SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
WADL-New England
Regional Director: Diane DesRochers, BA;MC
<grotonwitc@aol.com>
&
FIRST AMENDMENT LEGAL DEFENSE FUND:
Citizens Against Censorship
President Art Ketchen <Solus68443>
NOW MAKE FORMAL NOTICE THAT WE HAVE ALLIED WITH AND PLACE ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES AT THE DISPOSAL OF:
Asherah Webmistress- The Witches.Com
E- mail: asherah@thewitches.com
Website: http://www.thewitches.com
Phone: (413) 772-2410
TEXAS PAGAN AWARENESS ORGANIZATION
Webmistress- Lhiannon
E- mail: Lhiannon@texas.net
Website: http://www.tpao.org
Phone: ?
&
PEACEFIRE
Webmaster Bennett Haselton
E- mail: bennett@peacefire.org
Website: http://www.peacefire.org
Phone: ?
IN THEIR ONGOING CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CLEARLY ILLEGAL , IMMORAL AND JUDGEMENTALLY PREJUDICIAL ATTACKS AGAINST THE FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOMS GUARANTEED ****ALL**** CITIZENS OF THESE UNITED STATES
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING POSTING FROM ASHERAH FOR SPECIFICS:
May the Gods always stand between you and harm in all the empty places you must walk.
Diane Des Rochers, BA;MC
Regional Director: WADL-New England
(Witches Anti-Discrimination Lobby)
Board of Directors:
FIRST AMENDMENT LEGAL DEFENSE FUND:
Citizens Against Censorship
HP'ess: Temple of AppleMoon Coven and Teaching Grove, Inc.
Author of WALKER BETWEEN THE WORLDS
(a "psi-fi" metaphysical, novel published by Llewellyn)
Concord, NH State Prison:
Wiccan clergy & pastoral counseling volunteer
Mailing address:
AppleMoon / WADL-New England
P.O. Box 384
Groton, MA 01450-0384
(978) 448-5584 *** Note: New area code!
E-mail: grotonwitc@aol.com / newadl@aol.com
QUESTION AUTHORITY! THINK FOR YOURSELF - Before it becomes illegal.
NEVER AGAIN THE BURNING!
AS ALWAYS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WISH TO BE DELETED FROM OR ADDED TO MY MAILING LISTS FOR:
* WADL-New England (Witches'Anti-Discrimination Lobby)
* ONLINE HEALING CIRCLES (as both healer and petitioner)
* HUMOR, WISDOM, POETRY, RITUAL, SHARING, ETC.
*** Please specify which: (if any) and reply with "ADD" or "DELETE" in the Subject heading - and be patient if I can't immediately respond. I'm working as fast as I can. If this is the first direct mailing you have received from WADL-New England or if this mailing was forwarded to you, chances are you are not on any of my lists.
*** Also. if you are local to the Boston MetroWest area and would like to be notified of local upcoming gatherings, workshops, etc, let me know. ****
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." ---- Quoted in Sam J. Ervin,Jr. "Protecting the Constitution" Michie, 1984
Orthodoxy is a response to a religion's loss of piety. Fundamentalism is a religion's response to a loss of power.
***********************************************
From Asherah
Webmistress- The Witches.Com
asherah@thewitches.com
http://www.thewitches.com
Phone: (413) 772-2410
The Burning Times are back. This time in the form of the filtering software Cybersitter produced by Solid Oak Software Inc. (http://www.solidoak.com )
Brian Milburn CEO of Solid Oak Software Inc. has decided to block or censor access to Wiccan/Pagan sites for anyone using his product. This includes numerous public libraries that have this software installed.
