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Grex > Coop11 > #100: Motion: Grex to be a plaintiff against "Internet Censorship Act" | |
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| Author |
Message |
janc
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Motion: Grex to be a plaintiff against "Internet Censorship Act"
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May 27 22:28 UTC 1999 |
As a member in good standing of Cyberspace Communications, I am
submitting the following motion for a member vote:
Cyberspace Communications should join the plaintiffs in the lawsuit
aimed at overturning Michigan Senate Bill 117.
There is discussion of this bill and lawsuit in item 98.
The board does have the power to decide to participate in this lawsuit,
and it may prove necessary to make a decision faster than our member
referenda mechanism allows. However, our bylaws state that the board
can always be overridden by member vote. I feel that in this decision
the board should have the strongest possible backing from the
membership.
Our bylaws require a lengthy discussion period for referenda, and the
voting period isn't short either. The board may well decide to start
proceedings on this before the member vote is complete. That could
potentially be clumsy, but that's life. I really want this to be a Grex
thing, not a board adventure.
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| 95 responses total. |
hhsrat
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response 1 of 95:
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May 28 02:19 UTC 1999 |
If I were a member (my own fault, not enough money) I would second the
motion, but since I'm not a member, I can't.
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mdw
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response 2 of 95:
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May 28 02:20 UTC 1999 |
I don't think we need to second these things, but needless to say, I'm
in favour of this.
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aruba
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response 3 of 95:
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May 28 02:38 UTC 1999 |
I'll be voting yes.
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dang
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response 4 of 95:
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May 28 06:04 UTC 1999 |
Me too, on both this and on faster board action, if it's necessary.
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mary
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response 5 of 95:
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May 28 10:29 UTC 1999 |
Yes.
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scott
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response 6 of 95:
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May 28 11:01 UTC 1999 |
I am in favor of this.
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remmers
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response 7 of 95:
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May 28 11:05 UTC 1999 |
For member votes, the bylaws require a two week discussion period
followed by an online vote taken over a period of ten days. That means
that the earliest a vote can be completed is June 20. On the phone
yesterday, Michael Steinberg indicated to me that the ACLU hopes to set
things in motion on this suit by early June. I don't know if that means
that all plaintiffs have to be on board at that point. I'm sure that
Michael, or J.C. Salyer, can clarify this. In any case, the board may
find it necessary or desirable to move on this before the member vote
can be completed. I wouldn't expect it to happen, but there is also the
possibility that the members might not ratify what the board decides.
Having said all that, I'll state that I support this motion and intend
to vote yes.
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jcs
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response 8 of 95:
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May 28 14:32 UTC 1999 |
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to have such a thoughtful
discussion about this matter, it is nice to actually see the great
democratizing power of the Internet in action. As for the timing of
the lawsuit, I am afraid we do need to move rather quickly. Mike and I
had hoped to have a final list of plaintiffs by the end of May so that
we could begin drafting the complaint and file the lawsuit by mid-
June. Because the law is slated to go into effect on August 1, there
is not a lot of time submit briefs, have a hearing, present evidence,
and allow the judge to deliberate and issue an injunction.
We certainly appreciate and admire that Grex is a democracy run by
consensus and do not want to undermine that in any way. However, we
probably need an answer by sometime next week. I do not know if that
would mean having the board approve the lawsuit with us understanding
that Grex may need to pull out if, after two week, the membership
decided not to challenge the law. We would very much like to have Grex
join us in this challenge and are happy to work with you so that Grex
can reach a decision in manner consistent with its bylaws and
principles.
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mwg
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response 9 of 95:
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May 28 17:12 UTC 1999 |
I vote yes, go for it.
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jep
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response 10 of 95:
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May 28 17:36 UTC 1999 |
I would vote 'no' if this were to come to a vote.
How is it determined whether an action needs to be done via a member
vote?
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steve
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response 11 of 95:
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May 28 18:47 UTC 1999 |
I vote yes.
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steve
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response 12 of 95:
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May 28 18:49 UTC 1999 |
I also this we need to conviene an emergency board meeting over
this.
We need to act *now*.
Perhaps a telephone polling of the members over the coming weekend
would work? This is a case where our voting system is clearly not
oging to work. We cannot afford to wait on this.
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