[Vision2020] LMT Feb 19 -- Cyber soapbox stirs debate

[J Ford]

THIS is just the kind of thing Wilson would love - take down the system that 
he hates most, that being free speech or any speech that threatens to expose 
him.  This is not the first time he has suggested and pushed for V2020 be 
shut down and I am sure he will push until it gets done.

So much for the First Amendment.

Side note:  funny how V2020 is an embarrassment now, since he has stopped 
posting.  I suppose his site, the site where he blames everyone else for his 
shortcomings, isn't an embarrassment to the community or his followers?

J  :]




>From: "g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net>
>To: "AreaMan" <areaman at moscow.com>,        "'Moscow Vision 2020'" 
><vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] LMT Feb 19 -- Cyber soapbox stirs debate
>Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 09:20:04 -0800
>
>Dan, Thanks for putting up the LMT article. I had no idea of the risks and 
>problems First Step might potentially encounter. Mr. Moore, if you are 
>"lurking" out there, thanks.
>
>On a related note Dave quotes one of my posts and identifies it as grouchy. 
>This is the second time this sobriquet has been used in conjunction with my 
>online blather. I am very sorry for coming across this way and will 
>endeavor to correct the matter. I have always thought of myself as the 
>Katie Couric/Mary Sunshine of the V.  Imagine how my perky self image and 
>delicate ego are drooping. I am going to have to go back and reread some 
>Tom Hansen musings to bolster my flagging spirits.
>
>gc
>----- Original Message ----- From: "AreaMan" <areaman at moscow.com>
>To: "'Moscow Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 8:06 AM
>Subject: [Vision2020] LMT Feb 19 -- Cyber soapbox stirs debate
>
>
>>Part 3 -- The Big One:
>>------------------------
>>
>>Cyber soapbox stirs debate; Is unique forum a wild ride on free-speech
>>express or a vicious circle for Moscow mud-slingers to spew their brand
>>of venom? That depends on who you ask
>>
>>By DAVID JOHNSON of the Tribune
>>
>>MOSCOW -- The original soapbox in Hyde Park was made of wood and became
>>a universal symbol of free speech.
>>
>>Orators from the dimwitted to the rhetorically superior still gather at
>>the corner of London's Park Lane and Cumberland Gate to publicly spout
>>their opinions.
>>
>>A contemporary Hyde Park variant can be found in this Latah County
>>college town. But instead of wood, the soapbox is made of cyberspace
>>technology. And after 12 years, say those who speak through their
>>computer keyboards, the Vision 2020 e-mail list has become both a
>>vehicle for, and a target of fiery debate.
>>
>>Some call the Vision 2020 experience a quintessential online exercise in
>>First Amendment rights, brimming with smart talk and generating valuable
>>public discourse.
>>
>>Others brand it "Venom 2020" and mock the local Internet medium as a
>>bane to civil dialogue, laced with pettiness and dominated by
>>self-important windbags.
>>
>>One thing for sure -- Vision 2020, in all its unfettered unruliness, has
>>defined itself as the kind of soapbox that continues to push the
>>boundaries of free speech, perhaps, some fear, to the point of eventual
>>self-inflicted silence.
>>
>>*****
>>
>>The disclaimer that appears on the Vision 2020 Web site is laced with
>>lawyer talk such as, "This list is only the vehicle that facilitates
>>this public discourse, and no person or hosting ISP is responsible for
>>the content."
>>
>>The site is offered and maintained by First Step Internet, a
>>Moscow-based Internet service provider.
>>Bill Moore, director of technology for First Step Internet, calls the
>>company's sponsorship of Vision 2020 a "scary," money-losing proposition
>>rooted in public service and vulnerable to the kind of verbal wars that
>>would render most television censors, newspaper editors and libel
>>attorneys speechless.
>>
>>"It really gets to be a free-for-all," Moore says. "We refuse to enforce
>>any rules."
>>
>>In fact, virtually everything that's been written on Vision 2020 since
>>1994 -- every vitriolic attack, all words of wisdom, every cuss word,
>>all political insights, every partisan cheap shot, all public service
>>announcements, every unfounded allegation, all the eloquent rhetorical
>>essays, and every dumb sentence -- has been preserved. It exists in the
>>Vision 2020 archives and is available to anyone who logs on to the Web
>>site.
>>
>>What's more, subscribers can pound out any message they want, or they
>>don't have to write a lick. They can simply lurk behind the scenes.
>>
>>"Most of our subscribers are lurkers," confirms Moore. Of the nearly 500
>>people currently subscribing to Vision 2020, he estimates only about 10
>>percent are active contributors.
>>"The heart and soul of this thing is only a dozen, maybe up to 50, who
>>keep it going."
>>
>>The existence of a so-called "Dirty Dozen," says Moore, is bantered
>>about. And indeed, there is a handful of people who post just about
>>every day. Subject matter ranges these days from the war in Iraq and
>>Wal-Mart super centers to local politics and religion.
>>
