Re: [atlarge-discuss] FYI: [CNET] ICANN under Twomey tocontinue policy focus

[espresso@e-scape.net]

At 16:18 -0800 2003/03/22, Eric Dierker wrote:
>Life, liberty, freedom, happiness and privacy seem to be left out of
>this
>statement. Funny thing these basic fundamental human rights that
>should be
>promoted by the Internet.  What is a Regime, as opposed to governance?

My quick answer would be "one particular coterie's preferred
form of governance" rather than the more general form where
"regime change" requires a free election rather than military
intervention.

We "at large" citizens need to keep in mind that for some people,
including the current ICANN regime, the Internet is about the
nowhere-sanctified "right to profit" rather than just another
realm where *human* rights are meant to be respected and aren't.

You need look no further than statements by various people that
ICANN *is* an organization of Internet users -- that is, of the
parties using the Internet who have enough money and political
influence to matter (paraphrasing Stuart Lynn here). The policy
direction is that of the "New World Order" where the majority of
humanity are not citizens but merely a pool of cheap labour and
potential captive market, and everything possible must be done to
take the power of governing *away* from democracies and
give it to those with the strongest commercial interests.

I can't put my hands on the exact quotation at the moment but
John Maynard Keynes expressed the fundamental philosophy
behind all this: that is, a belief that the "nastiest of men
acting for the nastiest of reasons" will somehow achieve what
is best for the world through the operation of unregulated
market forces. Like Keynes, I have no faith whatever that
the "best" that can be achieved by such means will be best
for anyone but the nasty men in question.

Yours for Internet governance which respects the UN Charter
of Human Rights,

Judyth


##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
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"A word to the wise is sufficient. For others, use more."
"Un mot suffit aux sages; pour les autres, il en faut plus."
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