mechanisms
     provided on the present policy document.


     9.2 Credits

       Here I list the names of some individuals that had some direct
     or indirect influence in the shaping of this text (in
     alphabetical order):

                         - Raul Artaza (4:900/106)
                         - Bill Bolton (3:711/403)
                         - Steve Bonine (1:115/777)
                         - Randy Bush  (1:105/6)
                         - Billy Coen (4:900/110)
                         - Jack Decker (1:154/8)
                         - Daniel Docekal (2:42/0)
                         - Tomas Gradin (2:200/108)
                         - Rob Hoare (3:712/630)
                         - Alejandro Hopkins (4:900/211)
                         - Tom Jennings (1:125/111)
                         - Glen Johnson (1:269/101)
                         - Daniel Kalchev (2:359/1)
                         - Raymond Lowe (3:700/725)
                         - Rick Moore (1:115/333)
                         - George Peace (1:270/101)
                         - Jan Stozek (2:480/2)
                         - Matt Whelan (3:712/627)
                         - Gustavo Zacarias (4:900/202)

       Special thanks go to Ron Dwight (2:515/1), for his enthusiastic
     cooperation.


     9.7 Temporary Copyright

     This document is Copyright (C) 1990 by Pablo Kleinman.
     Todos los Derechos Reservados / All Rights Reserved.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 29                   1 Oct 1990


     This document is protected under international copyright laws.
     Unauthorized use is subject to criminal prosecution.

     Disclaimer: This document was written by a Spanish-speaking
     individual, that uses English as a second language. If you find
     any semantic, morphologic or syntactic errors, please forgive.

     TOTAL: 3031 WORDS!

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 30                   1 Oct 1990


     =================================================================
                              LATEST VERSIONS
     =================================================================

                         Latest Software Versions

                              MS-DOS Systems
                              --------------

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     DMG            2.93    Phoenix         1.3    TAG           2.5f*
     Fido            12s+   QuickBBS       2.64    TBBS           2.1
     Lynx           1.30    RBBS          17.3A    TComm/TCommNet 3.4
     Kitten         2.16    RBBSmail      17.3A    Telegard       2.5
     Maximus        1.02*   RemoteAccess  0.04a*   TPBoard        6.1
     Opus           1.13+   SLBBS          1.77*   Wildcat!      2.15
     PCBoard        14.5*   Socrates       1.00    XBBS          1.13

     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     BinkleyTerm    2.40*   EditNL         4.00    ARC            7.0*
     D'Bridge       1.30    MakeNL         2.20    ARCAsim       2.30
     Dutchie       2.90C    ParseList      1.30    ARCmail       2.07
     FrontDoor     1.99c*   Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     PRENM          1.47    SysNL          3.11    Crossnet      v1.5
     SEAdog        4.51b    XlatList       2.90    EMM           2.02
     TIMS      1.0(Mod8)*   XlaxDiff       2.35*   Gmail         2.05
                            XlaxNode       2.35*   GROUP         2.16
                                                   GUS           1.30
                                                   InterPCB      1.31*
                                                   LHARC         1.13
                                                   MSG            4.1
                                                   MSGED         2.00*
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.10
                                                   QM             1.0
                                                   QSORT         4.03
                                                   Sirius        1.0w
                                                   SLMAIL        1.36*
                                                   StarLink      1.01
                                                   TagMail       2.20
                                                   TCOMMail       2.2
                                                   Telemail      1.27*
                                                   TMail         1.15
                                                   TPBNetEd       3.2
                                                   TosScan       1.00
                                                   UFGATE        1.03
                                                   XRS           3.40
                                                   ZmailQ        1.12*

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 31                   1 Oct 1990


                                 Apple CP/M
                                 ----------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Daisy               v2j   Daisy Mailer 0.38   Nodecomp      0.37
                                                   MsgUtil        2.5
                                                   PackUser        v4
                                                   Filer         v2-D
                                                   UNARC.COM     1.20