Solid Oak Software Inc. has added the words "witch", "wicca", "wiccan", "pagan" and "witchcraft" along with many other words associated with Paganism to it's list of banned words. Along with words associated with other minority religions such as "Jehovah's Witnesses", "Shaman", "Hare Krishna", "Brethren" (which effectively blocks over 90 different Lutheran sites) and many others. By doing this, many wiccan/pagan sites are completely blocked through use of the software. The Pagan Awareness League has been doing it's own extensive testing of the software and has already come up with a list of 104 Wiccan/Pagan sites that are blocked by the software to date. Their results can be found at http://members.aol.com/Palweb/cybsit.htm
Other pages containing the keywords mentioned are censored by the software beyond readability.
This blocking came about as a result of an e-mail that I had written criticizing Solid Oak Software for blocking The National Organization for Women's website and ALL homosexual related sites including sites focused on gay rights and AIDS awareness. As a result of that letter, I was e-mail bombed by the software company and had my own two domains, thepagans.com and thewitches.com blocked. The company further made a public statement dismissing my concerns as irrelevant due to the fact that I "run a website promoting Witchcraft and Pagan activities." Two days after blocking my domains, the above Wiccan/Pagan related keywords were added, effectively blocking or censoring ALL Wiccan/Pagan websites on the web from customers using Cybersitter.
Solid Oak Software Inc. does not make public its list of blocked sites or keywords. Therefore anyone purchasing the product, including public libraries, have no way of knowing what is being filtered. They have recently added a Cult/Occult filter to their software and this is what we as well as many minority religions are being classified as. This software also has the capacity to block newsgroups and censor ICQ and e-mail as well.
A complete page with information on this issue is available at http://www.thewitches.com/censor/blocked.htm along with suggestions on what the Wiccan/Pagan community can do to help fight this.
"Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight, you've got to kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight" -Bruce Cockburn
----------------------
THE FOLLOWING ARE FORWARDED FOLLOW-UP OR EARLIER RELATED POSTINGS THAT SHED MORE INFORMATION
Subj: Censorware Filters Lose in Library
Date: Wed, Jan 28, 1998 3:12 PM EDT
From: lowell@nassau.cv.net
X-From: lowell@nassau.cv.net (Lowell & Nancy McFarland)
To: lowell@nassau.cv.net (lowell)
The Washington Post has an article about the Prince William County, Virginia, USA., Library System that voted to remove all Censorware Filtering software from patron computers:
http://washingtonpost.com:80/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-01/28/052l-012898-idx.html
As indicated by other articles, critical of installing Censorware Filters in public library computers, the issue is not necessarily about protecting children and minors from offensive material, but overt political, moral, religious, etc., control of libraries, librarians and what adult patrons may see or have access to in public libraries.
The issue also may be about Filtering Companies and their possibly biased secret databases, word lists and macros, within their Censorware Filtering software, that they are pushing to get installed in public libraries and schools.
Various Filtering Companies seem to have targeted women's health forums, Aids information, gays & lesbians, Celtic and Pagan festivals, Paganism, Witches, Atheists, art sites, sites critical of Filtering Companies, etc., all probably Constitutionally protected, while claiming to only aid parents to keep objectionable material from their children.
Additional sources about Internet Library Censorship:
http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/hmcl.html
http://www.aclu.org/news/n080797a.html
http://www.ala.org/alagoal2000/alagoal_home.html
Excerpts are included. The complete article should be read for accuracy and completeness.
Loch Sloy!
Lowell McFarland <lowell@nassau.cv.net>
************************************
Washington Post
"Internet Rules Being Drafted For Libraries County Wants to Curb Inappropriate Behavior
By Eric L. Wee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 28, 1998; Page V01
The decision last week on the county's public library Internet computers seemed to be good news for those wanting to cruise the World Wide Web unimpeded: There would be no software filters installed.
But residents still might be barred from certain Web sites under new regulations the Prince William County Library Board has asked the library director to draft. The proposed new rules, the director has said, would seek to keep residents from accessing graphically sexual or vulgar material and would allow the library staff to keep people from looking at those sites.
