We got a lot of mail this week, rather a bit more than usual. This warms what is left of your old country editor's heart, and gives meaning and purpose to our endeavors.

Most correspondence was in response to "City Mouse, Country Mouse", a suprisingly ascerbic attack upon THE SAILOR PROJECT, a misguided internet-delivery effort currently being perpetrated upon the citizens of Maryland by the State of Maryland, in particular the Pratt Library in Baltimore.

Many of our correspondents were teachers,whose identities we agreed to conceal, (quite gleefully, we do confess, since no friend is better than a co-conspirator.)

"I wish SAILOR would sail over the horizon, never to return." one advised, and we were impressed with the effective use of language, and poetic imagery.

We were pleased to hear from a businessman, as well, whose message assured us again that those engaged in private enterprise rather than public ones see these matters clearly:

   From: Dan Smith 
   Organization: Moore Warfield & Glick real Estate
   To: journal@shore1.intercom.net
   Subject: State of Maryland and Library access to internet

   I have just read your editorial.  Thank you.  

   Very well done - Educators and school library systems
   need facilities (public) for students who may not be able
   to afford a computer access to the internet from home.  It is
   essential that State of Maryland education systems provide
   access so as to equal the educational opportunities for 
   all students, regardless of economic status.

   Keep it up.

   Dan
   -- 
   Dan Smith , REALTOR        Moore Warfield & Glick Real Estate

Feeling less all the time like we were out on a limb, and grinding bootheel into solid ground, we invited Pratt to respond. A polite invitation, at first, in the form of an advisory, followed by another.

There was none, of course. We recognize that in the scheme of things, we are but a wart on the nose of a flea that has perched on a dog that is sleeping outside the door of the Pratt Library, and that their most prudent course would be to ignore us. (That is what our family does, as well, so there is no offense.)

But those mischevious sisters, Felicity and Circumstance, had their way with us as they often do, and provided us with a response.

First, our hit reports indicated a sudden increase in interest from libraries accross the state, and we were pleased to have such erudite readers. We anticipated at least a spelling or grammar advisory.

There was none, so we could only assume that if there were errors, none were egregious enough that librarians could not ignore them.

But we actually MET A SAILOR PERSON, wholly by chance, while in the Wicomico County Library, and we had a most illuminating converstation with him.

His name is Russell Doyen, and he is a very bright and engaging fellow. He had had the article forced upon him, (for his own good, we assume) by library staff, and had just read it.

He had the look of one who had been criticized long and often for things that were not under his control, and we felt no joy in putting him on the spot.

But when you set out to play a particular song, you owe it to the song to finish, and we did. We asked him what in the world was wrong with SAILOR, and his answer was astounding.

"There is nothing wrong with SAILOR," he advised. "It's the dial-up that is not working."

He then began to explain that there was some conflict between the telephone company equipment and theirs which had not been resolved.

It was clear that SAILOR believes their responsibility ends there, and not at the home, where the connection matters. Anyone who has observed public employees at any length has observed this psychology at work before. We call this the "It's not my job" mentality, which defies accountability.

"Three WEEKS ?" we asked, for that was how long the system had been down. "Do you realize what would happen if an independent provider were down that long ?" we asked. The answer is simple. They would likely go out of business.

Satisfied with that answer, and believing it to be reasonable proof that un-accountable public agencies should not be in charge of providing oxygen, medical supplies or internet access, we pressed on.

"When it does work, why is it so AWFUL ?", we inquired, referring to the slow and tedious menu-driven interface from the depths of the 80's.

"There are security concerns. We don't want someone coming in and trashing the library's computers." He was referring to the possiblity that someone could, upon entering the system, login to another computer on the system, and wreak havoc upon it.

We checked with Richard Mitchell a web expert of no small reputation, and he advised that these concerns had been raised and resolved some time ago.

"The security concern does exist, he said. "there are always people who are going to break in." One simply has to keep sensitive or confidential systems off the network.

That is the key, he advised. While there is a lot of data on an internet provider's computer systems, it is meant to be seen, not hidden. Unix provides more than adequate security for user access management, but the basic function of a web-server is information distribution, and entertainment. It's not, as they say, brain-surgery.

One other point made by Mr. Doyen during our conversation had to do with personnel. There are, he said, THREE FULL-TIME employees at SAILOR. Good heavens. We know of small craft shops that employ more people. What could these people possibly be thinking?

They're not. That much is clear.

It's clear they don't understand how important access is to people once they get it. It's clear they don't understand that when people begin to incorporate this kind of communication into their lives, they are extremely upset when it is unavailable to them.

It is clear that they don't care, or they would have worked on the lower-shore dialup until it was working, not until they had attributed the responsibility to someone else.

It is equally clear they share the view of our former Governor, William Donald Scheaffer, whose "How's that ____-house of the Eastern Shore?" remark best illustrated metropolitan Maryland's view of those fortunate enough not to drive the Beltway to work.

Sail away, SAILOR. No one wants to book passage on a ship of fools.