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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know that LittleDan has nominated me as a sysop.
After reviewing what I could find on WIkipedia about the benefits and
responsibilities of being a sysop and agreeing with LittleDan's understanding of
what being a sysop is I am accepting his nomination (I am not sure it needs to
be seconded as in some associations it is not necessary to second nominations
for any elected office, so maybe the nomination has already been made, otherwise
I hope someone will either second it or object to my comment about the rules; it
does seem to be the practice here that sysop applications are
seconded).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In applying I would like to say that my interest in
becoming a sysop is to help continue to make Wikipedia a valuable educational
project that can benefit everyone. As a jurist I remember hearing that adage,
'Freedom of the Press belongs to he who owns the Press!'. These days it is more
important than ever to stand up for the principle that we do not have to be
controlled by the corporate forces of media that often dictate what we are
supposed to know and what governments would (in certain countries) try to
prevent us from knowing - by all rights everyone should have access to knowlege
and the disputes regarding the neutrality of that knowledge. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>While some of the recent postings about the
illegality of the use of Wikipedia in other countries may be an important issue
in those countries, it is true that the protections afforded under the First
Amendment of the US Constitution are the broadest in the free world. So at least
Wikipedia can post that information and hopefully those who live in countries
where censorship is common (such as in Iran, North Korea, China and Belarus) can
find a way to access the knowledge we are offering freely to anyone with an
internet connection and a web browser. I am impressed of the
sophistication of the discourse found here regarding such issues as
censorship, pornography and the self policing of copyright issues
found on Wikipedia, it is a testimony to the quality of volunteers found
here.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'd also like to point you to a page that
I've created on Meta-Wikipedia. Even if my sysop application is
rejected I am proposing that we go forward as a voluntary association and become
a little more organized:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Wikipedians">http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Wikipedians</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would be happy to help any similar undertaking
with donation of any necessary pro bono commitment of my time.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alex T Roshuk<BR>Attorney at law</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brooklyn NY</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>