If any other company tried to force a community site to censor comments that made them look bad, they would suffer a tremendous public-relations backlash. Everybody would see them as thugs and villains, and most probably boycott anything to do with them. However, since this is Microsoft, most people already do see them as thugs and villains, and those who use Microsoft products usually don't do so out of choice. Microsoft's public image doesn't have far to fall in this case.

-- Andrew C. Bulhak

How can you describe what happened on Slashdot as merely "reveal(ing) information about Microsoft's ... technology"? The entire copyrighted Microsoft document was posted to a message board. This hardly qualifies as simply "revealing information" and certainly isn't covered by fair use.

I doubt Salon would be as forgiving if they found somebody illegally reproducing the entire content of one of their articles.

-- John Stephen

Clash of the featherweights
BY JOE CONASON
(05/09/00)

Joe Conason's otherwise-perceptive commentary implies, but neglects to actually mention the probable reason for our commercial and diplomatic double standard for China and Cuba. Neither may be making significant strides toward improving human rights, but China differs in another, crucial regard: China is fast becoming investor-friendly. The difference is one between the ideology that we expound and the one that we practice. China may not be embracing democracy but it is abandoning strict Communism, which simple fact endears it to U.S. policymakers. One suspects that if Castro gave us access to Cuban labor, industry and markets, he would find Cuban-American relations commensurately warmer, even if he did nothing to improve the plight of his people.

-- Dan Parslow

Godless television
BY SEAN ELDER
(05/11/00)

In regards to CBS not allowing religious advertising during its showing of "Jesus": Before trotting out the usual round of "liberal media" complaints, remember this was the same rule used to prevent ads for arms control running during "The Day After," and Olivia cruises during "Ellen." You may not like the rule (I don't), but be sure to note it is not arbitrarily applied.

-- Lloyd Leibowitz

I am tempted to watch this miniseries now for the same reason some watch the Super Bowl -- to see the commercials. Will there be an ad for Mrs. Paul's fish sticks? Gallo wines? Evian? The mind boggles.

-- Jim Roberts-Miller

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