Re: [ga] Karl, Danny, George, JFC and the At Large domain name

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elmar, let's take a look at the wording on ICANN's own blessed website:

If a GROUP you are involved with wants to influence decisions that shape the 
Internet, register as an "At-Large Structure" and participate in ICANN 
decisions critical to the Internet's end users. "At-Large Structure" 
registration is free, easy, and done via email. GROUPS interested 
participating in ICANN At-Large are encouraged to send an email to ... or 
get more information and an application.
Notice the fact that still, after all these years, ICANN does not want 
individual users to have membership individually as... individual users.
ICANN's version of At Large has been deliberately constructed to prevent 
membership of individuals as themselves.
A sham structure that purports to be for individuals but won't let 
individuals join.
For years, the ICANN At Large forums have been moribund... why?... because 
the membership of At Large has been controlled and limited. They could have 
had thousands and thousands of individuals joining up and participating. 
Remember how many got involved long ago when Karl got elected, and tens of 
thousands participated? But of course, ICANN found the idea of *individuals* 
and their *elected representatives* (aka=democracy) too challenging, so they 
fired the At Large directors - who were elected by individuals... and since 
then the idea of individual membership has been rejected by ICANN.
I neither wish to disdain Mr Williams (who has nothing to do with my post to 
this mailing list) nor do I accept or accommodate your defence of ICANN's At 
Large.
Let ICANN allow individual membership to individuals (without having to be 
vetted and filtered through groups) and then I'll just *start* to believe in 
ICANN's intents. After that, allow those individuals to be represented, 
democratically, and - given that individual users are the greatest 
constituency numerically on the internet - grant them half the seats on the 
Board (also aka=democracy) and perhaps I can start to take the ICANN 'spin' 
seriously.
Best wishes, but I can't see how you can credibly defend ICANN's history of 
keeping out individual users.
Richard

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elmar Knipp" <Elmar.Knipp@xxxxxxxx>
To: "Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <ga@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 5:18 PM
Subject: Re: [ga] Karl, Danny, George, JFC and the At Large domain name


> On Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Richard Henderson wrote:
>
> > A number of years ago I had very much hoped to see the at large movement 
> > become a really self-determining worldwide expression of internet users, 
> > rather than the sham that ICANN created which in my view was designed 
> > from the outset to keep out individual users except in a token sense when 
> > attached to some of the few groups ICANN attracted.
> Keep out individual users? ICANN is spending a huge amount of money to 
> attract the At-Large. See for example the budget 09 which states:
>    "This budget also includes amounts for the At-Large Summit,
>    and an amount for community travel support which together
>    total about $1MM in incremental expenses."
>
> I am far away to bless all behaviour and actions of ICANN. But ignorant 
> bashing as your statement above will put you in the same corner as the 
> professional permanent grumbler which calls himself Jeffrey A. Williams 
> and simply is ignored by the community.
> Elmar