The American Civil Liberties Union's Virginia chapter said that such action would be a clear violation of First Amendment rights. It's a dangerous precedent, the group says, to allow library staff to determine what is acceptable for patrons to view.
The Internet access issue, something libraries across the county are grappling with, seemed settled last week after months of debate. An unscientific survey had shown that most Prince William residents wanted unlimited use of the Internet. The Library Board voted 7 to 3 to allow that, rejecting an earlier proposal for a software filter to block certain "offensive" sites.
Willis, of the ACLU, has argued that library computer terminals should be moved to enclosed areas, such as cubicles, to prevent others from seeing what a user has on screen. He said he worries what will happen when someone, for example, wants to research a sensitive topic, such as Nazism or pornography, and others object to the swastikas or naked bodies on the screen."
(C) Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
*************************************************
Subj: Another Library System Removes Web Filters
Date: Thu, Jan 29, 1998 5:02 AM EDT
From: lowell@nassau.cv.net
X-From: lowell@nassau.cv.net (Lowell & Nancy McFarland)
To: lowell@nassau.cv.net (lowell)
Besides libraries in Prince William County, Virginia, the libraries in Kern County, California, will be removing all mandatory Web filtering software (Censorware).
Loch Sloy!
Lowell McFarland <lowell@nassau.cv.net>
***********************************
ACLU Hails Victory as California Library Agrees To Remove Internet Filters from Public Computers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 28, 1998
BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Responding to a warning from the American Civil Liberties Union that mandatory use of Internet filtering software may result in a lawsuit, libraries in Kern County, California, were sent this directive late Tuesday: "Please unfilter your terminals immediately!"
According to a letter faxed to the ACLU today and signed by Kern County Counsel Bernard C. Barmann, Sr., the county's new policy will provide a choice of an unfiltered or a filtered computer to both adult and minor patrons. No parental consent will be required for minors to access unfiltered computers.
The resolution came less than one week after the ACLU issued a warning that it would take legal action if officials did not remove Internet filtering software from public library computers within 10 days. The ACLU hailed the policy change as a complete victory for free speech rights.
"We applaud the Board of Supervisor's decision to honor the First Amendment rights of Kern County citizens by changing its library Internet access policy to allow all adult and minor patrons to decide for themselves whether to access the Internet with or without a filter," said ACLU National Staff Attorney Ann Beeson, in a letter to the County Counsel sent on behalf of the national ACLU and the ACLU's of Northern and Southern California.
Beeson also urged the libraries to clearly mark filtered and non-filtered terminals so that patrons can make informed decisions about which terminal to use, and to place terminals for maximum privacy.
"The County made the right decision, and I'm sure we are all relieved that this issue has been resolved swiftly and without a lengthy and costly legal battle," said Peter Eliasberg, an attorney with the ACLU of Southern California.
"Kern County now joins libraries in Santa Clara County and in San Jose, among others, in deciding to be providers of information, not censors," he added.
The filtering issue has drawn many cities across the country into a national debate about whether library systems should limit what people can see on the Internet. A library in Loudon County, Virginia is currently facing a legal challenge from local library patrons after adopting a similar Internet blocking policy. The ACLU is considering an intervention in that lawsuit on behalf of online speakers who are blocked from reaching library patrons.
"Libraries are our nation's storehouses of knowledge," said Ann Brick, Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Northern California. "Their mission is to make that knowledge available to young and old alike. Filters are fundamentally antithetical to that mission." ACLU Freedom Network Web Page: http://www.aclu.org.
-------------------------------------
ACLU Newsfeed
American Civil Liberties Union National Office
125 Broad Street
New York, New York 10004
To subscribe to the ACLU Newsfeed, send a message to majordomo@aclu.org with "subscribe News" in the body of the message. To terminate your subscription, send a message to majordomo@aclu.org with "unsubscribe News" in the body of the message.
For general information about the ACLU, write to info@aclu.org.
