On 05/12/06, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton(a)gmail.com> wrote:
As far as
I am aware, neither Wikipedia nor the Wikimedia Foundation
are the United States.
True, Wikipedia can have rules in addition to the law. However, what
are discrimination laws like in the US? Could banning Nazis get the
Foundation into legal difficulties?
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, or even an American. That said, it
appears to me that Wikipedia is a privately-operated members' club,
and is entitled to specify what is allowed not to be said or done on
its premises, much as the Britney Spears Fan Club is entitled to kick
out people who insist that Christina Aguilera is cooler. Neither is a
violation of US law.
--
Earle Martin
http://downlode.org/
http://purl.org/net/earlemartin/
Might depend on tax law. If I remember correctly (it's been 15 years since
I dealt with this), 501(c) and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt and private foundations
can run afoul of the IRS if there is a clear indication of active
discrimination. In this case, I don't see any evidence of an active policy
of discrimination -- the issue at hand focuses around the banning of a
troll.
--
Jim