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[atlarge-discuss] Re: Recordings of Amsterdam Meetings and PROPOSAL
Thanks for this effort Bret.
The trouble is that engagement in the ICANN project is muddying the waters
and endangering the development of an *independent* At Large movement.
This development of the At Large under Denise Michel is in the hands of
ICANN, under the authority of the Board. This voice is therefore compromised
and *cannot* be the main, independent or in any way credible voice of the At
Large.
The idea that the At Large should be structured, promoted, and developed
WITHIN Icann is a disastrous wrong turning, as the whole issue has been
about ICANN's desire to stifle, control or eject critical voices from its
organisation.
Since this is the battlefront which must be fought - the need and right of
ordinary people to criticise the Board and challenge its undemocratic
authority - it is wholly unacceptable to allow ICANN to draw the mechanism
for challenging it, into a structure that ICANN determines, ICANN directs,
and ICANN develops.
It is absolutely plain that ICANN is trying to create a 'tame' controllable
alternative to the REAL At Large, a kind of 'controlled' pretence of
user-involvement, whereas the real independent views of ordinary users are
far more threatening to their powerbase and need to challenge the idea that
Internet Users should somehow be orchestrated and manipulated 'inside' ICANN
structures developed by ICANN.
Ordinary Internet Users need their own structures and organisations, and
their own independent voice, and the initiative to develop this plain and
distinct identity is not helped at all by the appearance of a worldwide user
structure *inside* ICANN.
A big problem I see is the confusion I think is created when leaders of an
independent group like IcannatLarge.org are helping and aiding the
development of the ICANN 'pretence' which actually sidetracks and detracts
and endangers the likelihood of an independent At Large emerging. ICANN will
simply say (like a smiling tiger): "But we already have an At Large, and
RALO's etc etc". We are helping them build the very structure which helps
legitimise their fasle claim to be representing ordinary users (while
expelling User representation from any real power). They will claim that the
reasonable and informed At Large already exists and has a home inside their
(carefully-controlled) structures.
Whereas the truth is that ICANN itself is palpably illegitimate and
unrepresentative, has chosen to expel dissenting voices, and clearly and so
obviously wants a captured At Large which it can contain.
Vittorio and others, by participating in the development of this ICANN
agenda being created for ICANN ends, are helping to legitimise the coup
which ICANN has been carrying out : I believe that our organisation should
be given the chance to vote and decide whether they want to be ICANN
insiders supporting the creation of an ICANN At Large, or whether they want
to be independent outside voices for the At Large community worldwide of
ordinary internet users.
Vittorio will say that he is present at these meetings in his guise as ISOC
Italy rep but as Chair of IcannAtLarge I feel he is both compromising the
goals of that organisation and trying to draw IcannAtLarge.org into the
ICANN structure and organisation.
I respect Vittorio as a person but I disagree with his apparent strategy. It
is playing into the hands of Denise Michel (and for "Denise Michel" read:
"The ICANN Board" because she is of course their stooge). Denise has no
interest in helping Internet Users form their own independent identity and
reclaiming their full number of places on the Board. Denise is carrying out
a management task for the ICANN Board. It is clearly a damage-limitation
exercise.
And we want to *help* ICANN limit the damage to its reputation following the
expulsion of elected representation from its Board? We want to *support*
Denise Michel carry out her management goals? Denise is out of step and out
of tune with the noble, idealistic democratic impulse of the At Large
movement, which wamts to protect the Internet for a future generation of
people all over the world. Denise is in it for the management and the money
and the career. She is the wrong person to be trusting and entrusting with
the future of the At Large.
I PROPOSE a ballot of the membership of IcannatLarge.org on the following
two questions:
Do you want IcannatLarge.org to help create RALO's inside ICANN's
structures?
YES:
NO:
Abstain:
Do you want IcannatLarge.org to help develop an independent user structure
outside ICANN's structures, in liaison with other At Large and User Groups?
YES:
NO:
Abstain:
These two votes will help determine the future direction of IcannatLarge.org
Thank you, and I invite panel members to SECOND the proposal if they wish.
To deny the membership a vote on this would indicate to many that an
installed leadership is running scared of the views of its own membership. I
really urge the panel to give the membership the natural right to determine
the future direction of the organisation on this crucial issue. Either we're
democratic or we're not.
Richard Henderson
----- Original Message -----
From: Bret Fausett <fausett@lextext.com>
To: <atlarge-discuss@lists.fitug.de>
Sent: Friday, December 20, 2002 4:45 AM
Subject: [atlarge-discuss] Recordings of Amsterdam Meetings
> MP3 recordings of the At Large meetings in Amsterdam are available at:
>
> Saturday, 15 December 2002
> http://www.lextext.com/atlarge15Dec2002.mp3
>
> Sunday, 16 December 2002
> http://www.lextext.com/atlarge16Dec2002.mp3
>
> If you need help listening to the files or getting them to stream, you may
> find answers here: http://www.lextext.com/mp3FAQ.html
>
> -- Bret
>
>
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