Re: [ALSC-Forum] At-Large Organizing Committee

[Karl Auerbach]

On Wed, 8 May 2002, Denise Michel ALSC wrote:

> Here are the details on the proposed "At-Large Organizing Committee."

This sounds like nothing so much as the "company unions" that were created 
by company management during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

These were generally toothless creations foisted by company management 
upon the workers as a means of distracting the workers from joining real, 
independent unions that might discomfort company management.

As a general rule, these company unions delivered exactly what they were
designed to deliver to their members - nothing.

I predict that this "At-Large Organizing Committee" will deliver exactly
what it is designed to deliver to its members - nothing.

It will, of course, deliver to ICANN exactly what it is designed to
deliver there: a storyline that can be believed by those who lack the time
or inclination to discover that ICANN's committement to public
participation is perhaps not even as strong as the tobacco industry's
committment to public health.

Those who believe in the tooth fairy, the easter bunny, and ICANN's rather
disingenuous committment to public participation can play in that
powerless, meaningless place with whatever bright but harmless toys
management may chose to make available.

I suggest that the those who wish to achieve meaningful participation in
ICANN and internet governance instead concentrate on doing things that
actually might accomplish something towards regaining real public
participation in ICANN - and that means elections of at least half of the
board seats.

		--karl--