[WikiEN-l] Arbcom has completely lost its mind

[dalbury at bellsouth.net]

> 
> From: BJörn Lindqvist <bjourne at gmail.com>
> Date: 2006/02/17 Fri AM 11:50:17 EST
> To: English Wikipedia <wikien-l at wikipedia.org>
> Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Arbcom has completely lost its mind
> 
> If Wikipedia isn't mine, then who owns it? Who gets to decide whether
> publishing "I am a fish" on your user page is allowed or not? Why
> doesn't my opinion carry as much weight as the next one? AFAIK there
> is no Wikipedia-rule against writing pedophile on your user page. I
> thought that was the whole reason for this email thread.

The Foundation owns Wikipedia.

> Most constitutions (the one in the US for example) explicitly
> guarantees every citizens right to free speech. Most countries also
> have laws that makes saying and publishing certain things illegal. In
> most countries with "free speech," you are allowed to put "almost any
> poster you want on your front door." Similarly, Wikipedia allows you
> to put almost any description of yourself you want on your user page.

No. The U.S. Constitution prohibits Congress from restricting ''free speech''. The courts have extended that to state and local governments. There is no protection of free speech on private property, such as the servers on which Wikipedia is hosted. Try going to a shopping mall and lecturing the shoppers in favor of a position that is not popular in your community.