Re: [atlarge-discuss] Panel, elections and over-delayingmaneuvers.

[espresso@e-scape.net]

Dear Eric et al.,

At 08:27 -0800 2003/03/23, Eric Dierker wrote:
>Sometimes we must let others rant and rave, it is good to allow
>shallow
>hollirings.  Sometimes we must discern important musings and learn
>from
>them, it is important and a sign of wisdom to know the difference.
>
>Life is often a mystical calvicade of ebbing and flowing and we must
>learn
>to read the waters without directing them.
>
>All should take great heart in our continuation and take part in our
>growth.
>
>Do not lose heart keep on going after our objectives.

Although I really do appreciate your serenity and philosophical
orientation, I think at this point it would help us to go after
our objectives if you simply came out and said publicly on this
list
a) whether your agreement to serve on the current Panel
   still holds, and
b) if so, whether you agree with Jefsey that he should be
   given the membership list and Website access and allowed
   to use them as he sees fit in organizing this group.

At this point, my dilemma is really very simple and you could
perhaps resolve it with a few words if you are indeed still
on the Panel.

As you know, I did not ask for the responsibility which Vittorio
handed off to Jan Siren and myself rather than to his fellow-
Panelists. After asking and waiting for some guidance from
the Panel, I then asked for guidance from the subscribers on
this list.

What the majority of those who responded said was
"hold the files so they can be used in sending out notices
and conducting the election", and that is precisely what I
have done. They did not vote in favour of my passing the
information to either a particular person or all current
Panelists, so I have not.

Some people have supported me in my belief that I am holding
these files *in trust* and should not act unilaterally by
deciding on my own to do something different. ONE person has
taken the position that I am "killing the atlarge" by not
complying with his request for the information, and has
persistently misunderstood or misinterpreted my reasons for
awaiting further instructions.

Jefsey wrote:
>> Feeling both personally hurt and the whole group damaged by Judyth's
>> accusations, I asked her to apologize. Her response is the same
>> lecturing  about my alleged ambitions (I am the only one having
>> committed not to be a  candidate! :-) and her surrealist repeated
>> demand that both Bruce and me  ask her the list as Panelists, ...
>>what
>> we keep asking her for weeks.

but this isn't actually accurate. I have not lectured him about
his "alleged ambitions" but about his assumption that having been
elected to the Panel entitles him to act unilaterally (just as
Vittorio did), rather than as a responsible member of an elected
body which makes decisions together. (By the way, those like
Jan and myself who volunteered to help with elections obviously
commit themselves not to be candidates in the same elections, as I
think both of us stated at the time.)

Also, I have not at any time received a message from Bruce saying
"please send Jefsey and me [and/or somebody else] the files" -- on
the contrary, in fact. This is the "ballot" Bruce sent in
response to my request for members to tell me what to do, which
was sent to this list for all to see:

>From: <bruce@barelyadequate.info>
>To: <atlarge-discuss@lists.fitug.de>
>Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 21:43:43 -0800
>[some header stuff snipped]
>Subject: RE: [atlarge-discuss] URGENT - Guidance required re:
>membership list
>
>|  ---Ballot starts---
>|
>|  I vote to have Judyth Mermelstein do the following with
>|  the membership list information provided to her:
>|
>|     [  ] discard it unread
>|     [  ] retain it, encrypted, for backup purposes only
>|     [XX] retain it for use during the upcoming election as a
>|          means of distributing notices to all members
>|     [XX] retain it for use during the coming election as
>|          a voters' list against which incoming ballots should
>|          be checked
>|     [  ] retain it and keep it updated using the FTP access
>|          information provided to me
>|     [  ] release it to Joop in order to update the ICANNATLARGE.COM
>|          database and the list used by the Polling Booth
>|     [  ] release it to Jefsey and Bruce for use as they see fit
>|          in creating and operating a separate ICANNATLARGE.ORG
>|          voting application
>|     [  ] release it to all of the most recent list of Panelists
>|     [  ] Other: please specify.
>|
>|  ---Ballot ends---
>
>Bruce Young
>Portland, Oregon USA
>bruce@barelyadequate.info
>http://www.barelyadequate.info
>--------------------------------------------
>Support democratic control of the Internet!
>Go to http://www.icannatlarge.org and Join ICANN At Large!

Nothing he has written since, on or off the list, has told me to
do otherwise, which is why I can't merely take at face value
Jefsey's statements that his demand was made on behalf of the
Panel rather than by him personally. No doubt some members have
more respect for "due process" than others but my experience
of organizations leads me to believe no good comes of
disregarding it.

[Jefsey continued:]
>> So, here I publicly ask Judyth and Jan, to send a copy of the Members
>> list  and of the site password to every Panelist (Eric and Sotiris
>>and
>> other ones  on the Panelist elect list please to rise hand if you
>>want
>> to join, as it  is your and our common right. Bruce asked you to do
>>so,
>> as soon as we could  once Vittorio evnetually officially resigned).
>>
>> If Judyth/Jan gives back the list to them, the remaining Panelists
>>will
>> be  able to carry a duty, delaying maneuvers prevented them from
>> carrying for  so many weeks. They have been elected for it, they have
>> voted it, they want  to do it (and to retire :-)

It would please me no end if our former-Panelists agreed to get
together again and help to structure a fair democratic election
for the new Interim Panel which will succeed them. Or, for that
matter, if the three Panelists we still have simply said "Judyth,
we have tried and failed to get our former Chair to give us
the information we are supposed to have; please send us all
what he sent to you instead," although I think a Panel resolution
to that effect would be better.

It would also please me very much if people realized that, at
least in one respect, Vittorio is quite right. The election
process can be determined and preparations made without reading
the membership list or altering the Web site, and a decision
made about who is to be responsible for sending out notices
and ballots. Another thing Jefsey seems not to understand is
that I am perfectly willing to hand over what I hold in trust
for the group, provided that there is a collective (rather than
singlehanded) decision on who should receive it.

Eric, you are on record as having agreed to serve on the Panel
and, as far as I can determine, that means you are one of only
three Panelists of record. You did not cast your vote in my
mini-ballot and have not commented directly on what you think
should be done. Your input now would be very valuable, and
your help in getting proper elections organized as soon as
possible would be a real blessing to all of us. Please help!

Sincerely,

Judyth


##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein     "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC           <espresso@e-scape.net>
##########################################################
"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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