>>Of the public officials who subscribe, most use the site to make public
>>service announcements. Some admit to lurking. A few match wits with
>>other posters.
>>
>>"I utilize it to post my legislative letter each week along with special
>>legislative news," says State Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow. "I do not engage
>>in the day-to-day Vision 2020 exchanges."
>>
>>Keely Emerine Mix, a member of the Moscow School Board, opts to mix it
>>up. "I post," she says, "because there's a point of view that I hold
>>that isn't well represented, and that's of a biblically conservative,
>>albeit politically somewhat liberal, evangelical."
>>
>>Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney champions Vision 2020 as a vehicle for
>>legitimate public debate and sometimes a means to set the record
>>straight. During November's election, for example, a Vision 2020 post
>>from an anonymous "Jane Doe" resurrected old, unsubstantiated rumors
>>about Chaney's opponent, Peg Hamlett.
>>
>>"This is at least the third time people supporting Nancy Chaney for
>>Mayor have resorted to this garbage and distortion of facts," retorted
>>regular Vision 2020 poster Donovan Arnold of Moscow.
>>
>>Chaney promptly mounted her keyboard with a response: "You know that I
>>am an honest, fair, civil, intelligent person," Chaney wrote.
>>"Presumably, you will also surmise that I would have none of the tactics
>>posted by the likes of Jane Doe. Please do not confuse my opinions,
>>practices, or personal integrity with the likes of those who get their
>>satisfaction from slinging mud."
>>
>>Other posters pounced on Jane Doe and the anonymous person went away.
>>But some say the damage was complete. Hamlett lost the election.
>>
>>Moore winces when he ponders such exchanges. He concedes part of him
>>wants to muzzle much of what shows up on Vision 2020, if not for the
>>distortions and factual failings, then for the meanness and potentially
>>libelous attacks.
>>
>>"Sometimes I think, 'you know what, this is getting out of control. We
>>need someone to moderate it.' " But tampering with the posted messages,
>>says Moore, could put the legal onus on First Step Internet. So he
>>maintains the e-mail list, but keeps his hands off the content.
>>
>>"You can't hold the soapbox responsible," he reasons.
>>
>>****
>>
>>Bill London, a local writer and civic activist, is one of the founders
>>of Vision 2020. He's quick to point out that Vision 2020 started as a
>>"face-to-face" group of people concerned about growth in Moscow.
>>
>>Kenton Bird, now director of the University of Idaho School of
>>Journalism and Mass Media, is also credited with starting Vision 2020,
>>as is Susan Palmer, now a sociology professor at Walla Walla Community
>>College.
>>
>>London remains linked to Vision 2020, in that he works with Moore to
>>ensure the future of the electronic soapbox. And like Moore, London says
>>Vision 2020 morphed from being a group of concerned citizens to a
>>vehicle for discourse between concerned citizens.
>>
>>Greg Brown, who worked in computer services at UI, is credited with
>>building the original vehicle. "I have taken the liberty of setting up a
>>Vision 2020 listserv group," reads an e-mail he wrote in late 1994 and
>>remains in the Vision 2020 archives. "This service will allow you to
>>conveniently mail to everyone in the Vision 2020 list without
>>maintaining a list of your own."
>>
>>Bird, according to the archives, was first to post.
>>
>>"Greetings," wrote Bird. "I'm so excited about our listserver I couldn't
>>wait to try it out!"
>>
>>Bird, Palmer and Brown were the only ones to post messages during the
>>first month Vision 2020 was up and running. The number of posts jumped
>>to around 10 the next month, followed by more than 80 the month after
>>and today the posts number between 30 and 60 per day, depending on how
>>heated the issues might be.
>>
>>Once the electronic soapbox became an entity unto itself, say London,
>>Bird and Palmer, it continued to morph into what has become a raspy
>>exercise of First Amendment rights and unencumbered free speech.
>>
>>"I think it really exists on its own. It's like an amoebae scrounging
>>around out there," says London, adding that a scrounging amoebae isn't
>>always a pretty sight.
>>
>>"We were hoping that it would become a way for the public to educate
>>themselves, and strengthen civic dialogue," London says of how he and
>>others viewed Vision 2020 once it took on a life of its own. "Of course,
>>to a great degree, it's a great failure because of the pettiness and
>>name-calling."
>>
>>Bird and Palmer agree. Both say they rarely, if ever, post.
>>
>>"I haven't looked at Vision 2020 probably since the fall of 2004, the
>>presidential election," Bird says. "It wasn't so much the tone of the
>>discourse as much as the shear volume that drove me off." Bird says his
>>e-mail account is flooded enough without having it overflow with Vision
>>2020 posts. His colleagues, however, continue to lurk and keep him
>>posted about the dialogue.
>>
>>Palmer says she doesn't even lurk. "I'm a little disillusioned," she
>>says. "For awhile it had a great public service aspect. For example, my
