Re: Mysterious war etc etc etc...

Andre wrote:
>I concurr 1`,000 percent. today i asked to be un-subed from one of
>these that sent me something directly, to which i never sub-ed in the fist
>place. but of couorse that does not protect us from the same bomardement
>from the same initiating sources when they use wsn as intermediary --
>unless we un-sub from wsn as well, for which there are more and more
>reasons in themselves, including but not only, the ones Ballinger
>mentions as well.

I am somewhat mystified by the level of disengagement from the practical
problems of running a listserv by exactly the sort of people who should
have some kind of investment in making wsn worthwhile. Peter Grimes was
supposedly the moderator but he disappeared some time back apparently.
Michael Blount stated that he was going to take administrative actions
against anybody who posted more than twice a day and would cut down on the
crossposting. I am all for that, but it does not seem to have been
implemented.

The progressive sociologists list and PEN-L at CSF are both moderated, as
are all the rest. Why can't a professor with some kind of legitimate world
systems credential be given the password for the listserv software so that
proper moderation can be carried out? More to the point, why can't people
who have some legitimate background in this field say something from time
to time to give the list some direction? Michael Perelman plays this role
on PEN-L as well as tending to mundane tasks of subbing and unsubbing people.

It is as if a room was assigned to a graduate seminar on world systems
theory at some university and not only did the professor not show up, the
room was hijacked by drunken members of the rugby team.

Louis Proyect
Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org