*************************************************
Subj: Pagan Sites Blocked (Again) by CyberCensors
Date: Sat, Feb 14, 1998 4:58 PM EDT
From: lowell@nassau.cv.net
X-From: lowell@nassau.cv.net (Lowell & Nancy McFarland)
To: lowell@nassau.cv.net (lowell)
There are reports and complaints that Pagan/Wiccan/Druidic, religious Web Sites are again being gratuitously blocked/ filtered/censored, etc., by a Web filtering company.
Rev. Robert Payne, of the important Pagan Awareness League, http://members.aol.com/Palweb/pal.htm has more details of this apparent censorship and lists of almost 200 Pagan/ Wiccan/ Druidic Web sites that PAL indicates are being censored.
http://members.aol.com/Palweb/cybsit.htm
Elements of this problem, including allegations of an e-mail bomb, also has been reported by Wired News:
http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/10170.html
Excerpts are included. The complete article should be read for accuracy and completeness.
Loch Sloy!
Lowell McFarland <lowell@nassau.cv.net>
***********************************
Wired News
Write a Complaint, Get Emailbombed
Janelle Brown
5:40pm 9.Feb.98.PST
Solid Oak is under fire from a woman who says the maker of Cybersitter Web filtering software launched an email attack against her after she sent it a critical message. Company officials deny sending Sarah Salls an emailbomb, but say she belongs to a group that has targeted the firm and was asking for trouble.
[The full e-mail complaint and other background information is online at:
http://www.peacefire.org/censorware/CYBERsitter/
Solid Oak/Cybersitter is located at:
http://www.solidoak.com/cysitter.htm ]
She says her account received more than 800 emails from support@solidoak.com, quoting her letter with the subject line "re: your crap" and a message "Do not send us any more e-mail!"
"The person mentioned is not currently a customer, runs a Web site promoting witchcraft and paganism, and would obviously not be a potential Cybersitter user," [CEO Solid Oak/Cybersitter, Brian] Milburn said via email. "She is an admitted member of a group that has been engaged in a campaign of organized harassment against us for 14 months."
The "emailbomb" is, in part, a continuation of Solid Oak's longtime war with the Peacefire organization, which was started by teenager Bennett Haselton to discuss filtering systems and their relationship to morality and censorship.
Cybersitter, for example, blocks homosexual and feminist organizations' sites.
"When you're talking about Solid Oak software, there's no point in even discussing how it's weird or ironic or doesn't make sense - everyone knows that already," said Peacefire founder Haselton.
"The question is whether they did something illegal this time."
In a semantic twist, Solid Oak also argues that the 400 emails it admits to sending don't constitute an emailbomb; and when asked to elucidate the difference between an emailbomb and 400 emails, company spokesperson Marc Kanter said, "a mailbomb would be an anonymous posting when everything would happen at once, this was 400 individual email replies from unique IP addresses."
Copyright c 1998 Wired Ventures Inc
*************************
"Injustice seems trivial to those who do not suffer it. Injustice, met with corrective action, is the only moral response. In this country, we must learn how to face injustice and correct it before there is a slaughter. " ------ Kirk M W McLaren (Merlin)
*PREJUDICE IS BEING DOWN ON SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT UP ON * THERE *CAN* BE UNITY IN DIVERSITY!!!
**************************
Subj: CyberSitter Action: Up to date so far
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 1998 8:08 PM EDT
From: cybersitter@tpao.org
X-From: asherah@thewitches.com (The Witches.Com)
Sender: cybersitter@tpao.org
Reply-to: cybersitter@tpao.org
To: cybersitter@tpao.org (CyberSitter Action Mailing List)
MM All,
Just wanted to let you know what was happening so far. Right now, I have individuals (who I will be sending subscription details about this list) working in various parts of the US searching for libraries and schools that may be using the software. I have another two individuals that have been posting news of Cybersitter's actions to Wiccan/Pagan message boards and guestbooks helping to spread the word about what is happening. I have recently updated my BLOCKED!!! page with links to various organizations that are endorsing this product ( it might be helpful to try to educate these organizations as well on how the product "really" operates)
I also added links to some important letters and interviews with both Brian Milburn and Marc Kantner of Solid Oak Software Inc. where they contradict themselves at every turn. Also included are links to "hidden" Solid Oak pages...ones with no links from their actual site...but still exist on their server and are accessible through URL.
