[Foundation-l] Volunteer Council - A shot for a resolution

[Ray Saintonge]

David Gerard wrote:
> On 15/03/2008, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
>   
>> Geoffrey Plourde wrote:
>>     
>>  > I have a better question. Why isn't this just another worthless body to give a fancy title to certain individuals? In one sentence.
>>     
>> Try asking a serious question instead of a sarcastic one that implies
>>  issues that are not a part of the resolution.  If you really think the
>>  resolution was in such bad faith, just say it.
>>     
> I think it sounds like it's in bad judgement, not bad faith.
>
> This body needs a clear reason that it exists, rather than a
> collection of half-reasons.
At his level of development all you can get is "half-reasons".  Any more 
than that would be going into the process with an attitude of 
inflexibility.  WMF, as presently constituted, is not membership based.  
In some respect the various communities are, but, as is their right, 
they head off in as many different directions.  There is no organized 
body to make sense of the whole thing.

So the dilemma at this stage of events is that we either take hard 
positions on various issues, and have them miserably shot-down by those 
who want different details, or we take an open position of willingness 
to listen to the opinion of others and take shots for being vague.

I have always believed that WMF should have a two-tiered governance.  
I'm sure that my comments from the time when the first WMF by-laws were 
being written is still somewhere in the mailing lists archives.  (Not 
foundation-l since they would predate this list.)

As I've said before, if this Provisional Council can't get its act 
together between early April, when it would be likely constituted and 
the time that its September report is presented to the Board, the 
viability of the concept beyond that would seriously be in question.  
That report should, among other things, be able to give more than the 
"half-reason" which you criticize.  That "more" would also need to be 
grounded in a fair hearing of opinions throughout the communities.

Ec