[governance] ICANN/USG Affirmation; ICANN's Breathtaking

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

Paul and all,

  ICANN has sense it's conception, and even before under the
gTLD-MOU has been seeking the "Independance" as it defines it.
Perhaps to some folks glee it has achieved that now or soon
will given this ICANN/USG Affirmation.  But the comparison you
IMO properly drew to an extent with the Sadam Hussain regime in
IRAQ, now thankfully defunct, to ICANN's "Independance" is indeed
shocking and audacious as well as very potentially dangerous as
well in may obvious and not so obvious ways and end effects.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Paul Lehto <lehto.paul at gmail.com>
>Sent: Oct 9, 2009 8:36 AM
>To: governance at lists.cpsr.org, Roland Perry <roland at internetpolicyagency.com>
>Subject: [governance] ICANN/USG Affirmation; ICANN's Breathtaking Audacity Illustrated
>
>The core claim of icann.org on its website is "independence" being
>achieved.  Governments and regulators of all types are supposed to be
>*servants* of the public, not independent at all. This is a very
>important point, as shown in the following observations:
>
>Even most dictators PURPORT and claim to have the support and consent
>of the people through some process like a straw man opposition
>election (a form of fake election) like Saddam Hussein receiving
>something like 99% of the vote, election fraud generally, staged
>demonstrations, real or doctored poll evidence -- something, anything
>to reinforce that support from the people.  That authoritarians would
>do this is not at all suprising give the Universal Declaration of
>Human Rights stating that all legitimate political power comes only
>from the people.  Non-democratic leaders do their best to fake this,
>but everybody knows its a lie, at least outside the country in
>question subject to usually intense propaganda.
>
>But ICANN is openly stating something very remarkable. In contrast to
>authoritarians who masquerade and go to pains to pretend that they
>have the approval and consent of the public (in order to avoid real
>elections) and thereby create the image without the reality of
>political legitimacy, notice how ICANN contrasts sharply with that:
>
>ICANN **openly** claims its "Independence," an "independence" that,
>among other things, must mean independence from (1) any control by the
>people of the US as well as (2) independence or freedom from any control by the
>people of the entire globe as well.  Institutions of government can
>only be "independent" of other arms of government for checks and
>balances purposes, but never completely independent as ICANN clearly
>appears to claim, having cut the remaining governmental ties and
>requiring ICANN agreement to reinstate them.
>
>This is breathtaking. Audacious.  It can't be understated.  More
>courageous than most dictators, in a certain but important sense.
>
>Even the present scope of ICANN activity, claimed to be narrow, is
>subject to no restriction other than whatever ICANN can contract for,
>purchase, fight for, or
>fundraise for. Though unnecessary to my point of above, an independent
>and free ICANN could become the Microsoft of the Internet, as just one
>example.  King of the e-world, as it were.
>
>-- 
>Paul R Lehto, J.D.
>P.O. Box #1
>Ishpeming, MI  49849
>lehto.paul at gmail.com
>906-204-4026
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Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 294k members/stakeholders strong!)
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