BSE-L Digest 38 From: kerry@freeside.fc.net (Kerry Harrison) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 1995 19:29:14 +0000 Beyond the Stellar Empire Discussion List <BSE-L@consensus.com> BSE-L Digest 38 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) New Combat Order? by PKRAUSKOPF@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL 2) New Hull Type? by PKRAUSKOPF@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL 3) Re: Questions for RTG by Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> 4) Re: Space Combat by StephMarte@aol.com 5) Checking it out by Ron Wentworth <ronw@tsd.itg.ti.com> 6) From the ACLU: by Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com> 7) IMPORTANT!! ACTION ALERT: Petition Against S.314 by Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com> 8) Diagonal Movement by Charles Meredith <74214.2743@compuserve.com> 9) Re: Checking it out by Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> 10) Re: Space Combat by RTGThad@aol.com 11) Re: Space Combat by RTGThad@aol.com 12) The Clubb twins by Wayne Alexander <71470.344@compuserve.com> 13) Re: New Combat Order? by PROTHORAX@aol.com 14) Re: From the ACLU: by PROTHORAX@aol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 08:49:36 -0400 From: PKRAUSKOPF@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL To: bse-l@consensus.com Subject: New Combat Order? Message-ID: <sf52e3d6.065@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL> Thad, Another combat order you might want to consider implementing is "REPAIR AND RESUPPLY." A ship using this order would, at production time, repair and resupply ships from affiliations on its REPAIR LIST. During the battle, it would remain with all the non-combatants (i.e, freighters and such). The advantages fo something like this are obvious. Comments? Phil K. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 08:53:39 -0400 From: PKRAUSKOPF@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL To: bse-l@consensus.com Subject: New Hull Type? Message-ID: <sf52e4ce.067@FALCON.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL> If fighters are going to play a significantly larger role in the future, I wonder if, perhaps, we need a new hull type, called "Fighter Bays." This would allow the creation of new ship types specifically designed for fighter carrier duty. Comments? Phil K. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 10:36:02 -0600 (CST) From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: Questions for RTG Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9502281008.A4885-0100000@pentagon.io.com> On Tue, 28 Feb 1995 RFN2@aol.com wrote: > Can an out-of-touch poor slob like me get a copy of the proposed rule > changes? Or is it already too late? > Thanks > Rob > ps - I asked Kerry already and he just LOLed me. *&%#$KZK!! Thick skulled human, how many times I have to tell you? <g> On AOL, use the keyword PBM to go to the PBM Forum, then select the PBM Gaming Company Support option from the forum's menu, then select the PBM GCS General Library from the PBM GCS forum's menu, and download the files entitled BSE: RTG PBM Proposals and BSE: Rule Supplement from it - these are the only proposed changes that RTG has made available. Kerry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 16:04:01 -0500 From: StephMarte@aol.com To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: Space Combat Message-ID: <950228160400_35073036@aol.com> Thad, I *really* like the space combat changes you've outlined. They seem to add a great deal more realism to the game! I especially like the idea that each ships get a different battle report. But i'm guessing everyone will also get an overall overview? You mentioned ships will be able to designate primary and secondary targets. Will this be by ship size? Enemies list? Will a ship still be able to operate multiple batteries? Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 15:40:01 -0600 (CST) From: Ron Wentworth <ronw@tsd.itg.ti.com> To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Checking it out Message-ID: <199502282140.PAA27523@am.tsd.itg.ti.com> I was wondering what this game was about it seems pretty interesting. Are there any opening? Is there a cost? Someone let me know will ya. ------------------------------ Date: 28 Feb 95 17:05:26 EDT From: Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com> To: prajotte <prajotte@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>, brichter <brichter@EWorld.com>, AandOL <AandOL@aol.com>, urbin <urbin@mpgs.enet.dec.com>, eclipse <eclipse@ultranet.com>, csavoie <csavoie@cs.uml.edu>, elbarach <elbarach@elbert.uccs.edu>, ted7 <ted7@world.std.com>, teed0003 <teed0003@gold.tc.umn.edu>, BSE-L <BSE-L@consensus.com>, xboat <xboat@mpgn.com>, traveller <traveller@mpgn.com> Subject: From the ACLU: Message-ID: <9502282155.AA18479@internet1.lotus.com> Again, sorry to you list types, but this is important **ACLU CYBER-LIBERTIES ALERT** FIGHT ONLINE CENSORSHIP! AXE THE EXON BILL! The American Civil Liberties Union urges you to contact the members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee and your own Senators to ask them to oppose the efforts to turn online communications into the most heavily censored form of American media. In a clumsy effort to purge sexual expression from the Internet and other online networks, the self-described "Communications Decency Act of 1995" (S.314, introduced by Senator Exon on 2/2/95) would make ALL telecommunications service providers liable for every message, file, or other content carried on their networks. Senator Exon is planning to attach the bill to Senator Pressler's new telecommunications legislation, which is targeted for action in early March. The Exon proposal would severely restrict the flow of online information by requiring service providers to act as private censors of e-mail messages, public forums, mailing lists, and archives to avoid criminal liability. The ACLU believes that online users should be the only censors of the content of the information they receive. **The Exon proposal broadens existing law by subjecting service providers, as well as the individuals who actually send messages, to criminal liability for any "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent" message transmitted over their networks.