[CIMC-work] (IMCN binding decision-making) Fwd: [imc-us-process] Isreal/Palestine and living together-Peacefully

[Chris Kaihatsu]

----- Begin forwarded message -----
From: Joseph Eisenschmidt <relayer at riseup.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:50:48 -0800
To: imc-us-process at lists.indymedia.org
Subject: [imc-us-process] Isreal/Palestine and living together-Peacefully
Reply-To: "A process discussion list for U.S.-based IMCs" <imc-us-process at lists.indymedia.org>

Friends,

The volume of e-mails on this particular list dedicated to one 
subject is unsustainable. It's simple math. 

Nevertheless the subject is way more than relavent. 

The IMCN has virtually no enforcement mechanisms to deal with 
forbidden activiteis done by a Member of one collective against 
another. That is an issue. 

We have no definition of Voting Member. Seattle, for instance, 
cannot have any opinion on anything, which we agreed to by 
concenses in General Meeting, until after mayday. 

Our internal problems, including financial, sociological, process, 
technical, outreach, and reputation re-building will almost 
certainly take up all of our official energy before we can even 
schedule a vote on having Liasions, much less setting up new 
guidelines and actually choosing them.

This is a major structural void. We must have the ability to make 
decisions, even poor ones that are better than none. In fact we 
*must* grow and develope the ability to make excellent decisions 
quickly, fairly, and have the ability to enforce our decisions upon 
ourselves. 

All this may require that re-visit *absolute* concensus, which many 
IMC's do not use in exclusivity. Our European sisters may be able 
to help us here.

And all of this must be accomplished in an egalitarian way, 
obviously. That is to say, we must find a way to force our 
decisions on us, while we do not push out or completely alienate 
our *volunteers*. 

So, how does a concensus based, non-hierarchical organization 
enforce rules fairly upon volunteers? Some of this is major stuff-
you physically assault a Member over an opinion, you may not post 
to lists for instance. But what about the many little issues that 
are above nit-picking and not worthy of expulsion? 

And how do we not spend time on rule creation and enforcement and 
monitoring, but rather get interviews, pictures and articles up on 
the wire?

Something involving major empowering within guidelines, and 
allowing for interpretation of those rules quickly, fairly, and 
effectively is required.

An Admin, Editor, or Bookeeper are examples of folks that we all 
have a good idea of what they can, can not, and are expected to do.

Any Admin can make a decision to prevent any message from going 
forward. There is more to it, but they can act now, in that way, at 
their discretion. We en*trust* them. The remain *response*ible. If 
they mess up, we replace them. If not, we do not remove them.

The Admins on this list, for example are bending over backwards to 
facillitate this discussion by letting it go on as long as no harm 
is caused. They are to me commended. 

Some of us, like me, are monopolizing this list at the moment. 
That's OK, kind of, for a while. 

I have not posted much for a long time, and I'll post much less 
soon. But as a rule, over time, I should post here sometimes, but 
in perportion to the size of the list. This week I may have a lot 
to say on this subject, and next week I may know nothing about 
another subject. But over time, my posts to a list of 100 people 
should ideally and fairly be 1%.

I want to write a post about the 800 pound Guerrilla in the Peace 
movement, which affects us here very much. Not now, but We must all 
start talking turkey

That subject is, of course, Isreal/Palestine. 

I will use words and terms like terror, zionism, Arab, Jew, German 
and German American, Jerusalem, United nations resolutions, nuclear 
weapons, complicity, military aid, CIA, and racism.

I haven't even said anything and already my shoulders are tense and 
I'm feeling clouds of confusion in my little mind.

I will not ever write anything on this subject that is intended to 
harm. I make mistakes. I expect to be called on them, not called 
names. I desire to grow.

I am Scared that we are going to talk about the central issue of 
the Peace movement and Mideast peace, and an issue that has 
affected US foreign policy since the thirties.

I'm more scared not to.

I don't like being scared.

In Solidarity, 

Joseph   


 
 

 

Joseph
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