Re: inappropriate racist and other offensive material
> > I think it's reasonable for the Debian maintainer of the package to
> > remove the comments from his version; it's really up to him (or a
> > General Resolution or other override) to make that decision.
>
> I think it is unreasonable. That's like saying that the library has a
> right to burn books that it finds filthy or innappropriate. If you
> modify source code simply to remove the authors remarks, your are
> censoring, and are no better than a book-burner.
*Does* the library have the right to censor books it finds filthy or
inappropriate? I was under the impression they do indeed have that
power... at the very least, I don't recall the last time the library
near me carried the latest issue of penthouse...
Trying to stir up passions by comparing snipping racist remarks from
source to the image of a torch-waving book burning (and the implicit
link to nazism) doesn't strike me as a good analogy... the request that
the racist material be snipped, or that it be shot off into a -offensive
package (a la fortune) is several steps removed from demanding that the
author's package be srm'd, following by the shredding of any drive
platters it's touched...
I may be way off base, but I think it's fair to file a bug request
pointing out the offensive nature of the racist material in the package,
asking that it be considered for splitting into -normal and
-offensive... what the maintainer chooses to do is his own decision,
though, and I don't think anything short of a resolution of some sort
could force the change upon it (but I would have to look up the rules
before I say for certain what can and cannot be forced).
~Warren
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