[ga] Raising form over function?

[Weisberg <weisberg@texoma.net>]

First, a comment on the current "list rules" debate:

If you weigh the words thrown at the filtering issue compared to the sum of
all other matters we could discuss you may conclude that we have nothing
else to do.

Several people have suggested that they would have posted substantive
comments were it not for the threat of rebounding noise.  However, such
notes only added to the noise rather than its replacement.

How much more time do we want to spend discussing list rules rather than
domain name policy/management?  Are we here to build a safe structure for
non-discussion?

Now, regarding the qualifications necessary to participate in the
"discussion" we hope to have on this list:

Roberto Gaetano wrote:

> >On Wed, 12 Jan 2000, Karl Auerbach wrote:
> >
> >> There is no reason to limit the GA to people who "have a knowledge"
> >> the "issues pertaining to the areas".  There are many who don't yet
> >> understand the issues but who know that they are impacted by the
> >> outcome.
> >
> >The last thing the GA needs is non-inclusiveness.
> >
> ...Anyway, from the practical point of view, does anybody think that
> there's a slight chance that somebody will be excluded from the GA list
> on the basis of a low knowledge of the technicalities?

Where are the incompetents beating down our doors to discuss issues about
which they have no knowledge nor prior interest?   Who wants to waste this
lists time developing criteria for membership, a mechanism for judging
candidates, an appeal process or listen to an incessant discussion of how
the rules were improperly applied?   And, if there is no chance that anyone
will ever be excluded by such criteria, who wants to develop rules we will
never use simply to appease a yearning for such structure?

However, we do have a serious and thorny problem on the table.  If this list
is to have any function, it must determine how to conduct meaningful votes.
Without that, we might as well close it down, now.  If that requires some
form of verification, then lets discuss and reach consensus on that issue.