I'm looking for individuals that are willing to download the trial version of the software and surf for other minority groups/religions that are blocked so that we may notify them as well and perhaps encourage them to join their voices with our own (Nothing is impossible)
There is a strong possiblity of some tampering with my ISP/mail by Solid Oak...testing today revealed that I may not necessarily be logging into my own ISP alone...more testing to follow. Everyone who uses the software for testing purposes must be wary of the fact that these types of capabilities exist...confirmed by several different programmers and sysadmins that I am in touch with. Be careful. I have switched my correspondence to a "safe" computer...but am still looking into the other problem.
I attended an online meeting last night to discuss the organized protest being planned in Santa Barbara...the unfortunate part is that a lot of interested individuals do not have access or are unfamiliar with how to use mIRC therefore turn-out was not up to expectation. We are trying to plan another meeting to be held online in a java chatroom of some sort rather than using mIRC.
In other news...I have gotten my hands on the "real" mailing address for Solid Oak ( don't worry kids, it wasn't obtained illegally) the address is:
Solid Oak Software
5380 Overpass Rd
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 967-9853
Might come in handy in the future. I have also found out that Solid Oak Inc. is a private corporation not a publicly traded one...but they profess no ties with any sort of religious organization whatsoever. My evidence does indeed link them to the right-wing christian group Focus on the Family, however.
That's all I have for now...other than my own personal e-mailing of many different minority group/religious organizations letting them know of Solid Oak's actions.
Sorry to be so long-winded. Anyone else have anything to contribute...my brain hurts from wracking it so much, I think I'll give someone else a turn at it.
Bright Blessings,
Asherah
Webmistress- The Witches.Com
asherah@thewitches.com
http://www.thewitches.com
"Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight, you've got to kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight" -Bruce Cockburn
************************************
6 March 1998
WARNING:
During a telephone conversation earlier today, Asherah asked me to warn anyone wishing to test CyberSitter for themselves to make backups of all their files. "Be careful! It will eat your system alive." She then illustrated her point by telling me about one young 'techie' who was helping her test the CyberSitter software. Even after deleting the software, it was two or three days before he had his system working properly again..
So again, she needs input from others on their findings - but PLEASE take precautions and KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!
IMPORTANT: Read FireBear's observation's below
BB
Diane
*************************************************
Subj: Re: CyberSitter Info - Part II
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 1998 11:20 AM EDT
From: fire_bear@hotline.com
X-From: fire_bear@hotline.com (Pete Spinney)
To: Grotonwitc@aol.com
CC: fire_bear@hotline.com
Diane,
I strongly suggest we start using the term "Trojan Horse" in all discussions pertaining to CyberSitter. It is a term that is familiar to most computer users who have at least heard of computer viruses and evokes an appropriately negative image.
A Trojan Horse in software terms is by definition, any software which appears to perform some desirable function superficially, while it is actually furthering some nefarious agenda in the background. CyberSitter has been shown in testing to block a large number of well established and legitimate religious groups and that fact combined with the knowledge of Solid Oak's religious/political affiliations should be sufficient to substantiate such a claim. A few well-placed letters to the editor in the major computer publications like "PC Magazine" or to "Consumer Reports" or the Better Business Bureau could go a long way toward forcing Solid Oak to loosen its sphincter. "Smear campaign" is such a dirty word, but for Solid Oak to have its product stigmatized as a trojan horse would be severely undesirable from a business standpoint. Of course any action taken along these lines should be carefully integrated with an overall strategy against them, so as not to shoot ourselves in the foot.
