Re: [ga] DNSO General Assembly call to change seating rule

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Fri, Nov 10, 2000 at 03:06:59PM -0500, Paul Svensson wrote:
> I don't see you being silent on the list Chuck, so I don't understand
> what "your case" would be, or how it is relevant here.  As I see it,
> there are only two reasons for anyone to be silent in the debate:
>
> 	1) The outcome is not important enough for them to bother with it,
> 	2) They accept the consensus of those participating in the debate.
> 
> Either way, consensus can only be measured among the participants,
> whether there are fifty or 5 billion quiet bystanders, is totally 
> irrelevant 

As Chuck pointed out, there are many reasons.  The one I am most
concerned about is a variation of your 1) above:

    3) The outcome is not important for them because the opinion of the
    GA is irrelevant.

To put it in other words, the major issue before the GA is not the
credibility (legitimacy) of the Board.  The issue is the credibility
(legitimacy) of the GA.  

There is a very good reason that the GA has so little influence/power in
the bylaws.  That reason is that *many* people feared that the GA would
simply be a magnet for lunatics, idealogues, etc, and would do more harm
than good to any constructive activity.  The early days of the GA,
before the list rules were in place, amply confirmed those fears.  It
wasn't too many months ago where the major traffic on this list was
dirty limricks from Joe Baptista.  Many people left the list; the people
who worried about whether the GA could work saw their concerns born out
in full, and have written off the GA entirely. 

The GA, in other words, has a large burden of proof in making the case
that it is a serious body that merits attention in ICANN processes.  
There has been perhaps some small progress in credibility since the 
list rules went into effect.  But pointless resolutions demanding that 
Directors resign etc have undone all that.

-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Be good, and you will be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain
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