Date: Sat, 8 Mar 1997 20:02:13 -0800
From: WebMaster <webmaster@solidoak.com>
To: afn23950@afn.org
Subject: Re: Regarding disturbing reports re Cybersitter

Get lost!
 
On 3/8/97 10:39pm you wrote...
>Dear sir:
>
>This is in regards to several highly disturbing reports about some sites
>blocked by CyberSitter and possible motivations as to same.
>
>Among other things, I have read and investigated you are blocking sites
>other than for reasons that they contain adult content; specifically, many
>of the sites mentioned are being blocked for possibly partisan and/or
>sectarian reasons.
>
>For instance, it has been reported that both the sites for the National
>Organisation for Women (as well as several feminist sites) and peacefire.
>org have been blocked.  Neither contain adult content; in fact, peacefire.
>org is a site which relates to freedom of speech issues for minors and
>which appears to have been blocked for the solitary reason that it notes
>that several "surfing watch" programs block sites such as feminist sites
>and support newsgroups on Usenet.  (I have also read reports that you have
>threatened to block the entire upstream provider to peacefire.org should
>they not remove the site pointing out this "feature" in your software.)
>
>It has also been reported that your software is heavily promoted by a
>Religious Right activist group, Focus on the Family.  (I have confirmed
>this by visiting FoF's web site.)  Many of your responses to persons,
>including peacefire.org, as well as the sites blocked indicate you may be
>promoting a software product that in fact promotes the agenda of Focus on
>the Family and other Religious Right fundamentalist groups without
>mentioning this fact in your promotions literature.  
>
>I should inform you that I find the action of literally trying to bully
>peacefire.org into dropping its site mentioning how CyberPatrol blocks
>its software--to the extent of threatening to block its entire upstream
>provider and even threatening legal action--extremely reprehensible.  If
>anything, it parallels in my mind the repeated attempts of the Church of
>Scientology to destroy a Usenet discussion group by legal threats, forged
>rmgroups, forged cancellations, and newsgroup flooding (as well as
>harassment of posters) due to the fact several persons, including former
>members of the CoS, have told of objectionable practices by the Church of
>Scientology.  
>
>As a direct result, the JihadWeb pages [http://www.ntr.net/~sheridan/
>jihad/index.html] will effective immediately have a link to peacefire.
>org.  (As JihadWeb is more than likely already blocked, it's doubtful
>you will worry too much on this.)  I am also informing the webmaster of
>peacefire.org of this fact.
>
>As stated before, I have also been made aware that the group Focus on the
>Family heavily promotes your software.  If you are unaware, FoF is not
>merely a "family values" group, but in fact a Religious Right group that
>is, according to the American Library Association, "the single leading
>pro-censorship group in the United States today" and which supports
>legislative and other initiatives which are based on a fundamentalist
>Christian doctrine.  Some of the proposals that FoF supports--such as
>mandating school prayer and proclamations that the US is a "Christian
>nation"--many persons may find objectionable.  The agenda of FoF is not
>widely advertised in regards to your software.
>
>In light of this, I would VERY much appreciate it if you would clarify
>your present relationship, and the present relationship of Solid Oak
>Software, with Focus on the Family and/or similar groups (such as the
>American Family Association, Concerned Women for America et al).  This is
>especially necessary in light of the fact CyberPatrol is being considered
>for use in libraries--which are very often the direct targets of book
>challenges by Focus on the Family and several similar groups of books most
>parents do not find objectionable (such as R.L. Stine's Goosebumps
>series).
>
>For that matter, I'd appreciate clarification on most of this--I get the
>very bad feeling, especially in relation to the attempt to bully
>peacefire.org into removing information on the selection criteria of
>CyberPatrol in blocking sites, that your actions indicate (rightly or
>wrongly) that Solid Oak Software has something to hide.
>
>Your response is appreciated.
>
>-wtf (nyar!)
>
>