Perhaps we could employ a slightly less overt tactic at the outset, and plant a few seeds in some newsgroups (I suggest censorship and religions to start), not as Witches but simply as ordinary folks who happen to be interested in religion. Information which surfaces in the newsgroups has a way of becoming common knowledge in short order. There is the opportunity here to sharply impact their sales and as everyone knows, money is a great motivator.
One caveat here - whatever is decided to be done, we need to be careful - if Solid Oak decides to back off from its blocking of religious groups, they might decide to stop just short of restoring ALL religions. We might find ourselves the ONLY religion still blocked and that would be an unenviable position for us, as we would have less leverage in any legal maneuvering that might transpire. The fact that lots of other groups have been targeted lends great strength to our position.
Rant mode off...
Wassail,
F.B.
*****************************
Subj: CyberSitter Action: Texas Actions
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 1998 11:30 PM EDT
From: cybersitter@tpao.org
X-From: asherah@thewitches.com (The Witches.Com)
Sender: cybersitter@tpao.org
Reply-to: cybersitter@tpao.org
To: cybersitter@tpao.org (CyberSitter Action Mailing List)
MM Lhiannon,
Do you think it would be a good idea to post the pricing information along with the other info included on my page...if Cybersitter is undercutting the competition that makes them even more dangerous as far as ending up in the libraries and schools and I believe it is something the public should be made aware of.
I just came up with another ( groan...more work) idea. I was going down the list of PAL's blocked sites...and noticed that many of them do not have any reference to their site being blocked at all, so either they know, and don't particularly care, or they are not aware that they are being blocked...do you think it would be a wise idea to notify these sites of their blocking by the software?
Asherah Webmistress- The Witches.Com
asherah@thewitches.com
http://www.thewitches.com
Phone: (413) 772-2410
-----Original Message-----
From: Lhiannon Everseeking <lhiannon@texas.net>
To: CyberSitter Action Mailing List <cybersitter@tpao.org>
Date: Monday, March 02, 1998 7:38 PM
Subject: CyberSitter Action: Texas Actions
>MM, all -
>I suppose I may as well file a report as well. :)
>I have been doing a cost comparison of CYBERSitter in reference to
>educational and library pricing, and of the companies that post
>this information publicly on the Internet, CYBERSitter is about
>40$ cheaper than it's closest competition to buy. However, it offers
>a lease option that is a severe undercutting of every other
>blocking software out there.
>
>It should also be stated that while most companies price their
>corporate pricing the same as their educational pricing, CYBERSitter
>cuts educational and library pricing by half.
>
> BUY LEASE
>CyberSitter $99.50/10 Seats $1.35 per seat/min 50
>NetNannyPro $133.69/10 Seats No Lease
>SurfWatch $49.95/ 1 Seat No Lease
>X-Stop $39.95/per 1 up to 25 Seats No Lease
>NetRated $49.00 per seat No Lease
>
>We're still waiting to hear back from companies who require that
>you inquire about their pricing.
>
>I've also gotten some companies together that either endorse
>CYBERSitter, or package the software with other software, or
>that recommend it exclusively. Needless to say, this is just
>a start.
>
>1. http://arachnid.qdeck.com/qdeck/press/isuite.html
>Quarterdeck Internet Suite 2.0 comes with CYBERSitter already
>packaged in the Suite. The press release stated that "the CyberSitter
>utility will allow them to lock out pornographic materials from Web
>pages and Usenet newsgroups."
>
>2. http://www.portcullis.co.nz/
>Porticullis New Zealand LTD. recommends and sells CYBERSitter
>exclusively.
>
>3. http://www.locl.net/1index.html
>Locl Net recommends CYBERSitter exclusively.
>
>4. http://www.cybersitter.com/bellsouth.htm - CYBERSitter maintains their
>own BellSouth.net page to offer Bell South's customers discounts.
