Re: [council] Dennis' motion geographaiversity (support thereof)

[ppoblete@nic.cl (Patricio Poblete)]

[">" = Nigel Roberts]
> 
> It /has/ to be residency, becuase such a clause specifying "citizenship"
> is actually **illegal**, in the UK at least. 

I think that the way geographical diversity is achieved should be
discussed considering the relative merits of each alternative,
without assuming that the laws of individual countries as definitive
arguments.

Saying that something /has/ to be this of that way because in country X
there is some law could lead to absurd situations. I have been told that
under Taliban rule in Afghanistan it is unlawful for women to hold jobs
or otherwise participate in public life (correct me if I am wrong, actually
I *hope* I am wrong on this!). Does this mean we should forbid women from
the ICANN Board to comply with that law? Are we going to start deciding
which countries have laws we should obey and which ones we should not?

ICANN is a global organization and we should think globally. In the Santiago
NC meeting I objected to Robert's Rules of Order being taken for granted.
They are *not* mandated by the bylaws, and most people outside the US are
unfamiliar with them. Of course, during the meeting I found out that most
people from the US didn't know them very well either! I am happy that some
steps are being taken to have the Berkman Center help us devise some
simpler rules for our meetings.

Patricio Poblete