>>cat got lost."
>>
>>Palmer says she posted news of the lost cat and it was found a few hours
>>later.
>>
>>That sort of thing continues to happen on Vision 2020. Lost dogs and
>>cats are found. People exchange recipes. Agendas for public meetings are
>>posted. And even the debates, more often than not, end with good things
>>happening, London says.
>>
>>The failures, contends London, pale in comparison to the unique service
>>Vision 2020 continues to provide and the potential for its participants
>>to police themselves and actually raise the level of discourse.
>>
>>All that comes against assessments offered by the likes of Doug Wilson,
>>pastor of Moscow's Christ Church and a perpetual target (some say by his
>>own making) on Vision 2020. Credited and blamed for coining the idiom
>>"Venom 2020," Wilson sums up the e-mail list by saying, "I think it's an
>>embarrassment to the community."
>>
>>****
>>
>>At the request of the Lewiston Tribune, London came up with 12 of the
>>more active posters on Vision 2020 and posted a request for them to
>>contact the newspaper if they wanted to offer their assessment of the
>>e-mail list.
>>
>>"My experience with things like this is that no good can possibly come
>>of it," groused one person. "I would be happy to defer my position to
>>someone else."
>>
>>Several people, however, jumped at the opportunity and offered their
>>views via e-mail.
>>
>>"I believe that the most beneficial attribute of Moscow Vision 2020 is
>>its openness," writes Tom Hansen, one of the more prolific contributors.
>>"It is like a community social club with the proverbial soap box and an
>>open mic 24/7. The biggest complaint that I have is when a topic
>>degenerates to name calling. I have been guilty of it myself on
>>occasion, although with less and less frequency."
>>
>>Writes Phil Nisbet, a relatively recent arrival to the list who posts
>>regularly, "What's good about V 2020? It's a good early warning system
>>for plans germinated by the left in Moscow. What's bad about it? Knowing
>>what they plan requires you to respond, which in turn makes you a
>>target."
>>
>>Joan Opyr, known locally as Auntie Establishment, sums up her regular
>>participation as a means "to entertain, to inform, and to be part of the
>>larger community conversation. I'm naturally gregarious. I'm also an
>>incorrigible smart-ass. Vision 2020 helps me get in touch with my inner
>>Groucho Marx."
>>
>>"Another bad thing about V 2020 is that some people think it adequately
>>reflects the Moscow community at large," writes Dan Carscallen, another
>>regular on the list. "Hogwash. While it is somewhat pervasive, there are
>>still people in Moscow who don't even know what Vision 2020 is."
>>
>>****
>>
>>After all is never said and never done, because that is the nature of an
>>unmoderated listserv, Vision 2020's future is as tenuous as its history
>>is rancorous. London and Moore concede they don't like to even broach
>>the idea Vision 2020 disappearing, but it's pretty obvious to anyone who
>>really contemplates how and why Vision 2020 works.
>>
>>It works because it exists on its own -- unmoderated and unencumbered by
>>the legal constraints of other media like television, radio and
>>newspapers. Even the blogs on the Internet are usually sponsored,
>>written or edited by a person who controls the site and therefore
>>assumes some legal responsibility.
>>
>>Vision 2020 works differently because of First Step Internet's hands-off
>>support. As Moore explains, his company is willing to maintain the
>>soapbox, but has nothing to do with what those who climb aboard say
>>about anything.
>>
>>"The idea is we do it for a public service," Moore says. So when people
>>on both sides of issues and the political spectrum get upset with Vision
>>2020, they howl to Moore.
>>
>>"We are walking that tightrope. Sometimes the right-wingers hate our
>>guts, same with the left-wingers. We take this responsibility
>>seriously."
>>
>>And therein lies the threat to Vision 2020's future.
>>
>>Because no one moderates the site, no one edits what's written. And when
>>all that is written becomes part of the public discourse, Vision 2020
>>becomes vulnerable to sabotage.
>>
>>Despite all the self-policing the participants attempt, the risk is
>>always present that someone will push the free-speech envelop too far
>>and First Step Internet might opt to dismantle the soapbox.
>>
>>"It's a little scary, so we're always watching and monitoring," Moore
>>says.
>>
>>The Internet address for Vision 2020 is www.vision2020.moscow.com.
>>Subscriptions are free.
>>-----------------------
>>It ain't easy bein' free,
>>
>>DC
>>
>>_____________________________________________________
>>List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>               http://www.fsr.net
>>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>>
>
>_____________________________________________________
>List services made available by First Step Internet, serving the 
>communities of the Palouse since 1994.                 http://www.fsr.net   
>                              mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

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