MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-03-27 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] [seth.johnson@realmeasures.dyndns.org: Re: Department of Commerce Report]
|
----- Forwarded message from Seth Johnson -----
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 20:07:50 -0400
From: Seth Johnson
Organization: Real Measures
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To: Ruben I Safir
CC: Bret Wynkoop , Jay Sulzberger ,
rms-at-gnu.org
Subject: Re: Department of Commerce Report
X-MDaemon-Deliver-To: ruben-at-mrbrklyn.com
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Ruben:
This is good, except for the following comment, elaborated
at a little length in this email: This initiative focuses on
putting out line. It's not focused so much on building
strength. It's mostly about getting a message out in the
press and to the local legislative representative, with a
show of popular support from the community. Two things to
bear in mind:
1) Build strength. Focus on transferability, which means
defined protocols.
2) We train organizers. We are leaders. We train by means
of emulative example, by showing those who are looking for
something viable, something in motion, that provides
opportunities to take on integral, defined, and effective
roles in a successful operation.
In the entire time since I started searching the information
freedom arena in April of 2001, I have found *no* other
organizations doing what NY Fair Use and in its own way,
NYLXS are doing. The aspects of these groups that I focus
on are their dedication to coordination (mostly as embodied
in the personage of Ruben), their community-based focus, and
with the NYLXS operation, their focus on delivering benefits
to local communities. These are the aspects that make NY
Fair Use a viable operation, and that distinguish it from
anything else out there.
But what's sorely lacking right now, that has to be put in,
is a clear understanding that we need protocol.
For the DC 7/17 tactic, I had NO PROTOCOL, beyond what I
could elaborate on the basis of "first principles" from my
own organizing experience, out of the one line Ruben and I
had come up with beforehand: "We are the stakeholders." We
had some people who took charge; we did not have established
practice to speak of or to show anyone. It was not a
picnic, trying to make an operation like that end up in the
best place possible. Fortunately, the participants were by
and large very understanding of the circumstances.
There's a lot of motion and inspiration surrounding the DC
7/17 tactic. And there are open issues, notably the
participation in the DOC's future DRM workshop proceedings,
and as a sort of offshoot, the FCC's NPRM on the broadcast
flag for digital TV. But most importantly, many, many
people have begun demonstrating a keen interest in playing
roles in an effort such as this. Kevin Marks is starting a
"BlogtheVote" initiative, tracking district elections and
related activism; Vin is talking about doing a news site
that's similar. Proclus is begging us for direction on how
to proceed in Ithaca, NY. A member of the C-FIT Community
list, Daniel Speyer, is asking for direction for activities
at his university in Maryland. We met people in DC who
wanted to make something happen; we connected up with many
of the most principled people in the information freedom
arena online. A lot of interest in moving forward shows
itself around any tactic that shows that something viable is
in motion in which people have an opportunity to take up
effective roles. Every tactic is an opportunity to build
strength, to recruit people into defined, dependable roles
that enable us to build our organization, and to reproduce
effective methods, to "leapfrog" the success to other
locales in a predictable fashion. All you have to do is
say, we want you to keep [x piece of the operation] in
motion, let us do this better the next time out.
I want to take trips to Ithaca and Maryland, but I want to
go there with tools. I don't want to go simply to "lend a
helping hand." I want to equip Proclus and Daniel with what
they need to play a part in the big picture. That's not
something I can do just by copping an attitude. We have to
create an organization that facilitates and coordinates that
sort of thing.
What we have to do is deliver a strong demonstration of
method, a follow through on what DC 7/17 initiated. We have
to act as leaders to make that happen.
For the DC 7/17 tactic, I had mostly to make sure we ended
up in a place that could move forward, but I had the
problematic knowledge that NY Fair Use was not yet ready to
take discipline to the level of defined, transferable
protocol that would let us do that -- give people effective
roles and enable the organization to reproduce success in a
predictable way.
We need protocol. That means define roles for volunteers to
take on, that have measurable outcomes, and brief and
debrief tactics with specific measurable objectives focused
on building organizational strength, beyond coming together
and putting out a concerted message (which is certainly not
to devalue that part -- but I think people know I don't mean
that).
Seth
Ruben I Safir wrote:
>
> Gentlemen:
>
> I've read over the official Washington Report on the procededing on
> DRM and I believe it presents for us our next operation, but we have to
> move fast, and we need to be very organized.
>
> The part position on the report is that the report is a coverup, because it
> deletes from the public record the input of the public from the crowd and
> misrepresents the publics position in regard to DRM.
>
> Now - this may or may not be true...BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER, because there
> is enough public press on the hearings to support this allegation, and allow
> us to air our positions again.
>
> This is the plan, and it's open for commentary.
>
> We attack this on two front, local and in Washington.
>
> First, we need to go through the Department of Commerce report and re-edit it
> to include the public commentary as it was presented in the room. This needs to
> include Richards statements, Jay's statement, Vinnie offering of the floor to Richard,
> and all the other commentary that we can find.
>
> Second - We then need to go to DC again, and hold a press conference in front of the
> Commerce Department with Copies of the "REAL REPORT" and then FOLLOW UP with a Demonstration.
>
> Third - We stage a protest in front of Congressman Weiners Office in Brooklyn, and do the same
> thing again, and demand that Congress Investigate the corruption at the DOC.
>
> We need a Press Agent
> An Editor
> Someone to Organize a Trip to DC
>
> 10 SOLID SOLDIERS for both Washington and Brooklyn
>
> --
> __________________________
>
> Brooklyn Linux Solutions
> __________________________
> http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
> http://www.nylxs.com/radio - Free Software Radio Show and Archives
> http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
> http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
> http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/dr.mp3 - Imagine my surprise when I saw you...
> http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
>
> 1-718-382-5752
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DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS http://fairuse.nylxs.com
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http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
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http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
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