** If enacted into law, this vague and overly broad legislation could have the following draconian effects: * The Exon proposal would prohibit communications with sexual content through private e-mail between consenting adults, and would inhibit people from making comments that might or might not be prohibited. * Under the Exon proposal, service providers would pay up to $100,000 or spend up to 2 years in jail for prohibited content produced by subscribers on other networks, over which they had no control. * The Exon proposal would expand current restrictions on telephone access by minors to dial-a-porn services to include online access to indecent material, requiring service providers to purge "indecent" material from public bulletin boards and discussion groups to avoid accidental viewing by a minor. In effect, online providers would be forced to offer to adults only that content that is "suitable for minors." S. 314 is nearly identical to an amendment Senator Exon successfully attached to last year's Senate version of the telecommunications law overhaul. Last year's bill died for unrelated reasons, but the Senate Commerce Committee is determined to pass new telecommunications legislation this year that could easily include the Exon proposal. The ACLU opposes the restrictions on speech imposed by this legislation because they violate the First Amendment's guarantee of free expression. Forcing carriers to pre-screen content violates the Constitution and threatens the free and robust expression that is the promise of the Net. The Constitution requires that any abridgement of speech use the least restrictive means available -- the language of the Exon proposal is clearly the most restrictive because it sweeps broadly against a wide array of protected material involving sexual expression. Stop the information superhighway from becoming the most censored segment of communications media! ACT NOW: Urge members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: *To oppose the Exon proposal, or any Senate or House variation. *To drop the Exon proposal BEFORE it goes to the Senate floor. *To hold full hearings on the Exon proposal and to review it thoroughly before it goes to the Senate floor. *To reject any effort to attach the Exon proposal to the Senate telecommunications legislation. THE EXON PROPOSAL COULD BE LAW WITHIN WEEKS IF WE DON'T ACT TODAY. Send your letter by e-mail, fax, or snail mail to: Senator Larry Pressler, S.D. Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation SR-254 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6125 (202) 224-5842 (phone) (202) 224-1630 (fax) e-mail: larry_pressler@pressler.senate.gov To maximize the impact of your letter, you should also write to the members of the Senate Commerce Committee and to your own Senators. A sample letter is attached. Majority Members of the Senate Commerce Committee Senator Bob Packwood, Ore. SR-259 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-3702 (202) 224-5244 (phone) (202) 228-3576 (fax) Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska SH-522 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-0201 (202) 224-3004 (phone) (202) 224-1044 (fax) Senator John McCain, Ariz. SR-111 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-0303 (202) 224-2235 (phone) (202) 228-2862 (fax) Senator Conrad Burns, Mont. SD-183 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2603 (202) 224-2644 (phone) (202) 224-8594 (fax) Senator Slade Gorton, Wash. SH-730 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4701 (202) 224-3441 (phone) (202) 224-9393 (fax) e-mail: senator_gorton@gorton.senate.gov Senator Trent Lott, Miss. SR-487 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2403 (202) 224-6253 (phone) (202) 224-2262 (fax) Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Tex. SH-703 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4303 (202) 224-5922 (phone) (202) 224-0776 (fax) e-mail: senator@hutchison.senate.gov Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Maine SR-174 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-1903 (202) 224-5344 (phone) (202) 224-6853 (fax) Senator John Ashcroft, Mo. SH-705 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2504 (202) 224-6154 (phone) (202) 224-7615 (fax) Minority Members of the Senate Commerce Committee Senator Ernest F. Hollings, S.C. SR-125 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4002 (202) 224-6121 (phone) (202) 224-4293 (fax) Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii SH-772 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-1102 (202) 224-3934 (phone) (202) 224-6747 (fax) Senator Wendell H. Ford, Ky. SR-173A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-1701 (202) 224-4343 (phone) (202) 224-0046 (fax) e-mail: wendell_ford@ford.senate.gov Senator J. James Exon, Neb. SH-528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2702 (202) 224-4224 (phone) (202) 224-5213 (fax) Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, W. Va. SH-109 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4802 (202) 224-6472 (phone) (202) 224-1689 (fax) Senator John F. Kerry, Mass. SR-421 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2102 (202) 224-2742 (phone) (202) 224-8525 (fax) Senator John B. Breaux, La SH-516 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-1803 (202) 224-4623 (phone) (202) 224-2435 (fax) Senator Richard H. Bryan, Nev. SR-364 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-2804 (202) 224-6244 (phone) (202) 224-1867 (fax) Senator Byron L. Dorgan, N.D. SH-713 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-3405 (202) 224-2551 (phone) (202) 224-1193 (fax) You can also write or fax your own Senator at: The Honorable ______________________ U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Senate directories including fax numbers may be found at: gopher://ftp.senate.gov:70 gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu:70/0/socsci/polscilaw/uslegi