[ga] ICANN bylaws changes

["Mark C. Langston" <skritch@home.com>]

Among the other problems already mentioned, is anyone else disgusted
with the clause (Art II, S2) that states that ICANN can vary the At Large
membership fee for certain individuals?  I have a prediction:  The 
At Large membership will come into being wholly formed.  It will be
ISOC.  And the fee will be a small percentage of ISOC chapter dues.

ICANN has a prebuilt 5,000-person group in ISOC, and I have no doubt they'll
rush to use it.

Of course, any other person who wishes to join the At Large membership,
with no rights, no voice whatsoever, will have to pay a fee, since the
At Large membership is the cash cow ICANN will milk to fund its 
exclusive junkets here and abroad, and to pay off Jones Day.  That is,
it'll cover those costs not already covered by large corporate 
contributions (Cisco, AT&T, IBM, etc.)

Furthermore, and perhaps the most sickening, is the following inclusion
in the next Section:

  "The Corporation shall, pursuant to policies adopted by the Board and
   consistent with other policies of the Corporation, provide a method
   for Members to communicate with other Members in such ways and under
   such circumstances as the Board determines are appropriate and
   desirable."

Section 4 then states:

 "f) Use of the methods made available pursuant to Section 3 of this
  Article II for an improper purpose or for any
  purpose not approved by the Corporation"

as a reason for termination of the At Large membership for an individual.
In short, ICANN can revoke your At Large membership, for which you paid,
if you say things they don't agree with on the official At Large 
list.

The ICANN BoD will dictate how we will communicate with each other?
Under circumstances they deem "appropriate and desirable"?  Excuse the
hell out of me, but I will NOT be censored by the ICANN BoD.

Anyone up for forming the official ICANN At-Large Membership mailing
list before they create their censored version?  Let's just declare the
IFWP list the ICANN At-Large membership list and be done with it.

Finally, Section 6 requires the 5,000 people be Members before the 
At Large board can be formed.  This means that 5,000 must submit to this
and pey their fees.  Then the BoD will allow the At Large membership to
put foth candidates, just like the current DNSO BoD candidate fiasco,
and the ICANN BoD will decide who gets to be on the At Large council,
the only real voice the At Large membership has.

HOW MUCH MORE CAPTURE CAN EXIST IN THIS FARCE OF AN ORGANIZATION?

Also, Article 5, Section 9c4, states that if at any time the At Large
membership drops below 5000, the At Large Board Directors (a full HALF
OF THE ICANN BoD) shall not serve until the At Large membership again
goes above 5000.  Bingo, ICANN and various large bodies can now manipulate
the gross power structure of the ICANN BoD to their own ends simply by
having their members withdraw their membership from the At Large 
body, dropping the membership below 5000.

Article VI, Section 2j is eliminated, doing away with the DNSO
grievance committee.  There goes any recourse we would have had.

These changes are absolutely disgusting.



-- 
Mark C. Langston
mark@bitshift.org
Systems Admin
San Jose, CA