A member could become absent from the list for an
extended time, for a legitimate reason, such as vacation. His "enemy," being
aware of that in advance, could take the opportunity to challenge a
particular statement in a post as false, knowing that his challenge would not
be countered within the set time limit. The consequence might be as serious
as the removal of the innocent posting individual.
Therefore, this rule cannot be imposed automatically. It must be under the
jurisdiction of a moderator, who would have the authority to take into
account legitimate, pre-announced absences from the list when adjudicating
issues that fall under this rule. The scope of the moderator's authority
should include allowing rebuttals by member-designated "proxies," for
example "I authorize Joop Teernstra to be my proxy for false statement
challenges during my vacation 19 July - 1 August 2003 inclusive."