Ahh... Isn't it great to be an old fogie folc *and* a packrat?
This
thread prompted SuperGEM to find the original "All I Need to Know I Learned From Lois and Clark." SuperGEM then asked hopefully if anyone had the FoLC Bill of Rights. Well... me being the packrat that I am, as well as having been a little obsessive about printing things out when I first found the online fandom
, I had it sitting in a notebook. So here it is, scanned and hopefully edited correctly after some small arguements with the pdf file...
Oh, and there are a few acronyms used that were common back in the day, but I know they're not so much used anymore. You can find out what they stand for
here .
Enjoy!
Sara
The FoLC Bill of Rights
authored by S. L. (attorney-at-law)
last updated 1/29/96
1.We have the right to freedom of religion (to be SWOCKS, TDOLLS,TDOCKS, etc.); freedom of speech (to use incomprehensible acronyms such as LOL, HiM, VD); freedom of peaceable assembly (in the gutter, on #LOISCLA, in restaurants, private homes, etc.); freedom to petition the Government (TPTB) for a redress of grievances (regarding wil1-they-or-won't-they, pre-emptions, repeats, future plots, etc.). These rights shall be exercised in a polite and respectful manner. This right shall not, however, interfere with TPTB's rights to make and correct mistakes *before* the episodes actually air; TPTB have the right not to be unduly or prematurely harassed by FoLCs exercising their first amendment rights.
2. We have the right to form a well-regulated militia (in order to storm the WB Studio, WB stores, comic book outlets, etc.) and to bear arms (or at least to go to the LAFoLCfest bearing baskets!). We have the right to demand Dean *bare* his arms in tank tops or short sleeve shirts (black) at least once an episode. Teri must bare her...well, enough said!
3. No non-FoLC shall be quartered in a home without consent of the owner. No FoLC shall post a message on the list without first providing an introduction.
4. We have the right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures (of LnC tapes, magazines, fanfic, #LOISCLA logs, and other materials).
5. We have the right to a jury of our peers ("We find the defendant, Gorn, not guilty of the possession of, and intent to distribute, literature of a prudent and pornographic nature."); to be free from charges of double jeopardy ("When I watched the episode for the tenth time, I noticed something else...!").We have the right not to incriminate ourselves ("I really don't need to see them have sex..."), and to be afforded due process ("You have the right to remain silent about an episode. If you give up that right, anything you *do* say can and will be used against you in a court of #LOISCLA or the list. You have the right to watch an episode more than once on videotape. If you cannot afford a videotape [your vcr malfunctioned], one will be mailed to you [at a reasonable price]. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?").
6. We have the right to a polite, speedy and public (or private) trial regarding our posts on
the list (although the wheels of the list sometimes grind to a halt). We have the right(though not the obligation!) to post thinly-veiled "mee-toos", provided they also contain new information. We have the right (though again not the obligation) to post numerous messages in one day, although combining posts is encouraged. We have the right to be confronted by our accuser regarding said posts (but no flames, please!).
7. In discussion of spoilers where the value of the spoiler shall exceed most FoLCs willingness to read said spoiler, the right to use the heading *spoiler* shall be preserved (and strictly enforced!), and no aspect of the spoiler shall be otherwise re-examined in any message, than according to the rules of discussion of spoilers.
8. We have the right to be protected from excessive flames, insults, and comments about our national or cultural identity, hair color, fashion sense, favorite or least favorite episode, etc. These constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
9. The rights of this Constitution shall not disparage other rights retained by the people on the list, i.e. the right to have seen "Tango& Cash" for reasons other than TH; the right to watch "90210" even when DC *wasn't* on; the right to have joined Bally's because TH was such a great spokesperson; the right to consider "Lois and Clark" only a television program, with all the laws/problems/inconsistencies therein; etc.
10. The powers not delegated to TPTB at WB, ABC, Disney or their subsidiaries, nor prohibited by the FoLCs, are reserved to the FoLCs respectively. In other words, in fanfic, *anything* is possible!
This is a keeper!
