On 5/19/07, John L <johnl@iecc.com > wrote:

> Article 5.4.1 of our current MOU states:
>
> "Selected individuals must be individual members or members of different
> At-Large Structures based in different countries in the North American
> region, and they may not be citizens of the same country."

Well, OK, now it's not in the bylaws, now it's in the proposed MOU.  I'm
getting the impression this is a rule that someone made up one day and
said "it's always been that way."  ICANN evidently places no requirements
on RALO appointed members other than that they be residents of the region.

As I hardly need to remind people, the NA region consists, unlike any
other region, of only two countries, one of which is ten times as
populous as the other.  While I think it is important to encourage
geographic diversity, I don't think anyone would favor a rule that
required that one member always be from Califonia.  Yet California has the
same population as Canada.  When the Nomcom member is from Canada (who,
incidentally, I think is doing a fine job, this isn't about him), this
rule would in effect give Canadians twenty times the per capita vote of
Americans.

I would adjust that section to say:

"Selected individuals must be individual members or members of different
At-Large Structures based the North American region.  To the maximum
extent feasible, the selected individuals should represent the geographic
and cultural diversity of the region."

Regards,
John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, ex-Mayor
"More Wiener schnitzel, please", said Tom, revealingly.

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Draft MoU with ICANN:
http://www.icannwiki.org/NA_RALO_MOU

Draft Operating Principles:
http://www.icannwiki.org/NA_RALO_OP

Draft Code of Conduct:
http://www.icannwiki.org/NARALO_Code_of_Conduct