In article <Pine.GSO.3.96.971203173043.8839H-100000@numenor.turner.com> you write:
> Using the mail system for its intended purpose (sending mail) is not
> theft of service.  If I use your system as a relay without your

Recieving FAXes and printing them is the intended purpose of a FAX
machine. So you won't mind if I send 10,000 pages to you unsolicited,
right? Never mind all of the paper -- YOUR paper, that you paid for --
that I'll be wasting. Not to mention keeping the line busy...

> originator without your permission, this is theft of service.  If I send
> you mail, this is not theft of service, no matter how badly you don't
> want to receive the mail I'm sending.  If you don't want to receive
> mail, take down SMTP.  If you don't want to receive specific types of
> mail, use procmail.

It's not theft of service for me to tie up your FAX equipment and use
your paper, right? And hey, if you don't want to recieve 10,000 pages
and pay for it, you'd better not have a fax machine.

Fortunately, there is a law that protects you from this (and also, I
don't know your FAX number :->).  It works very well -- prevents almost
all unwelcome FAXes, and I've never heard of anyone not being able to
send something they should be able to send because of the law.  It
doesn't violate anyone's rights.  It's a _good_ law.  A lot better than
most laws, actually.  I don't see any danger in expanding it to include
email.  Theft is theft, after all.

I'm a libertarian (small 'l'), so more so than almost everyone, I'm
extremely leary of government sticking its nose in where it has no
business.  However, there are certain things government is good at and
*supposed* to do.  These are the reasons we allow governments exist --
basic services, like fighting wars, enforcing contracts, and putting
people who steal in jail.  Something is very wrong when we say "The
purpose of government is to pay people not to grow crops, to taste tea,
and peacekeeping missions to places that are literally hopeless (in
~1915, the US sent the Marines to Haiti to straighten things out.  It
only took 19 years...  and things have been fine ever since.  Not!). 
But you want government to stop theft? That's not their job! They
shouldn't interfere with that!"