Re: [ga] Substance over rhetoric - a constructive challenge

[Mike Roberts <mmr@darwin.ptvy.ca.us>]

At 9:41 AM -0600 3/18/02, Kristy McKee wrote:
>Vint, I appreciate you taking the time to write; however you have 
>added nothing to our conversation and have not even attempted to 
>answer the question asked.
>
>Only your private little group believes the At Large was a one time 
>thing.  No one in the general public has that understanding.

This is clearly incorrect, and well documented in press reports after 
Cairo, the registration website, numerous emails, and numerous public 
statements by me, other Board members, Andrew and other staff members.

The system was built on a shoestring, operated by an incredibly 
overworked and loyal contract project manager on a $200,000 budget, 
of which over $100,000 went into postal charges for the pin letters. 
It was a one off system held together by bailing wire.  The 
alternative would have been no election at all in 2000.  The 
statement in the pin letters "keep this letter" which went on to 
explain that the membership account could not be activated without 
the enclosed pin, was to try to ensure that people did not toss the 
letter and then find themselves unable to activate and vote. 
Despite this warning, lots of people did toss the letter and did not 
get a replacement pin in time to vote.  None of this sequence of 
communications was ever characterized as including any activities, 
rights or privileges after the conclusion of the vote.

Beyond the issue of historical revisionism, dredging this stuff up 
serves no purpose at this time.  The Board has clearly stated in its 
Accra resolution that

"Whereas, the Board wishes to move forward with energy and enthusiasm 
to build a meaningful structure for informed participation by the 
full range of Internet users, and seeks avenues to achieve these 
objectives that are bottom-up, self-organized, and self-sustaining;"

The phrase " bottom-up, self-organized, and self-sustaining"  means 
exactly that.  If At Large can not demonstrate substantial progress 
toward that goal in the next several months, then the death sentence 
for an At Large organization with representation on the ICANN Board 
will undoubtedly be carried out.

Due to Joop's hard work and the encouragement of lots of others, we 
have a nucleus AL organization.  Let's build on that base, making 
necessary changes as we go.

- Mike

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