Additional information about the ACLU's position on this issue and others affecting civil liberties online and elsewhere may be found at: gopher:\\aclu.org:6601 OR request our FAQ at infoaclu@aclu.org -----------------------------------------------cut here---------------------------------------------------------- SAMPLE LETTER Dear Senator _______: I am writing to urge you to oppose the restrictions on speech that would be imposed by the legislation introduced by Senator Exon, known as the Communications Decency Act of 1995, S.314, introduced on 2/2/95. The Exon proposal would severely restrict the flow of online information by requiring service providers to act as private censors of e-mail messages, public forums, mailing lists, and archives to avoid criminal liability. I believe that online users should be the only censors of the content of the messages they receive. I urge you to: *Oppose the Exon proposal, or any Senate or House variation. *Drop the Exon proposal BEFORE it goes to the Senate floor. *Hold full hearings on the Exon proposal and review it thoroughly before it goes to the Senate floor. *Reject any effort to attach the Exon proposal to the Senate telecommunications legislation. Sincerely, [name] -- ACLU Free Reading Room | American Civil Liberties Union gopher://aclu.org:6601 | 132 W. 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036 mailto:infoaclu@aclu.org| "Eternal vigilance is the ftp://ftp.pipeline.com | price of liberty" ------------------------------ Date: 28 Feb 95 17:04:33 EDT From: Derek Smith <Derek_Smith.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com> To: prajotte <prajotte@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>, brichter <brichter@EWorld.com>, AandOL <AandOL@aol.com>, urbin <urbin@mpgs.enet.dec.com>, eclipse <eclipse@ultranet.com>, csavoie <csavoie@cs.uml.edu>, elbarach <elbarach@elbert.uccs.edu>, ted7 <ted7@world.std.com>, teed0003 <teed0003@gold.tc.umn.edu>, BSE-L <BSE-L@consensus.com>, xboat <xboat@mpgn.com>, traveller <traveller@mpgn.com> Subject: IMPORTANT!! ACTION ALERT: Petition Against S.314 Message-ID: <9502282155.AA18527@internet1.lotus.com> Sorry for you list types that this is non-topical, but it is very important. *** PROTECT THE INTERNET. READ THIS MESSAGE *** This document is an electronic Petition Statement to the U.S. Congress regarding pending legislation, the "Communications Decency Act of 1995" (S. 314) which will have, if passed, very serious negative ramifications for freedom of expression on Usenet, the Internet, and all electronic networks. The proposed legislation would remove guarantees of privacy and free speech on all electronic networks, including the Internet, and may even effectively close them down as a medium to exchange ideas and information. For an excellent analysis of this Bill by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), refer to the Appendix attached at the end of this document. The text to S. 314 is also included in this Appendix. This document is somewhat long, but the length is necessary to give you sufficient information to make an informed decision. Time is of the essence, we are going to turn this petition and the signatures in on 3/16/95, so if you are going to sign this please do so ASAP or at least before midnight Wednesday, March 15, 1995. Even if you read this petition after the due date, please submit your signature anyway as we expect Congress to continue debating these issues in the foreseeable future and the more signatures we get, the more influence the petition will have on discussion. And even if Congress rejects S. 314 while signatures are being gathered, do submit your signature anyway for the same reason. Please do upload this petition statement as soon as possible to any BBS and on-line service in your area. If you have access to one of the major national on-line services such as CompuServe, Prodigy, AOL, etc., do try to upload it there. We are trying to get at least 5000 signatures. Even more signatures are entirely possible if we each put in a little effort to inform others, such as friends and coworkers, about the importance of this petition to electronic freedom of expression. Here is a brief table of contents: (1) Introduction (this section) (2) The Petition Statement (3) Instructions for signing this petition (4) Credits (Appendix) Analysis and text of S. 314 (LONG but excellent) ******(2) The Petition Statement In united voice, we sign this petition against passage of S. 314 (the "Communications Decency Act of 1995") for these reasons: S. 314 would prohibit not only individual speech that is "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent", but would prohibit any provider of telecommunications service from carrying such traffic, under threat of stiff penalty. Even aside from the implications for free speech, this would cause an undue - and unjust - burden upon operators of the various telecommunications services. In a time when the citizenry and their lawmakers alike are calling for and passing "no unfunded mandates" laws to the benefit of the states, it is unfortunate that Congress might seek to impose unfunded mandates upon businesses that provide the framework for the information age. An additional and important consideration is the technical feasibility of requiring the sort of monitoring this bill would necessitate. The financial burden in and of itself - in either manpower or technology to handle such monitoring (if even legal under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act) - would likely cause many smaller providers to go out of business, and most larger providers to seriously curtail their services. The threat of such penalty alone would result in a chilling effect in the telecommunications service community, not only restricting the types of speech expressly forbidden by the bill, but creating an environment contrary to the Constitutional principles of free speech, press, and assembly - principles which entities such as the Internet embody as nothing has before. By comparison, placing the burden for content control upon each individual user is