[WikiEN-l] An open letter to Jimmy Wales

[George Herbert]

On Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Larry Sanger
<sanger-lists at citizendium.org>wrote:

> I'm sure I'll have more to say about posts to this list from the last 24
> hours or so, but I did want to respond to this.
>
> Various people said:
> > >> So, please, both of you, get yourself some blogs and hash
> > it out away
> > >> from wikipedia servers, and away from community at large. We don't
> > >> need it.
> > >>
> > >> Rant over.
> > > Thank you!
> > Hear, hear (to both of you)!
>
> You are misunderstanding what's going on here.  Jimmy Wales has been lying
> about me and my role in this project.  This is a SERIOUS PROBLEM, and I
> frankly resent your implicit dismissal of my concerns.
>
> This isn't "just more of the same"; I am *not* asking for the community's
> resolution on the issue of "who is founder."  That really *would* be inane,
> but it isn't what I am doing.  You would know this, by the way, if you had
> actually read my open letter to Jimmy Wales.
>
> I am speaking out first time, publicly, by saying that Jimmy Wales has been
> lying about me in a way that is self-serving.


This is far from the first time that you've spoken about it publicly, Larry.


>  If you don't care about that,
> that's your prerogative.  You don't need to announce to the world that you
> don't care.  There *are* a lot of people who *do* care.  I'm speaking to
> *those* people.


Chosing this venue, however, is an assertion by you that wikien-l is
populated by people who do care - and the responses are indicating
otherwise.

Moreover, I assert that it is my right to raise hell not only on this list,
> but also on Jimmy Wales' user talk page--if this is really an open,
> transparent, democratic project devoted to free speech.  If he wants to
> take
> responsibility, as he does, as sole founder of the project, to represent
> himself that way to the world, and in other respects speak on behalf of the
> project--which he does, whether you like it or not--then he ought to be
> held
> to a higher standard than most.
>
> If you don't like my message, that's fine, but do not try to deny my right
> to get it out there.


Your attitude shows a complete disdain for the purpose and subscribers to
wikien-l.  This is not a public bulletin board.  This is not a printing
press you own.  If we tell you this is not the right place, then you have no
property rights over the medium or our inboxes to insist that we continue to
receive your messages here.

If you believe that you have a right to "raise hell" on this list...   I
request that the list moderators moderate Larry immediately.

That's not what wikien-l is for.


-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com