Re: [icann-eu] At Large Study web site, members

[Hans Klein <hans.klein@pubpolicy.gatech.edu>]

Dear Carl Bildt,

In a public forum Mike Roberts recently voiced concern about one of my
messages:

At 07:10 AM 3/4/01 -0800, Mike Roberts wrote:
>
>I was objecting to an outrageous case of character assassination  by 
>an American university professor who should know better.

The statement in question, was in my opinion, a) appropriate and b) made no
reference to anyone's character.  It addressed the question of whether a
committee leader who is appointed by ICANN could be fairly described as
"independent of ICANN."  

Here is my earlier message:
At 03:06 PM 3/1/01 -0500, Hans Klein wrote:
>
>In the US, Carl Bildt would be described as a "political appointee."
>Political appointees act as surrogates for the people who appoint them.
>Carl Bildt is an impressive individual, but he cannot be described as
>"independent of ICANN."

Without a doubt, your experience as a political leader makes you very
familiar with issues of independence.  I am a professor of public
policy/political science and also have some knowledge of procedural issues
in the public sector.  To describe an appointed committee head as a
surrogate may be too strong, but I believe that the language of
independence has also been overused.

What is important is that the message was in no way a comment on you as a
person.  The characterization of the comment as "an outrageous case of
character assassination" is, I believe, inaccurate.  It was a comment on
process.

Sincerely,
Hans Klein









At 07:10 AM 3/4/01 -0800, Mike Roberts wrote:
>At 14:38 +0100 3/4/01, Vittorio Bertola wrote:
>>On Thu, 1 Mar 2001 19:55:06 -0800, you wrote:
>>
>>>Hans - this sort of foolishness is just going to confirm the total
>>>irrelevancy of your efforts in the minds of the people willing to
>>>give the U.S. liberals another chance to participate effectively in
>>>At Large.
>>
>>Dear Mr. Roberts,
>>
>>I am not an "US liberal". In fact, I'm not American - I'm Italian and
>>I'm not a member of any political party. But I am a member of the ICC.
>>
>>I went to Los Angeles on my own, because I believe in the bottom-up
>>organization of the Internet and in the ideal that "the Internet is
>>for everyone" and especially for people, and not just for businesses -
>>even if I am a manager for an international dot-com company. And I
>>personally find it hurting that you reduce an international issue into
>>a matter of local (US) politics.
>
>I was objecting to an outrageous case of character assassination  by 
>an American university professor who should know better.
>
>
>>I don't know if you believe in this ideal, or in any other ideal.
>>But I am sure that Mr. Bildt does have ideals. Nevertheless, if the
>>news about him not coming to Melbourne is true, I wonder how much
>>interest he in fact has in this particular issue. I also wonder if any
>>At Large member is a member of the At Large Study committee. As an At
>>Large member, I feel like a native american whose future is being
>>decided by a committee of nine WASP persons (just to put it the
>>American way, if you like it).
>
>We all have ethnic backgrounds of one kind or another.  I'm fourth 
>generation of Irish-American.  What does that have to do with fitness 
>to serve on the study committee?  Were you actually serious in 
>suggesting that all nine of the committee members are Anglo-Saxon 
>Protestant?
>
>I suspect that several of the members of the study committee 
>activated their memberships and voted in last year's election.  Since 
>we promised everyone privacy in this matter,  it's none of your 
>business or mine whether they did or not.
>
>The Chair and Vice Chairs of the study committee have already put in 
>dozens of hours working to get the study organized and to prepare for 
>the first meeting in Melbourne.  Pindar Wong, Vice Chair, who is from 
>the Asia Pacific region, is eminently qualified to preside in 
>Melbourne.  As others on this list have observed in the past, there 
>has to be balance in access to the committee via several different 
>means - face to face, email, web, forums, etc.  Since the site and 
>email are now up, further suggestions on effective communication - to 
>the committee and its Executive Director - are very much in order.
>
>
>>
>>Ciaô ne,
>>
>>--
>>.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo vb.
>>Vittorio Bertola     <vb@vitaminic.net>    Ph. +39 011 23381220
>>Vitaminic [The Music Evolution] - Vice President for Technology
>