surprisingly simple in the online and interactive world, and there is no legitimate reason to shift that burden to providers who carry that content. Unlike traditional broadcast media, networked media is comparatively easy to screen on the user end - giving the reader, viewer, or participant unparalleled control over his or her own information environment. All without impacting or restricting what any other user wishes to access. This makes regulation such as that threatened by this S. 314 simply unnecessary. In addition, during a period of ever-increasing commercial interest in arenas such as the Internet, restriction and regulation of content or the flow of traffic across the various telecommunications services would have serious negative economic effects. The sort of regulation proposed by this bill would slow the explosive growth the Internet has seen, giving the business community reason to doubt the medium's commercial appeal. We ask that the Senate halt any further progress of this bill. We ask that the Senate be an example to Congress as a whole, and to the nation at large - to promote the general welfare as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution by protecting the free flow of information and ideas across all of our telecommunications services. ******(3) Instructions for signing the petition ====================================== Instructions for Signing This Petition ====================================== It must first be noted that this is a petition, not a vote. By "signing" it you agree with *all* the requests made in the petition. If you do not agree with everything in this petition, then your only recourse is to not sign it. In addition, all e-mail signatures will be submitted to Congress, the President of the United States, and the news media. Including your full name is optional, but *very highly encouraged* as that would add to the effectiveness of the petition. Signing via an anonymous remailer is highly discouraged, but not forbidden, as an attempt will be made to separately tally signatures from anonymous remailers. Because this is a Petition to the U.S. Congress, we ask that you state, as instructed below, whether or not you are a U.S. citizen. We do encourage non-U.S. citizens to sign, but their signatures will be tallied separately. Signing this petition is not hard, but to make sure your signature is not lost or miscounted, please follow these directions EXACTLY: 1) Prepare an e-mail message. In the main body (NOT the Subject line) of your e-mail include the ONE-LINE statement: SIGNED <Internet e-mail address> <Full name> <US Citizen> You need not include the "<" and ">" characters. 'SIGNED' should be capitalized. As stated above, your full name is optional, but highly recommended. If you do supply your name, please don't use a pseudonym or nickname, or your first name -- it's better to just leave it blank if it's not your full and real name. If you are a U.S. citizen, please include at the end of the signature line a 'YES', and if you are not, a 'NO'. All signatures will be tallied whether or not you are a U.S. Citizen **************************************************** Example: My e-mail signature would be: SIGNED dave@kachina.altadena.ca.us Dave C. Hayes YES **************************************************** 2) Please DON'T include a copy of this petition, nor any other text, in your e-mail message. If you have comments to make, send e-mail to me personally, and NOT to the special petition e-mail signature address. 3) Send your e-mail message containing your signature to the following Internet e-mail address and NOT to me: =========================== s314-petition@netcom.com =========================== 4) Within a few days of receipt of your signature, an automated acknowledgment will be e-mailed to you for e-mail address verification purposes. You do not need to respond or reply to this acknowledgement when you receive it. We may also contact you again in the future should we need more information, such as who your House Representative and Senators are, which is not asked here as it is unclear whether such information is needed. Thank you for signing this petition! ******(4) Credits The petition statement was written by slowdog <slowdog@wookie.net>, super.net.freedom.fighter. The rest of this document mostly collated from the net by Dave Hayes, net.freedom.fighter. Much help came from Jon Noring, INFJ and self.proclaimed.net.activist who made a few suggestions and will be tallying the signatures. Thanks to the EFF and CDT for the excellent analysis of the bill. (p.s., send your signature to s314-petition@netcom.com) ******(Appendix) Analysis and text of S. 314 [This analysis provided by the Center for Democracy and Technology, a non-profit public interest organization. CDT's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance Constitutional civil liberties and democratic values in new computer and communications technologies. For more information on CDT, ask Jonah Seiger <jseiger@cdt.org>.] CDT POLICY POST 2/9/95 SENATOR EXON INTRODUCES ONLINE INDECENCY LEGISLATION A. OVERVIEW Senators Exon (D-NE) and Senator Gorton (R-WA) have introduced legislation to expand current FCC regulations on obscene and indecent audiotext to cover *all* content carried over all forms of electronic communications networks. If enacted, the "Communications Decency Act of 1995" (S. 314) would place substantial criminal liability on telecommunications service providers (including telephone networks, commercial online services, the Internet, and independent BBS's) if their network is used in the transmission of any indecent, lewd, threatening or harassing messages. The legislation is identical to a proposal offered by Senator Exon last year which failed along with the Senate Telecommunications reform bill (S. 1822, 103rd Congress, Sections 801 - 804). The text the proposed statute, with proposed amendment, is appended at the end of this document. The bill would compel service providers to chose between severely restricting the activities of their subscribers or completely shutting down their email, Internet access, and