Re: [IFWP] Analyzing ICANN - The committee that would be king

[Ken Freed]

Craig and all --

Below is the rewritten paragraph from
http://www.media-visions.com/icann-gtld.htm

"Evidently showing his displeasure with the situation,
Jon Postel at IANA issued an electronic directive that
"reoriented" or redirected routing on some root servers.
By temporarily disrupting portions of Internet traffic, his
statement could not be ignored. The combination of
international protests and Postel's action effectively
killed the Green Paper. Back to the drawing board."


Thanks for helping my historic accuracy. Still, it could
have been done as private email, and appreciated.

Why not use the list for more substantial comment,
like whether ICANN is illegitimate, like whether the
U.S. Government has a right to privatize our global
Internet without any kind of a public vote?

Don't you agree there's been way too many personal
attacks on the lists and not enough real dialogue on
the issues that count? Please show your leadership.

As for my attitude toward Esther Dyson, since you make
an issue of it:

>I'd also like you to comment, if you would Ken, on your new attitude
>toward Esther Dyson. I recall you were once a huge fan of hers, and in
>early '98 or so you tried to get her to serve as an arbiter of the DNS
>controversy. What ever happened with that?

Craig, for the record, I'm still a huge fan. I still believe she
has a good heart, and I'd love to see her emerge from this
quagmire clean, if that's going to be possible for any of the
ICANN principals, given the findings from my analysis.
(http://www.media-visions.com/icann-findings.htm)

As for your recollection of me trying to get her to solve
the DNS problems for us. First. I don't believe in saviors.
That's unhealthy oldthink, what the pop-psych guys like
to label "codependency." I prefer democracy. Second,
Craig, here's my chance to return your history lesson.

When Esther Dyson was in Denver on a book tour
promoting Release 2.0 in late autumn 1997, I went
to the Tattered Cover Bookstore. After her presentation.
I introduced myself at the tail end of her book signing.
She recognized my name from having done an
interview with her several months previously.
(http://www.media-visions.com/dyson,html)

I mentioned that I'd become active in the lists
debating the gTLD plan, asking her views on
network governance. Esther said that she had
not been following events, focusing attention
on Eastern Europe instead. I volunteered to
help her get up to speed by sending along
some comments from the mailing lists.

Thinking more about this after I got home,
rather than putting myself into the position
of trying to cull from thousands of emails,
then having egos bruised after I chose the
"wrong" posting, instead, I posted a notice
inviting representatives of all the factions
to send a short statement of their position
to be bundled and forwarded to Esther.
I specified short out of consideration for
the time of one without hours to spend
reading. Those few who pressured me
to forward long dissertations were put
off by my stance, but that's life.

Esther received the report in late 1997,
and I posted it on my website in early
1998 (with changes requested by the
contributors). The result is still online:
http://www.media-visions.com/newdom1.html
It's worthy of a re-read in comparison to what
many of these same players are saying today.

I do not know what happened after Esther read
my report, or if she read it, or if it even remotely
had anything to do with her being recruited for
ICANN. If my report is responsible, in any way,
for her now being in this mess, I do apologize.

I will add that she's been aware, since the start,
of my commitment to network democracy, and
my concerns about the gTLD crew taking over.

That's the whole story. (Esther, please correct
me if I'm mistaken here.) At no time have I tried
to "get" Esther Dyson to become "arbiter of the
DNS controversy." At no time have I ever acted
as her agent or representative. The only thing
I've ever asked of her was a good interview, a
friendly reply to my occasional email, and for
her to stay true to her soul and EFF's ideals.
I'll be glad if a friendship can survive ICANN.

As for resigning from ICANN, it's her choice.
De Nile River. I do not envy her karma here.
God knows I've lost my way at times, too.

Now the record is set straight, and that's
than enough from me. I got work to do.

-- ken




-- ken


>Craig --
>Please deal with substantive issues,
>the here and now, not ancient history.
>Linguistic nit picks do not serve the
>larger Internet community. Okay?
>Thanks.
>-- ken
>
>>Ken,
>>
>>I think "disrupt" is a far too strong choice of words.
>>
>>disrupt: transitive verb from REAVE implying break or burst
>>
>> 1: a to break apart, rupture; b to throw into disorder
>> 2: to interrupt the normal course or unity of
>>
>>My reading of events was that Postel's directive *reoriented* part of
>>the system, yes (and out of displeasure with the Green Paper, maybe, but
>>that's just one conjecture among many), but he did so without breaking
>>the Internet.
>>
>>Is it possible to demonstrate that anyone's "traffic" was interrupted by
>>the reorientation?
>>
>>I'd also like you to comment, if you would Ken, on your new attitude
>>toward Esther Dyson. I recall you were once a huge fan of hers, and in
>>early '98 or so you tried to get her to serve as an arbiter of the DNS
>>controversy. What ever happened with that?
>>
>>There's more at
>>
>>http://www.flywheel.com/ircw/dnsdraft.html (search for the word "hello")
>>and
>>http://www.flywheel.com/ircw/overview.html
>>
>>
>>Craig Simon
>>
>>
>>Ken Freed wrote:
>>>
>>> Werner --
>>>
>>> What sort of comment would you like?
>>> He was in a position to impact things,
>>> He could. He did. What else can I say?
>>>
>>> For the historic record on it,
>>> check out Tony Rutkowski's
>>> website or Ellen Rony's site.
>>> Links are posted at --
>>> http://www.media-visions.com/icann-informed.htm
>>>
>>> Thanks for your interest.
>>> -- ken
>>>
>>> >Ken,
>>> >
>>> >Could you comment on the following excerpt from
>>> >http://www.media-visions.com/icann-gtld.htm
>>> >
>>> > "Jon Postel showed his displeasure with the situation by
>>> > redirecting the root servers, temporarily disrupting world
>>> > Internet traffic."
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >Regards,
>>> >
>>> >Werner
>>> >
>>> >--
>>> >Tel: +41 22 312 5600 Direct line: +41 22 312 5640 http://axone.ch
>>> >Fax: +41 22 312 5601 2 cours de Rive CH-1204 Geneva, Switzerland