On Thu, 24 Sep 2009, Theodore Tso wrote:
True, but you probably *could* say that you (and every other Federal
employee, including the president) that to execute an oath to
preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States,
and that one of the previsions in the Bill of Rights was this thing
guarantee of "Freedom of Speech". Similarly, European officials could
point to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and its guarantees of
"Freedom of Expression".
So in answer to Ole's question, other governments of other countries
*could* provide an answer in a manner (the US Bill of Rights and/or
the CFR) and timeframe (immediate) in a way which is immediately
useful --- and which apparently, China can not.
Gee. If only every country in the world had a political system as good
as yours.... :-)
Not wishing to defend China's government or policies, but it "is what
it is" and the world of business seems to be happily engaged. Most of
the Apple products I own were built in China and shipped from there
directly to me. Other organizations and businesses have meetings in
China "all the time." There is little, if any anecdotal evindence that
anyone has encountered heavy-handed interference and shutdowns. If we
have to curb our right to public protest for 5 days is this really the
end of the IETF as we know it? We brag about being a global
organization and how we're all connecting people together with our
technology, but the minute we encounter a slightly ominous sounding
clause we're going to just walk away? I find this attitude very
depressing if it's prevalent.
I fully understand what our principles are, and we should strive to
make others accept and adopt them, but I don't agree that this is best
done through a boycott.
To repeat: The IAOC does not think we are in any real danger of having
our meeting disrupted or terminated due to actions which would be
deemed in violation of the clause in question. We expect a meeting in
China to be just like any other IETF meeting and we will be saying
more about this soon. Stay tuned.
Ole
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