conferencing services under the threat of criminal liability. Moreover, service providers would be forced to closely monitor every private communication, electronic mail message, public forum, mailing list, and file archive carried by or available on their network, a proposition which poses a substantial threat to the freedom of speech and privacy rights of all American citizens. S. 314, if enacted, would represent a tremendous step backwards on the path to a free and open National Information Infrastructure. The bill raises fundamental questions about the ability of government to control content on communications networks, as well as the locus of liability for content carried in these new communications media. To address this threat to the First Amendment in digital media, CDT is working to organize a broad coalition of public interest organizations including the ACLU, People For the American Way, and Media Access Project, along with representatives from the telecommunications, online services, and computer industries to oppose S. 314 and to explore alternative policy solutions that preserve the free flow of information and freedom of speech in the online world. CDT believes that technological alternatives which allow individual subscribers to control the content they receive represent a more appropriate approach to this issue. B. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF S. 314 S. 314 would expand current law restricting indecency and harassment on telephone services to all telecommunications providers and expand criminal liability to *all* content carried by *all* forms of telecommunications networks. The bill would amend Section 223 of the Communications Act (47 U.S.C. 223), which requires carriers to take steps to prevent minors from gaining access to indecent audiotext and criminalizes harassment accomplished over interstate telephone lines. This section, commonly known as the Helms Amendment (having been championed by Senator Jesse Helms), has been the subject of extended Constitutional litigation in recent years. * CARRIERS LIABLE FOR CONDUCT OF ALL USERS ON THEIR NETWORKS S. 314 would make telecommunication carriers (including telephone companies, commercial online services, the Internet, and BBS's) liable for every message, file, or other content carried on its network -- including the private conversations or messages exchanged between two consenting individuals. Under S. 314, anyone who "makes, transmits, or otherwise makes available any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication" which is "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent" using a "telecommunications device" would be subject to a fine of $100,000 or two years in prison (Section (2)(a)). In order to avoid liability under this provision, carriers would be forced to pre-screen all messages, files, or other content before transmitting it to the intended recipient. Carriers would also be forced to prevent or severely restrict their subscribers from communicating with individuals and accessing content available on other networks. Electronic communications networks do not contain discrete boundaries. Instead, users of one service can easily communicate with and access content available on other networks. Placing the onus, and criminal liability, on the carrier as opposed to the originator of the content, would make the carrier legally responsible not only for the conduct of its own subscribers, but also for content generated by subscribers of other services. This regulatory scheme clearly poses serious threats to the free flow of information throughout the online world and the free speech and privacy rights of individual users. Forcing carriers to pre-screen content would not only be impossible due to the sheer volume of messages, it would also violate current legal protections. * CARRIERS REQUIRED TO ACT AS PRIVATE CENSOR OF ALL PUBLIC FORUMS AND ARCHIVES S. 314 would also expand current restrictions on access to indecent telephone audiotext services by minors under the age of 18 to cover similar content carried by telecommunications services (such as America Online and the Internet). (Sec (a)(4)). As amended by this provision, anyone who, "by means of telephone or telecommunications device, makes, transmits, or otherwise makes available (directly or by recording device) any indecent communication for commercial purposes which is available to any person under the age of 18 years of age or to any other person without that person's consent, regardless of whether the maker of such communication placed the call or initiated the communication" would be subject of a fine of $100,000 or two years in prison. This would force carries to act as private censors of all content available in public forums or file archives on their networks. Moreover, because there is no clear definition of indecency, carriers would have to restrict access to any content that could be possibly construed as indecent or obscene under the broadest interpretation of the term. Public forums, discussion lists, file archives, and content available for commercial purposes would have to be meticulously screened and censored in order to avoid potential liability for the carrier. Such a scenario would severely limit the diversity of content available on online networks, and limit the editorial freedom of independent forum operators. ADDITIONAL NOTABLE PROVISIONS * AMENDMENT TO ECPA Section (6) of the bill would amend the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 USC 2511) to prevent the unauthorized interception and disclosure of "digital communications" (Sec. 6). However, because the term "digital communication" is not defined and 18 USC 2511 currently prevents unauthorized interception and disclosure of "electronic communications" (which includes electronic mail and other forms of communications in digital form), the effect of this provision has no clear importance. * CABLE OPERATORS MAY REFUSE INDECENT PUBLIC ACCESS PROGRAMMING Finally, section (8) would amend sections 611 and 612 of the Communications Act (47 USC 611 - 612) to allow any cable operator to refuse