Stephan Wenger <stewe at stewe dot org> wrote:
I'm not sure where you are getting with your comment. I would count
myself as belonging into both of your categories. The IETF should not
go to the PRC (or any other country with a similarly questionable
human rights, free speech, and Internet restriction record) on
principle, AND it would not be prudent to meet under the contractual
terms as communicated. I would be surprised if many of those who feel
uncomfortable with the PRC as a venue on principle can agree to the
contractual terms, for the simple reason that the contractual terms
spell out an IMO despiseable policy against free speech.
You're right that my comment about "first group" and "second group"
mixed up the question of what arguments have been raised with the
question of how people feel.
Considering the first "group," those individuals who feel that the IETF
should not go to China on principle have a right to argue on that basis,
and should certainly feel entitled to skip that meeting on their own --
either to maintain their own integrity in the matter or to try to slow
or stop the IETF's progress, by lack of quorum, in those WGs where they
are involved -- or both. But my gut feeling is that unless the IETF
wants its image to be one of a socio-political activist group, it should
not decide against going to China on the grounds of socio-political
differences alone. YMMV.
The second "group" is entirely different IMHO. The contractual terms
offered to I* are spelled out quite clearly, with plenty of wiggle room
as to the punishable offenses but little or no wiggle room as to the
punishment. There have been arguments that the terms won't be enforced,
for one reason or another, but whereas individuals might choose to take
the risk and attend as if nothing were different from other IETF
meetings, it would be (as others have said) an abdication of fiduciary
responsibility for the I* leadership to assume this.
Any individual can, of course, belong to both "groups." Where I was
getting was that the group that wants to skip China on philosophical
grounds, to "boycott" the meeting as Ole put it, does not speak as a
whole for the larger group that objects to the contractual terms.
--
Doug Ewell | Thornton, Colorado, USA | http://www.ewellic.org
RFC 5645, 4645, UTN #14 | ietf-languages @ http://is.gd/2kf0s
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