[governance] Veni's diatribe

[Milton Mueller]

Wow, this is interesting. Ad hominem attacks, inaccurate
rumor-mongering, and some evident anger. 
Let me respond with facts.

>>> veni at veni.com 4/22/2007 8:05 AM >>>
>I see that people who are left outside of a solution, are 
>sometimes getting angry at this fact. I don't remember who 
>of the people writing here (don't want to state a fact, which 
>is not correct, but it was someone around Milton's Internet 
>Governance Project, MIGP), was complaining orally or in writing 
>(again, don't remember well) that the Advisory Group to the IGF is
>not a good group, unlike the WGIG. The reason for these complaints? 
>There was only one person of the MIGP in the Advisory Group (sic!).  

If this explains our concerns about the composition of the IGF MAG, how
is it that we did not complain about the composition of the WGIG, which
contained _zero_ MIGP members? Perhaps we were motivated by other
concerns, such as political balance?

>1. The IGP (and similar projects, I call them IGPs) exist only because

>a discussion on IG exists. 

True of IGP and at least 20 other research centers and advocacy
organizations, including IGF and its MAG. And indeed ICANN itself is a
product of "discussion about Internet governance." 

>Remove the discussion, and the IGPs are not going
>to be needed. (So, do you think they... er.. the 
>discussion would disappear?

I am truly sorry, Veni, that you and other members of ICANN staff and
board are bothered with "discussion" and controversy.  I guess you would
prefer "silence" and "following orders" or "a willingness to be bought
off." Criticism and debate are so.....irritating. People who engage in
it must have something wrong with them.  
Obviously, such debates do not happen around any other global
governance issue. Everyone agrees on the environment and climate change.
Everyone agrees on issues of war and peace. Everyone agrees on world
trade. Why is poor ICANN facing such "discussion?" It is anomalous and
unfair. We should all just shut up. 

Make Veni's day: unsubscribe from governance list now! IGP will
collapse shortly thereafter, and so will my career.

>2. There's no statement on the web site as to who is funding this
projects.

This projects? Do you mean IGP? Well, in fact there is. 
http://internetgovernance.org/about.html 

>Let's see the MIGP  - one could found a file 
>(http://osp.syr.edu/highlights/FiscalYear2006/FebruaryHighlights.xls),

>where it says that Milton has received $ 87,500 from the 
>Ford Foundation for that project

>But nothing about the rest of the $ 170,000 rumoured to 
>have been awarded to the project only by the Ford, and 
>nothing about other donors?

Whoa. There are no other donors. And there are no other funds. And here
you make it clear that you have descended to the level of unfounded
insinuations. You have even manufactured a false, completely invented
number ($170,000). This is something you made up, Veni. Please retract,
for the sake of your credibility.

>3. People are building their careers around the Internet 
>Governance; 

Yes, Veni, we had noticed that about you.

>4. ICANN is the only working organization in the field; it has started

>as a project of the US government (can you believe that this would 
>have happened with some other governments, which would 
>volunteerly give away the Internet to the private sector?). 

You might read the JPA and the IANA contract next time you have a few
moments, as well as the 2005 DNS "principles" of the US. Nothing has
been "given away." But from your statement I can see what kind of
attitude is required for a successful career in ICANN.

>5. The governments were not interested in "governance" 
>of the Internet until the WSIS - 2nd phase 

This is untrue. WIPO was interested in 1996. ITU -- an
intergovernmental institution, in case you did not know -- was
interested in 1996. The USG seized control of the root in 1997. The EU
shortly thereafter insisted on the creation of a GAC in 1998. 


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