>
>Blessed be,
>Lhiannon Everseeking
>Texas Pagan Awareness, tpao.org
*************************************************'
Subj: Welcome to CyberSitter Action
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 1998 7:34 PM EDT
From: cybersitter@tpao.org
X-From: cybersitter@tpao.org (CyberSitter Action)
Sender: cybersitter@tpao.org (CyberSitter Action)
Reply-to: cybersitter@tpao.org (CyberSitter Action)
To: Grotonwitc@AOL.COM
Welcome to the CyberSitter Action mailing list. To post a message to the list, send e-mail to:
cybersitter@tpao.org
To unsubscribe from the list, send a message to cybersitter@tpao.org with just "Unsubscribe" (no quotes) in the subject.
For a complete list of commands, send a message to
cybersitter@tpao.org with just "Help" (no quotes) in the subject.
*************************************************
Subj: Let's try this one more time
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 1998 3:34 PM EDT
From: asherah@thewitches.com
X-From: asherah@thewitches.com (The Witches.Com)
To: Grotonwitc@aol.com
Here is the statement that is available on my website about the Texas Pagan Awareness Organization (TPAO) website:
3/06/98 The TPAO's website has been shut down, along with the new mailing list, Cybersitter Alert, that had been created. A mysterious cancellation order was issued for the domain. Lhiannon is still trying to work out the details and trying to get to the bottom of it. For right now, the links to TPAO, including the Cybersitter Alert mailing list are not working, I am not taking them down however, in hopes that this situation will be dealt with quickly.
As far as the other info...I will leave it to your discretion.
I sent the note to Kimberly letting her know that you were sending her some info.
I can't include the Trojan Horse thoughts, as I seem to have misplaced that e-mail...if you want to resend it, I will gladly provide my thoughts on the whole thing.
B*B Asherah
Webmistress- The Witches.Com
asherah@thewitches.com
http://www.thewitches.com
*************************************************
Subj: More info...what C-sitter does
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 1998 12:42 PM EDT
From: asherah@thewitches.com
X-From: asherah@thewitches.com (The Witches.Com)
To: Grotonwitc@aol.com
An Explanation on How the Blocking/Censoring Works
Solid Oak Software Inc. starts by entering keywords into the filtering files of the software, as well as individual URL's that they have specifically targeted to be blocked. In the case of Wiccan/Pagan sites (now classified under the Cult/Occult filter . . .see updates for more information.) some of the keywords are "wicca","wiccan", "pagan", "witch", "witchcraft", "shaman", "druid" and "goddess".
It has now been discovered that we are not the only religion and/or belief system that Solid Oak Software Inc. has a problem with. Testing has shown that words such as "jehovahswitnesses", "santeria", "scientology", "harekrishna", "unificationchurch", "druid", "shaman", "brethren", { Brethren? A Yahoo search on the word "brethren" turned up 92 Brethren, Mennonite, and Lutheran Churches, Schools, and pages that are blocked...for more on this visit the TPAO's coverage } along with many other keywords related to other non- mainstream religions. Looks as though Solid Oak's goals are to block or censor out anything that disagrees with their belief system.
This works in a few different ways:
1.) If your domain name contains any of the keywords, i.e. www.witchvox.com (The URL for The Witches Voice) the site will be completely blocked by the software. You will not be able to access the page and will receive an error message...sometimes appearing like this "Unable to open the site http://www. vox.com" ( Which reminds me by the way that the word "Mistress" is also on the list of blocked words, so any Webmistresses out there, your e-mail addresses i.e. webmistress@yourdomain.com is also filtered by the software) In the case of Netscape users, you may get a "DNS not found" message.
2.) If your site contains an overabundant use of the above keywords, your site may either be blocked completely, show up as a blank page or be censored beyond readability.
