Re: APNIC's Censorship

[Fred Baker <fred at cisco.com>]

At 10:19 AM -0400 5/20/98, Noel Chiappa wrote:
>May I suggest to the IESG that we take the occasion of the next IETF
>Plenary to ask for a "show of hands" from everyone who thinks Mr. Fleming
>is an ill-informed, misguided, and disruptive player?

I would be happy to do that. However - there is a simpler and more
representative approach. Everyone who agrees with Noel's statement above,
please send me a note *privately* with "APNIC's Censorship: Agree" in the
subject line, and everyone who disagrees please send me a note *privately*
with "APNIC's Censorship: Disagree" on the subject line. I will report to
this same set of lists next week on the statistics that result. Inside the
email, you might tell me whether you believe that Mr. Fleming should be
explicitly ostracized from the list. Don't go into a long discussion,
though - I will quite possibly receive a few thousand of them - a sentence
or two is sufficient.

>The anticipated substantial majority of those feeling that way, at such a
>venue, should go a long way to proving that the antipathy displayed toward
>Mr. Fleming by most posters is shared by all of the IETF, not just those
>few who post. It's unclear that it will have any effect on Mr. Fleming,
>however, but it will provide ample justification for whatever appropriate
>measures are deemed necessary to minimize the damage he's doing.

The sense of the IESG/IAB for the moment has been to simply ignore people
who are disruptive, valuing the openness of the list above the occasional
racket that our more colorful individuals (and Mr. Fleming is not alone)
occasionally produce. For myself, I would prefer to continue on that path -
simply do not respond. My observation with children is that tantrums are
exhibited as a way of gaining attention, and go away when the attention
goes away. I believe that it is likely to be true also for adults.

>And before you say it, this is nothing like Hobson and Baker ignoring
>Ramanujan's letter: I *have* read quite a few of Fleming's contributions.

The fact is that until very recently, I read every single one, for the
simple reason that I feel that I am in some sense a representative of the
community and have a fiduciary duty to do some things that I would never
expect any other member of the community to do. I have occasionally
responded, with the intent that my comments would be representative of the
communities' feelings. I think Mr. Fleming will agree that I have treated
him with respect in those replies, and while I have rarely supported his
opinions, I have given him no cause to assert that I am not listening.

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