                                 Macintosh
                                 ---------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Red Ryder Host  v2.1b10   Tabby         2.2   MacArc        0.04
     Mansion            7.15   Copernicus   1.0d*  ArcMac         1.3
     WWIV (Mac)          3.0                       StuffIt      1.6b1*
     FBBS               0.91*                      TImport      1.331
     Hermes             0.88*                      TExport       1.32
                                                   Timestamp      1.6
                                                   Tset           1.3
                                                   Import         3.2
                                                   Export        3.21
                                                   Sundial        3.2
                                                   PreStamp       3.2
                                                   OriginatorII   2.0
                                                   AreaFix        1.6
                                                   Mantissa       3.21
                                                   Zenith         1.5
                                                   UNZIP        1.02b

                                   Amiga
                                   -----

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Paragon            2.06+  BinkleyTerm  1.00   AmigArc       0.23
                               TrapDoor     1.50*  AReceipt       1.5*
                               WelMat       0.35   booz          1.01
                                                   ConfMail      1.10
                                                   ChameleonEdit 0.10
                                                   ElectricHerald1.66*
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 32                   1 Oct 1990


                                                   Lharc         1.10
                                                   MessageFilter 1.52*
                                                   oMMM         1.49b
                                                   ParseLst      1.30
                                                   PkAX          1.00
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.01
                                                   PolyxAmy      2.02*
                                                   RMB           1.30
                                                   TrapList      1.12*
                                                   UNzip         0.86
                                                   Yuck!         1.61*
                                                   Zoo           2.00

                                 Atari ST
                                 --------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailer      Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     FIDOdoor/ST        1.5c*  BinkleyTerm 1.03g3  ConfMail      1.00
     Pandora BBS       2.41c   The BOX     1.20    ParseList     1.30
     QuickBBS/ST        0.40                       ARC           6.02*
     GS Point           0.61                       LHARC         0.51
                                                   LED ST        0.10*
                                                   BYE           0.25*
                                                   PKUNZIP       1.10
                                                   MSGED        1.96S
                                                   SRENUM         6.2
                                                   Trenum        0.10
                                                   OMMM          1.40


                                Archimedes
                                ----------

     BBS Software           Mailers                Utilities
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     ARCbbs         1.44*   BinkleyTerm    2.03*   Unzip        2.1TH
                                                   ARC           1.03
                                                   !Spark       2.00d*

                                                   ParseLst      1.30
                                                   BatchPacker   1.00*


     + Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
     * Recently changed

     Utility authors:  Please help  keep  this  list  up  to  date  by
     reporting  new  versions  to 1:1/1.  It is not our intent to list
     all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 33                   1 Oct 1990


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-40                Page 34                   1 Oct 1990


     =================================================================
                                  NOTICES
     =================================================================

                          The Interrupt Stack


      5 Oct 1990
        21st Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"

      4 Nov 1990
        Area Code 214 fragments. Part will become area code 903.

      6 Nov 1990
        First anniversary of Van Diepen Automatiseert, 2:500/28

     14 Nov 1990
        Marco Maccaferri's 21rd Birthday. Send greetings to him at
        2:332/16.0

      1 Jan 1991
        Implementation of 7% Goods and Services Tax in Canada. Contact
        Joe Lindstrom at 1:134/55 for a more colorful description.

     16 Feb 1991
        Fifth anniversary of the introduction of Echomail, by Jeff Rush.

      7 Oct 1991
        Area code  415  fragments.   Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
        will  begin  using  area  code  510.   This includes  Oakland,
        Concord, Berkeley  and  Hayward.    San  Francisco, San Mateo,
        Marin, parts of  Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay
        Islands will retain area code 415.

      1 Feb 1992
        Area  code 213 fragments.    Western,  coastal,  southern  and
        eastern portions of Los Angeles  County  will begin using area
        code 310.  This includes Los  Angeles  International  Airport,
        West  Los  Angeles,  San  Pedro and Whittier.    Downtown  Los
        Angeles  and  surrounding  communities  (such as Hollywood and
        Montebello) will retain area code 213.

      1 Dec 1993
        Tenth anniversary of Fido Version 1 release.

      5 Jun 1997
        David Dodell's 40th Birthday


     If you have something which you would like to see on this
     calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.

     FidoNews 7-40                Page 35                   1 Oct 1990


     -----------------------------------------------------------------



Download original FidoNews · Volume 7 (1990) · ← Previous · Next →