[Foundation-l] H.R. 5252 and H.R. 5417

[Michael Snow]

Lord Voldemort wrote:

> On 6/3/06, Jimmy Wales <jwales at wikia.com> wrote:
>
>> I agree that the Wikimedia Foundation can have no position on such an
>> issue.  We are neutral, politically.
>
> Well, the more recent of the bills, H.R.5417, is a bi-partisan bill.
> So it's not 'really' that huge of a "political" issue.

What's relevant, from a nonprofit organization's point of view, is not 
whether the bill is "bipartisan". Merely the fact that it's a bill 
proposed in a legislature makes it political, in the sense that it would 
potentially involve the Foundation in political lobbying. Any such 
involvement would have to be done carefully and in a limited fashion to 
preserve nonprofit status. Probably not based on generalized 
philosophical sympathies, but focused on issues that are specifically 
relevant to our mission.

--Michael Snow