[arin-discuss] Legacy RSA

[Dean Anderson]

On Sat, 10 Nov 2007, John Curran wrote:

> At 4:07 PM -0500 11/10/07, Dean Anderson wrote:
> 
> Good Evening Dean -
> 
>    I see that you disagree with some of ARIN's expenditures in
>    education and outreach, as is your prerogative.  Both myself
>    and ARIN's Treasurer Lee Howard have already responded at
>    length on the direction from the community to increase our
>    outreach and education efforts (particularly in light of the
>    IPv6 transition before us).

I haven't seen any detail to these responses. The responses have been
essentially platitudes to say that nothing is wrong, when obviously
things are wrong, and I keep finding larger numbers of "wrongness", even
without your cooperation.

>    ARIN's expenditures are a very important and worthwhile
>    topic for discussion, both on this mailing list and in the public
>    meetings.  In order to keep things productive, I'd ask that
>    you focus on specific recommendations for what ARIN should
>    or should not be doing, and deter from personal attacks.  

I haven't made any personal attacks, and I don't generally make
frivolous personal remarks of any sort.  A "personal attack" is distinct
from an allegation of misconduct. The personal attack has two necessary
elements: It must be personal, and it must be irrelevant.  By contrast,
allegations of misconduct, though personal, are relevant to the ARIN
organization, the questions I'm asking, and to the irregular activity
that has been discovered to date.  Persons accused of misconduct often
try to deflect the criticism as a personal attack, instead of an
allegation of misconduct. They do this in the hope of either silencing
the criticism or deflecting the discussion away from the details of the
alleged misconduct and into the difference between personal attack and
relevant misconduct.

>    This
>    will allow others on the list to best understand your proposals
>    and promote informed discussion in general.

Since you are among those accused of involvement in the irregularities,
and since so far you have been unresponsive to (for example) providing
accounting details on how much has been spent on which conferences, and
since you have been dismissive of the misconduct issues generally, I am
doubtful of your sincere interest to promote informed discussion and
investigation of that misconduct and irregular activity; and I am more
doubtful that you will, on your own initiative, provide appropriate
corrective measures. You have twice tried to end the discussion and
investigation, but you fail to recognize your conflict of interest in
that effort.  Other Board Members may also want to avoid the ensuing
scandal.  That is why there are laws regarding corporations. You aren't
the first to have engaged in this kind of activity.  Ignoring the facts
on these sort of issues has a way of becoming very nasty, and there is
no point in protecting your associates unless you have more to lose by
allowing the investigation.  I urge you to hire outside counsel to
investigate the activities of the Board of Directors and the management.  
Or resign.

But I and other members plan to continue to investigate. And having
found sufficient amounts of wrongfully spent money, I and other ARIN
members will seek removal of the Board Members involved.  ARIN members,
including me, have a right to the cooperation of ARIN staff, and have
the right to inspect ARIN records in pursuing this investigation.  
Efforts to impede that investigation cannot succeed. While one of the
Board Members has previously tried a legal strategy of essentially
intransigence, that strategy failed previously. I hope that you do not
try that strategy.

		--Dean


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