to carry any public access or leased access programming which contains "obscenity, indecency, or nudity". C. ALTERNATIVES TO EXON: RECOGNIZE THE UNIQUE USER CONTROL CAPABILITIES OF INTERACTIVE MEDIA Government regulation of content in the mass media has always been considered essential to protect children from access to sexually-explicit material, and to prevent unwitting listeners/views from being exposed to material that might be considered extremely distasteful. The choice to protect children has historically been made at the expense of the First Amendment ban on government censorship. As Congress moves to regulate new interactive media, it is essential that it understand that interactive media is different than mass media. The power and flexibility of interactive media offers a unique opportunity to enable parents to control what content their kids have access to, and leave the flow of information free for those adults who want it. Government control regulation is simply not needed to achieve the desired purpose. Most interactive technology, such as Internet browsers and the software used to access online services such as America Online and Compuserve, already has the capability to limit access to certain types of services and selected information. Moreover, the electronic program guides being developed for interactive cable TV networks also provide users the capability to screen out certain channels or ever certain types of programming. Moreover, in the online world, most content (with the exception of private communications initiated by consenting individuals) is transmitted by request. In other words, users must seek out the content they receive, whether it is by joining a discussion or accessing a file archive. By its nature, this technology provides ample control at the user level. Carriers (such as commercial online services, Internet service providers) in most cases act only as "carriers" of electronic transmissions initiated by individual subscribers. CDT believes that the First Amendment will be better served by giving parents and other users the tools to select which information they (and their children) should have access to. In the case of criminal content the originator of the content, not the carriers, should be responsible for their crimes. And, users (especially parents) should be empowered to determine what information they and their children have access to. If all carriers of electronic communications are forced restrict content in order to avoid criminal liability proposed by S. 314, the First Amendment would be threatened and the usefulness of digital media for communications and information dissemination would be drastically limited. D. NEXT STEPS The bill has been introduced and will next move to the Senate Commerce Committee, although no Committee action has been scheduled. Last year, a similar proposal by Senator Exon was approved by the Senate Commerce committee as an amendment to the Senate Telecommunications Bill (S. 1822, which died at the end of the 103rd Congress). CDT will be working with a wide range of other interest groups to assure that Congress does not restrict the free flow of information in interactive media. TEXT OF 47 U.S.C. 223 AS AMENDED BY S. 314 **NOTE: [] = deleted ALL CAPS = additions 47 USC 223 (1992) Sec. 223. [Obscene or harassing telephone calls in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communications] OBSCENE OR HARASSING UTILIZATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES AND FACILITIES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OR IN INTERSTATE OR FOREIGN COMMUNICATIONS" (a) Whoever-- (1) in the District of Columbia or in interstate or foreign communication by means of [telephone] TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE-- (A) [makes any comment, request, suggestion or proposal] MAKES, TRANSMITS, OR OTHERWISE MAKES AVAILABLE ANY COMMENT,REQUEST, SUGGESTION, PROPOSAL, IMAGE, OR OTHER COMMUNICATION which is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent; [(B) makes a telephone call, whether or not conversation ensues, without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number;] "(B) MAKES A TELEPHONE CALL OR UTILIZES A TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, WHETHER OR NOT CONVERSATION OR COMMUNICATIONS ENSUES,WITHOUT DISCLOSING HIS IDENTITY AND WITH INTENT TO ANNOY, ABUSE, THREATEN, OR HARASS ANY PERSON AT THE CALLED NUMBER OR WHO RECEIVES THE COMMUNICATION; (C) makes or causes the telephone of another repeatedly or continuously to ring, with intent to harass any person at the called number; or [(D) makes repeated telephone calls, during which conversation ensues, solely to harass any person at the called number; or] (D) MAKES REPEATED TELEPHONE CALLS OR REPEATEDLY INITIATES COMMUNICATION WITH A TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, DURING WHICH CONVERSATION OR COMMUNICATION ENSUES, SOLELY TO HARASS ANY PERSON AT THE CALLED NUMBER OR WHO RECEIVES THE COMMUNICATION, (2) knowingly permits any [telephone facility] TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY under his control to be used for any purpose prohibited by this section, shall be fined not more than $[50,000]100,000 or imprisoned not more than [six months] TWO YEARS, or both. (b)(1) Whoever knowingly-- (A) within the United States, by means of [telephone] TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICCE, makes (directly or by recording device) any obscene communication for commercial purposes to any person, regardless of whether the maker of such communication placed the call or INITIATED THE COMMUNICATION; or (B) permits any [telephone facility] TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY under such person's control to be used for an activity prohibited by subparagraph (A), shall be fined in accordance with title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. (2) Whoever knowingly-- (A) within the United States, [by means of telephone], makes BY MEANS OF TELEPHONE OR TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, MAKES, TRANSMITS, OR MAKES AVAILABLE(directly or by recording device) any