[Cabal] Instant Messaging Freedom, Inc.

[Ethan Blanton]

Sean Egan spake unto us the following wisdom:
> In the future, I'll probably change the procedure a bit. I will
> probably write the proposal and send it to this list (or rather, some
> appropriate public list) for discussion. I got a lot of useful
> feedback about the credit card issue from this list. From that
> feedback, I would revise the proposal and send a final version to the
> board where it can no longer be ammended.

I think this is all a good idea, except for the "can no longer be
amended" part.  As one of the aforementioned board members, I do not
feel that this allows me to responsibly exercise my vote.  To codify
the above would be to essentially provide a right-of-veto to some
arbitrary public mailing list.

I fully support the idea of soliciting public comment where
appropriate, but I do not think that tying the board's vote to a
simple yea/nay is wise.  From a practical standpoint, of course, it is
a non-issue -- any board member could simply submit a modified
proposal as a separate voting item.  Making a public statement that no
amendments would be allowed would, however, paint this in a very bad
light.

In practicality, I don't foresee this being a problem; however, I
think it is a dangerous policy.  Basically, I do not believe that the
board should be beholden to discuss every issue publically before a
vote (if nothing else, because it may not always be possible,
particularly if legal issues arise), and I do not believe that every
issue which *is* made public (which I truly believe should be as many
issues as possible) should have to bounce back to a public list every
time an amendment is called for.

This isn't to say that un-amended proposals could not, or should not,
be voted on as often as reasonably possible.

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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