Subject: Postel <http://fcn.net/postel>

From: Bob Allisat <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 13:48:30 -0400 (EDT)

Postel   <http://fcn.net/postel>

 One and all, myself among them, concede this: Postel was an
 unusual, benevolent and highly intelligent individual. Yet
 even steadfast followers admit Postel had an imperious and
 often arrogant approach to power, keeping his circle of
 delegates small, limited to a close group of friends and
 collegues, refusing entrance to percieved outsiders.

 The insular characteristic of Mr. Postel was functional
 only so long as participants on the Internet reflected his 
 rather limited constituency. In other words for as long as
 the Internet was composed of academics and technologists
 he, indeed, was representative of so-called "Internauts". 
 The greater the diversity of the new Internet increasingly
 challenged the representativeness of Postel's order of
 things.

 As the Internet exploded into public consciousness the
 circle of those outside Postel's sphere multiplied by
 magnitudes. Increasing numbers of diverse Internet
 constituents demanded participation only to recieve cool 
 and constant rebuffs from what was a select and 
 fundamentally discriminative inner circle. Postel et al 
 established a gulf both percieved and real between 
 themselves and legitimate stakeholders. Yet, alive, Postel 
 held this elitist power structure together by force of 
 character and wieght of history. Now gone there are 
 numerous forces being unleashed.

 Among the often extreme and rather unrefined devotees of
 Postel there is no-one to forestall, nothing to stop or
 dissuade rash actions "in the name of" the fallen master.
 All the more worrisome when these persons hold significant
 Internet assets in their control. Alternately among the 
 more craven of the loyal opposition there will be the
 corresponding motion towards the jugular of disassociative
 Postelites seeking to occupy the vacuum of power with their
 own despotism benevolent or otherwise. Very perilous times
 as the rush to install Postel the second impends.

 This rush to control the Internet as Postel once did may
 come from the US Congress or Executive Branch. It may arise
 from "Postelites" or commercial forces outside their 
 dwindling cabal. Regardless we must move swiftly to oppose
 re-institution of a "top-down" power structure in favour of
 what most observers regard to be the next step: an open,
 transparent, democratic Internet governance structure.

 Yes, the king is dead. But let there be no more kings. 
 Allow democracy, accountability, representation, orderly
 succession and electoral process to replace previous modes.
 Let us hold human rights, civil liberties, and inallienable
 freedoms as our collective guideposts. Great men and women
 may come and go. Let these overarching principles be the
 centre of our actions. In so far as Jon Postel embodied  
 many of these fundamentals let us mourn his passing. In so 
 far as one man can never embody the whole of truth let us
 learn a lesson and never again  make the mistake of 
 believing otherwise.

 We are all born to live and then to die. In living there 
 are many paths followed, many battles won and lost, love 
 and friends, anger and enemies, family and rememberances. A
 memory of a man I never met is limited to externalities,
 events and occurances not shared intimacies or awareness of
 internal realities. Respect is due from all of us for so
 much that is unknown and unknowable. Postel played his role
 to the best of his abilities in the time he found himself a
 part of. Let us all strive to do the same bringing "the
 best of" forward with us into the startling and often 
 bewildering tommorrowland emmerging all around us. But let 
 us not be so naive as to dismiss any shortcomings of one 
 man and his ideas, working instead to move into our future 
 with greater justice, honesty and courage.

 Thank you for this moment of your time. In memory of... 
 to the best of mine.

 <http://fcn.net/postel>

 Bob Allisat

 Free Community Network _ [email-masked] . http://fcn.net
 http://fcn.net/allisat