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Dear Editorbeing,

This article is submitted by Doc Logger (163/110) who labours in the bowels of Swamp Swine Magazine. The aforementioned organ can also be reached at cherriot@magmacom.com for those whose wish to submit PlainBrownWrapperMail(tm) about the foibles of the usual suspects.

Roll da flic, Zorch....

Dear Reverend Visage,

Do you still have those recipes for Chevron that were so kindly given to you by Jackie Onassis' chef? The reason I ask is that Fidoland has been convulsed by a set of events which, no lie here, began with a horse story. You'll need to break open another cask of Laphroag so that you can appreciate the savage ugliness of the events. We may have to polish off our artistic licenses and restate the phrase: "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely" with the new truism "Power makes you real stupid."

Naturally, this is a saga involving Bob Kohl (R10C) who has gathered at least one admirer and enough detractors to repopulate the Bimini Atol. This week has seen the departure of both David Hallford R10EC and Mike Murray, NoCal Zhub. What is remarkable about both departures is that they have written declarations that they are leaving due to the odious machinations of Bob Kohl . In Hallford's case he cites an incident where Kohl demanded that Hallford remove an NEC from her position. Do you hear the hoofbeats yet, Visage? Was Kohl's reasoning due to the incompetence of the NEC? Nope. Was it for a policy violation? Nope. It was...incredibly, based upon Kohl's personal emnity towards the NEC because she had refused to provide free boarding for Kohl's horse. Due to Kohl's petty vindictiveness, Region 10 lost two of their number who had been graciously providing echomail service to the other sysops.It is tempting to write that for want of a horse house, his kingdom was lost.

When the rank odour of Kohl's weasellings became evident, one of the Region10 NCs sent out netmail to the other NCs inquiring whether they felt that Kohl still had their confidence to continue as the R10C. Much hilarity ensued when our very own Zorch Frezberg sent out a stern letter threatening a policy complaint because he felt the inquiry was posted from an ersatz address. Poor Zorch has no idea how much his cheesy attempts to stifle the discussion added to the legendary status of his buffoonery. Our prayers and our edible underwear should go out to him, and may the farce be with him. With Bob Kohl residing at Satti's feet in the Z1REGCON elflord echo, one can only imagine what the Great Minds can conjure in their attempts to circle the wagons and keep accountability at bay.

Speaking of Bob Satti (Z1C) I see that he is plagued by embarrassing questions from Ward Dossche(Z2C) as to why Bob is so opposed to crediting the Zone 1 sysops with any intelligence. Dossche is asking that the selection of the new IC follow the lines of representative democracy. The prospect of allowing self-determination to the sysops must truly horrify Satti for it would surely mean the end of his own self-appointed reign.

For this week's Chautauqua I would like to lead off with a quote from Thomas Paine taken from his "Rights of Man." For those unaware of Paine, he was a pamphleteer whose work "Common Sense" is judged to be the seminal work that spawned the American Revolution. "Rights of Man" (pub. 1790) is largely a response to Edmund Burke who had asserted the Divine Rights of Kings as the guiding principal for governance.

"It has been thought that a considerable advance towards establishing the principles of Freedom, to say, that government is a compact between those who govern and those who are governed; but this cannot be true, because it is putting the effect before the cause; for as man must have existed before governments existed, there necessarily was a time when governments did not exist, and consequently there could exist no governors to form such a compact with. The fact therefore must be, that the *individuals themselves*, each in his own personal and sovereign right, *entered into a compact with each other* to produce a government: and this is the only mode in which governments have a right to arise, and the only principle on which they have a right to exist."

I rather like this quote because if one were to substitute either "Policy 4" or "the *Cs" for each instance of "government" or "those who govern" it neatly points out the philosophical fallacy upon which the Z1/RCs have relied for their presumed powers. Policy4 was never ratified or voted upon by the "governed" who happen to be sysops. Those who assert that "we must follow policy" are certainly putting the effect before the cause. If Policy4 has any legitimacy (which it currently doesn't) it must manifest itself as a compact between sysops. The self-perpetuating ZC/RC appointment process is anathema to any notion of consensual governance.

For those who joined Fidonet after its Halcyon days and after the founding principles were hijacked by brigands, the notion of reasserting the rights of sysops seems futile. I would humbly suggest that if there is any futility, it is in the expectation that sysops will collectively throw off cowardice and tell the *C elflords that we are not *ruled* at their leisure. The egregious excesses of the likes of Kohl, or the imperial pretentiousness of Swartz (R16C), only obtain credence because it is assumed that they control the nodelist. In point of fact, the nodelist and any rights to it, are vested in the sysops whose names appear in it. There is nothing on earth to prevent the nodelist from being compiled, collated and distributed from sources other than the ZC/RC's elflord lair. Just as they presume any power to intrude into the affairs of sysops, the elflords can be made irrelevant.

I must go Visage. Your secretary is ululating at high decibels. Who would have thought that her humours would reach critical mass simply because the herd of water buffalo that you shipped to us have been stampeding all day. As the good and decent people that we are, we should send her immediately to Chadron, Nebraska.

Regards,
Doc Logger
Furlang Island, South Pacific