Re: [wg-c] Cairo meeting?

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

On Wed, Feb 16, 2000 at 09:52:18AM -0500, Jeff Shrewsbury Info Avenue wrote:
> Jonathan:
> 
> Why does there have to be a "significant number" of WG-C members in Cairo
> to hold a meeting? We have business to discuss regardless of how many
> people are there. If the working groups don't meet or decide they don't
> need to meet, what's the point of having the conference in the first place?
> We all spend a lot of our time reading and responding to the list prior to
> the bi-annual ICANN conference specifically so we can work towards some
> kind of consensus to finalize and send up the chain of command at the
> conference. 
> 
> We, like many others, have already committed a chunk of change for travel
> to this meeting because we assumed it was our duty to be there so we can
> further the business at hand. In fact, we felt it was the duty of ALL of us
> to be at ALL of the conferences regardless of where they are.
> 
> Are you saying now that there is no pressing business that needs attention
> because there are a lot of members who will only physically attend meetings
> that take place in North America?
> 
> If that's the case, let's do two things immediately:
> 
> 1) take a roll call of who is expecting to attend so we know exactly what
> we're talking about
> 2) hash out a tentative agenda of what business the WG-C has. 
> 
> If this reveals that there is indeed no pressing business, then we can all
> cancel our reservations and travel arrangements, save our money and simply
> wait for the Jeri Clausing and the NY Times to tell us what happened.
> 
> In my humble opinion, if members decide not to come to the ICANN
> conferences (where the business gets done), then they have no justification
> for criticizing the outcome.

The business gets done _here_, where everyone has an equal opportunity
to participate.  Period.

If you feel so strongly that everyone should attend conferences in
remote locations, kindly subsidize the expenses for those who cannot
afford these junkets, and are not propped up as PR people for
corporations.

In my humble opinion, if members decide not to come to the ICANN
conferences (where few can afford to attend), then they have not
surrendered their right to participate in the process, and should not
be excluded on the basis of money alone.

if you'd like to pay for my travel, please get in touch with me
privately.


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