Please Stay Away From Rhetoric

Reader asks ISP-Planet to stick to the facts and stay away from politically charged verbiage.

[Response to Knock Down the Silos from May 13, 2005.]

[May 24, 2005]

Hello:

I don't suppose I should leap to such conclusions asthe linked blogger (Isenberg): "[Goldman's article] is either intellectual incompetence or intellectual dishonesty."

But one might be inclined to do so when thespecious reasoning that the "Silos" articleexhibits is given any consideration other thanas rhetorical flourish, which might be why Goldmanprefers to dwell on that aspect of Thierer's essay.

The facts do support Theirer's position,if not his rhetoric.

Such rhetorical flourish might be an indication thatthere is no substantive argument behind it, but beinga small long time independent ISP, I would rather nothave my business collectivized, thank you.I still remember when private telco and telecom servicesbusinesses didn't really exist at all, not that things haveimproved that much. Telcos, telecom, and RF have forentirely too long been considered a "commons" for politicalpurposes, which is the very cause of monopolies (and theridiculous levels of taxation distorting the market).

Political power creates monopolies, not private property.

In spite of Theirer's overuse of rhetoric, he never arguedfor monopoly as Goldman brazenly suggests:"At ISP-Planet, we believe that monopolies are appropriate to feudal,communist, and fascist regimes..."

Goldman might believe that Theirer's overuse of rhetoric,and lack of facts and reasoning in that particular essay,justified his own in the "Silos" article. I don't...particularly when there is not only an absence of factsand reason in the "Silos" article, but specious reasoningas well.

This says nothing about any possible advantages or disadvantagesof the layered regulatory regime suggested by the MCI guy, butthe "Silos" article didn't say much about that either.

Thanks,

John Shafto
President, Altaire Enterprises, Inc.