[atlarge-discuss] Re: [atlarge-panel] Re: [atlarge-discuss] FW:Resignation

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@ntlworld.com>]

Hi Jamie

Thanks for asking.

My position re. icannatlarge.org is that I do not like the name. However I
like democracy. The membership has spoken and this name is the democratic
will of our group.

I think our organisation can make an informed contribution as
IcannatLarge.com and that is fine.

My misgivings are:
(a) I feel we are tainted by association with the name Icann - Icann is
corrupt and we will need to work extra hard to disassociate ourselves from
the unscrupulous people who run Icann, in the eyes of an unaware public.
(b) The name "narrows" our mission by focussing too much on Icann and making
that central, when I believe user participation in the running of the
Internet should be central in a "broader" coalition of people
(c) I would prefer us to go for a more populist approach rather than the
emphasis being on establishing a smaller group of "cognoscenti" primarily
engaged in Icann issues and detail. I do not believe that mission and
outreach is particularly helped by "narrowing" our brief, so we'll have to
work hard to try to attract a wider spectrum of people

Anyway, the GOOD news is that once again democratic processes have run their
course, and the integrity of those processes is vital, if we are to have any
claim at all to democracy and representation in the running of the internet.
That's why I opposed amending the voting procedure midway through the
ballot, even though the outcome was likely to be contrary to what I
personally preferred.

Community is about more than one person's will. This is a hard - and often
frustrating - lesson. But democracy and the right of the WHOLE community to
determine its future is a priceless principle.

So where I stand on icannatlarge.com is that I welcome it as the will of the
majority and I celebrate the continuing evolution of this group along
uncompromising democratic processes.

On a secondary point, and much less important, someone suggested me as
co-chair. Let me explain my temperament to you. I am a group person and not
a leader. I dislike the "pressure" of leadership and I feel my best
contribution is to play my part as part of a team. I also lack the "insider"
knowledge of ICANN issues and technical understanding generally. I am
insufficiently experienced or temperamentally inclined to take on that
leadership role. OK, maybe leadership is the wrong role, co-ordinator would
be a better term to use.

Nevertheless I categorically prefer to serve as part of a panel team and
membership team. That's not cowardice I hope, just self-knowledge. So I
decline the invitation to be co-chair etc.

I am basically an "outsider" to this Icann World, who stumbled across
corruption and lies, and was bemused by it all. The more I dug into the
data, the more I was horrified by what I found. Disgusting people.
Unaccountable. I thought, the ordinary people of the internet should bring
these evasive tricksters to book and call them to account. Icannatlarge.com
was speaking the language and principles of doing just that.

As an "outsider" I lack in-depth knowledge of Icann and all its
machinations. But I prefer to be an outsider, because my assessment is that
Icann just draws honest people into its own agendas and schemes. I want no
part of that.

I'm interested in the agenda of ordinary people, including those of us in
IcannatLarge.com - but I also share some of Jefsey's vision of a
multiplicity of at-larges, a network of disparate communities. If
IcannatLarge "narrows" then my own interests will nevertheless continue to
extend to broader groups.

If Wi-Fi really takes off then I can see networks springing up all over the
place. I can see ordinary people regaining the control of THEIR internet. I
hope this day comes soon. I hope ICANN soon becomes a historical footnote.
THEN... maybe we'll all agree to change the name!

Regards

Richard

----- Original Message -----
From: James Love <james.love@cptech.org>
To: <atlarge-panel@lists.fitug.de>
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 3:11 PM
Subject: [atlarge-panel] Re: [atlarge-discuss] Re: [atlarge-panel] Re:
[atlarge-discuss] FW:Resignation


> Where is Richard H. on the icannatlarge.org name issue?
> Jamie



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-unsubscribe@lists.fitug.de
For additional commands, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-help@lists.fitug.de