indecent communication for commercial purposes which is available to any person under 18 years of age or to any other person without that person's consent, regardless of whether the maker of such communication placed the call OR INITIATED THE COMMUNICATION; or (B) permits any [telephone facility] TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY under such person's control to be used for an activity prohibited by subparagraph (A), shall be fined not more than $[50,000] 100,000 or imprisoned not more than [six months] TWO YEARS, or both. (3) It is a defense to prosecution under paragraph (2) of this subsection that the defendant restrict access to the prohibited communication to persons 18 years of age or older in accordance with subsection (c) of this section and with such procedures as the Commission may prescribe by regulation. (4) In addition to the penalties under paragraph (1), whoever, within the United States, intentionally violates paragraph (1) or (2) shall be subject to a fine of not more than $[50,000] 100,000 for each violation. For purposes of this paragraph, each day of violation shall constitute a separate violation. (5)(A) In addition to the penalties under paragraphs (1), (2), and (5), whoever, within the United States, violates paragraph (1) or (2) shall be subject to a civil fine of not more than $[50,000] 100,000 for each violation. For purposes of this paragraph, each day of violation shall constitute a separate violation. (B) A fine under this paragraph may be assessed either-- (i) by a court, pursuant to civil action by the Commission or any attorney employed by the Commission who is designated by the Commission for such purposes, or (ii) by the Commission after appropriate administrative proceedings. (6) The Attorney General may bring a suit in the appropriate district court of the United States to enjoin any act or practice which violates paragraph (1) or (2). An injunction may be granted in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (c)(1) A common carrier within the District of Columbia or within any State, or in interstate or foreign commerce, shall not, to the extent technically feasible, provide access to a communication specified in subsection (b) from the telephone of any subscriber who has not previously requested in writing the carrier to provide access to such communication if the carrier collects from subscribers an identifiable charge for such communication that the carrier remits, in whole or in part, to the provider of such communication. (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), no cause of action may be brought in any court or administrative agency against any common carrier, or any of its affiliates, including their officers, directors, employees, agents, or authorized representatives on account of-- (A) any action which the carrier demonstrates was taken in good faith to restrict access pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection; or (B) any access permitted-- (i) in good faith reliance upon the lack of any representation by a provider of communications that communications provided by that provider are communications specified in subsection (b), or (ii) because a specific representation by the provider did not allow the carrier, acting in good faith, a sufficient period to restrict access to communications described in subsection (b). (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of this subsection, a provider of communications services to which subscribers are denied access pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection may bring an action for a declaratory judgment or similar action in a court. Any such action shall be limited to the question of whether the communications which the provider seeks to provide fall within the category of communications to which the carrier will provide access only to subscribers who have previously requested such access. ********************************************* NOTE: This version of the text shows the actual text of current law as it would be changed. For the bill itself, which consists of unreadable text such as: [...] (1) in subsection (a)(1)-- (A) by striking out `telephone' in the matter above subparagraph (A) and inserting `telecommunications device'; (B) by striking out `makes any comment, request, suggestion, or proposal' in subparagraph (A) and inserting `makes, transmits, or otherwise makes available any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication'; (C) by striking out subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: `(B) makes a telephone call or utilizes a [...] See: ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Legislation/Bills_new/s314.bill gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Legislation/Bills_new, s314.bill http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Legislation/Bills_new/s314.bill ------------------------------ Date: 28 Feb 95 18:54:00 EST From: Charles Meredith <74214.2743@compuserve.com> To: "INTERNET:BSE-L@consensus.com" <BSE-L@consensus.com> Subject: Diagonal Movement Message-ID: <950228235359_74214.2743_BHT53-4@CompuServe.COM> Well, I guess I have to stick out like a sore thumb. I like the 1.5 diagonal cost. Well, ok, from a power-playing point of view, ANY advantage I can get does appeal to me. But the actual distance travelled is 1.4-something. 