3.)Using the software, you will not be able to e-mail anyone who's name or domain name contains any of the "taboo" words. (Ringmasters and Ringmistresses of webrings located on www.webring.org be aware that you cannot e-mail sage@newdream.net the creator of webring with the software installed, as her domain is blocked by CYBERsitterx) This happens if you try to e-mail from that persons website without the e-mail filters turned on. With the e-mail filters turned on, the software blocks ALL incoming and outgoing mail to or from blocked/censored keywords or domains. i.e. if you were to try and e-mail "shaman@yahoo.com" you could not. If your e-mail address is "me@wicca.net" you would not receive mail with your e-mail filters turned on. Nor could anyone using CYBERsitterx e-mail you.
4.) Using the software, you cannot access newsgroups containing the "taboo" keywords, i.e. alt.religion.wicca or texas.religion.pagan nor any other newsgroups containing any of the taboo words interestingly enough including the newsgroup alt.censorship ( Imagine that!!!)
5.) This software also affects ICQ and IRC even without the filters defining those option turned on. ie. if you are using the software and talking to someone via ICQ and they type the sentence." I was in a wicca chatroom last night. We had an interesting discussion about witchcraft." What you would see on your end would be, "I was in a chatroom last night. We had an interesting discussion about ." Given the extremely large list of taboo words, this could make communicating via ICQ with someone using the software extremely complicated.
6.) This software also affects non-internet related programs if the software happens to detect any keywords in the programming. (A word of caution to any pagan webcrafter who may decide to test the program, DO NOT attempt to work on your webpage and upload it to the web with the software installed as it will completely screw up your pages by stripping "taboo" words from them before they are uploaded. This may not be visible through your html editor, but the effects are devestating once the page hits the Web.)
7.) Traces of this software remain in your system even after the program has been turned off or removed. i.e. a parent turns on CYBERsitterx while the child surfs, later the adult turns the program off so that he/she can surf the Web, any forbidden page (including wiccan/pagan pages) that the child might have tried to access while using the software, will still be blocked....until the cache is purged, in some cases it requires purging the cache two or three times to be able to access a "taboo" page.
8.) The filter files for this software when updated immediately default to the ON position. Unless one physically goes in and turns the specific filter off. Even when the filter file is turned OFF some censoring/blocking may occur.
9.) The software also has the ability to "read between the lines" and invent naughty words that don't even exist on the page. Such as the word "beer" from the sentence " I have been where you are"
**********
Subj: Info you requested
Date: Sat, Mar 7, 1998 11:22 AM EDT
From: asherah@thewitches.com
X-From: asherah@thewitches.com (The Witches.Com)
To: Grotonwitc@aol.com
MM Diane,
Sorry I didn't get in touch with you yesterday...I didn't discover your phone message until midnight. Lhiannon's URL is: http://www.tpao.org/ I don't have a phone # for her.
Bennett's URL is http://www.peacefire.org/
There should be a modification here:
>>The Pagan Awareness League has been doing it's own extensive testing of the software and has already come up with a list of 104 Wiccan/Pagan sites that are blocked by the software to date. Their results can be found at http://members.aol.com/Palweb/cybsit.htm Other pages containing the keywords mentioned are censored by the software beyond readability.<<<<<
The 104 should be changed to 176, that was my mistake...I meant to change it in the original posting to you.
Other than that, it looks good.
As far as The Trojan Horse thing goes, I'd like to see what comes out of this interview yesterday...what kind of "spin" the reporter puts on the story.
Heard from Bennett, he doesn't think that C-sitter is involved with the fall of TPAO. Still waiting to hear from Lhiannon on what's going on with that.
Blessed Be,
Asherah Webmistress- The Witches.Com
asherah@thewitches.com
http://www.thewitches.com
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After being liberated from a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, Pastor Martin Niemoller wrote: "First, they came for the labor unions but I wasn't a labor unionist, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Communists but I wasn't a communist, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Jews but I wasn't a Jew, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Catholics but I wasn't a Catholic, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak up."
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