1.5 seems to be the standard for gamming. I think RTG has done a GREAT job if the only thing we can gripe about is the 1.5 for diagonal movement. Personally, I would rather they boost the movement in the universe by lowering the basespeed multiplier by .2 (from .7 to .5 for most of us). This would increase the speed of all standard movement and leave transactions and various jump moves static. Chazz ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 19:13:13 -0600 (CST) From: Kerry Harrison <kerry@io.com> To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: Checking it out Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9502281900.A11310-0100000@pentagon.io.com> On Tue, 28 Feb 1995, Ron Wentworth wrote: > I was wondering what this game was about it seems pretty interesting. > Are there any opening? Is there a cost? Someone let me know will ya. > This game's about having lotsa fun and giving lotsa money to the guys at RTG. <g> There's always openings. Yes the costs range from $6 to $10 per position. Kerry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 22:48:45 -0500 From: RTGThad@aol.com To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: Space Combat Message-ID: <950228224842_35524367@aol.com> >You ain't talkin' 'bout no make-it-run-better tinkering here, are you? >I >mean, what you talkin' 'bout here is a whole lot different than it >is/was, >I ain't complainin', mind you. It just amazes me. When? (g) No, it's an entirely new program. When? Summertime, probably <I hope>. > Have you >thought about passive versus active? Especially with a command >ship, >running passive sensors is a possibility. Yes, we have, and yes, they will be in there. >I have another question for you: Do you envision the possiblity of >hidden >movement because the sensor tech isn't perfect? Do you have a >10% chance >of detecting a ship per round or a 90% chance? (I'm assuming that >lock-on >is easy after detection.) Hidden movement is really just undetected movement. Your chance of detection will be dependent on how your ship is configured, etc., as well, as other factors <which you might guess, have to do with ECM, Jammers, Korondite, Cloaking Devices and other such things>. >Re: Retargetting at ships that are not priority targets but are >shooting at you. This part isn't that complex really. Once you take XX damage from a ship, you can decide <you will decide what the XX is in advance> to start shooting at it or to ignore it. This prevents you from being nickel and dimed to death while you are chasing your priority target. >this may be too intricate to decide in advance .... Well, that's the trick isn't it. Both in design and in play. We'll do our best to design a system that works on both ends. We won't design something that we look at and say <yuck, too many blind spots>. >Re: Escorts add point defense to escorted ships... This means that Escorts will try to shoot down incoming stuff targetted on their charge <primarily this mean missiles/drones/fighters>. What it is that they shoot down will be dependent on wwhat sort of equipment they have on board. .Re: weapons ranges, etc. Don't worry, we'll handle the details...<g> Primarily, your maneuvers will be dependeant on what it is you want to do. If you are Gunship, you will want to detect your primary targets and close with them/it. This means that you will either a) wait for your targets to come into sensor range b) advance through combat quads looking for your targets or c) flee <g>. Once you detect a target to engage <you can specify how long to look for your primary target, or wait to have your damage threshold reached by some other target, or engae any ships that are detected, or .... well, you get the idea...> Once you detect something you want to shoot at it, you wil ldo so in accordance with your attack profile. In this case, you are a Gunship, which means that you will likely have a lot of directed energy weapons, which means, that you will probably want to close to some pre-determined optimum range <which in turn you would probably have chosen in conjunction with what seting you have your weapons on>. You will make a beeline for that ship that you want to shoot at and open fire at the point that you select <that is, you could fire while closing or hold fire until you reach a certain distance>. In any case, you will know how your ship will behave, you wil have to make in advance decisions that cover the critical decisions like when to open fire, what to shoot at, when to retarget, what direction to move, when to flee, stuff like that. And of course, a lot wil depend on what type of ship you have. I don't want to get too far out ahead of everybody here, this is a bit confusing unless you have all the whole picture, so I don't want you guys to make snap "too complicated" decisions until you see the whole salami. How you make all these choices? We haven't got that far yet in terms of mechanics. Probably a tactics order sheet or some such. There will be many more options than those available on the current turn sheet. Likely it will be a small extra charge per the number of orders that you write <like a buck for x number>, or maybe just a buck no matter how many you change. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 22:53:15 -0500 From: RTGThad@aol.com To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: Space Combat Message-ID: <950228225313_35529668@aol.com> Targetting will be your choice. There are some things coming out with the new rules that will make how you target stuff clearer <i.e. some new ship stuff that doesn't exist now>, so I'll wait to comment on that. For now, suffice it to say that you will multiple targetting options based on a variety of options. Thad ------------------------------ Date: 28 Feb 95 23:24:53 EST From: Wayne Alexander <71470.344@compuserve.com> To: BSE Digest <BSE-L@consensus.com> Subject: The Clubb twins Message-ID: <950301042452_71470.344_EHB111-5@CompuServe.COM> Harry, How old are the twins? How was paternity proven? Be aware that I was totally unaware of any claims of paternity directed against my brother, Rlo. You'd have to know Rlo to know that he would not tell me of such a thing, even if he did know about it. I look forward to receiving your reply. Stu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 00:27:59 -0500 From: PROTHORAX@aol.com To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: New Combat Order? Message-ID: <950301002758_35630638@aol.com> (ooc) Another great idea! But, could be a nightmare for RTG?! what goes where? later david ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 00:28:07 -0500 From: PROTHORAX@aol.com To: BSE-L@consensus.com Subject: Re: From the ACLU: Message-ID: <950301002806_35630802@aol.com> (ooc) thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!! later david ------------------------------ End of BSE-L Digest 38 ********************** Referenced By Up