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00538: WDDM's Future

From: common1(at)voicesfordd.com
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:33:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: WDDM's Future

Hi, If I may, I would like to put my two cents into the pot

I believe Mirek's second question should be answered first as it
is the most crucial of all.

Q. What should WDDM try to achieve?

A. As the group has not yet fully and decisively determined it's
mission, or how it should operate, there could be a number of
answers to this question, depending upon the perspective of the
individual member. I personally believe it is time to move from
the realm of talk into the realm of "action." I think it's time for us to
do something practical in the real world or disband the WDDM
which has been "discussing" the DD subject for many years,
with little concrete accomplishment.

This year, I placed my own project aside to attend the Prague
Conference in September to present such a project, which I believed
practical--and natural--for WDDM. The reception was luke
warm, but Jiri assigned three of us to develop it further and
submit it to the entire membership when ready. Circumstances
have prevented this from happening, but my suggestion is on
the WDDM website for your comments and can also be found
at http://www.voicesfordd.com/thoughts.


Q. Why have you become a WDDM member?

A. Because I wish to do something meaningful in the waning years
of my life, and because logic says that cooperation between many
people can exert a greater force than can be exerted by one individual.


Q. Does WDDM need a decision-making mechanism?

A. Of course it does, if the group wishes to accomplish anything
meaningful. And it truly doesn't matter what the mechanism is,
as long as all members are comfortable with it.


Questions 4 & 5

A. Yes, I believe a small group of members should finish the group's
unfinished business, which consists of its mission, goals, rules,
and voting procedures--all the elements that would have made
the website more effective and functional.

There seems to be a major misunderstanding among some of the
members of this group that all group members (or citizens of a society)
must participate in creating the rules and laws of the group (or society)
for it to be democratic. This isn't true. Nor is it practical. It's perfectly
acceptable for a small group to do the planning for any society, no
matter how small or large, as long as every member of the group
(or member of society affected by the plan) vote on accepting or
rejecting such plan.

And I, personally, don't consider it a "right" to vote, but a "duty." One
of the reasons the U.S. has floundered in its drive for democracy is that
the founders knew a great deal about human frailties and knew that if
the inconvenience of voting were optional and not required, many ignorant
common class citizens would not vote. So today, in the United States,
there are many millions of citizens who don't vote, and they don't realize
that if they don't vote, but let others make decisions for them, they don't
have democracy.


Q. Do I want to be a part of the group?

A. Of course I do. As long as the group attempts something more ambitious
than talk. There's too much foolish and irrelevant talk in the world right
now. I don't intend to contribute to it.


Q. Should the WDDM mailing list be fully moderated?

A. I have mixed feelings here. I believe emails should be utilized for
personal messages between members and a discussion/bulletin/forum
board used for group discussions, one that utilizes threaded responses
and is in chronological order. I believe other members feel the
same way.


Q. The Wiki?

A. It has been difficult to use and I did visit the "Getting Started"
section. Mirek has done an admirable job putting it together, but
he has done it alone. Many members have complained, but few
have offered to help make things work smoother. I believe a Wiki
has its place when many specialists (such as mathemeticians) are
working on a single project and it becomes more practical to show
suggested changes rather than try to explain them. However, I
wouldn't relish the prospect of anyone changing my writings on the
WDDM website without first explaining the rationale behind the s
uggested changes and giving the entire membership the opportunity
to comment on the suggestions before such changes are made
in my document. And so I feel a discussion board is truly the most
suitable for our purposes.


A few more comments.

I agree with Mirek that "members" who show no interest in moving
forward and do not participate in this poll should relinquish their
membership

I do not agree with John Baker, who believes the only goal of WDDM
"is "to facilitate the enactment of a democratic constitution" and "all
issues outside of vesting constitutional authority in the majority are put
aside." I believe creating a constitution should be left to the people
who will live under it and that designing a constitution for a single
nation is chore enough, designing one for all of Earth's humanity
is a little too ambitious and, it seems to me, slightly presumptuous.

Bernard is correct in his analysis of association versus organization.
And yes, if we decide to form an organization there will be many
decisions that will have to be made and the road ahead will be difficult
and challenging. Challenging, but not an impassable road. Isn't that
what life is all about--overcoming challenges? Isn't that how great changes
are made, by accepting great challenges?

I guess I've said enough. Let's move on.

Lee G.


--
THE FUTURE WILL BE WHATEVER
CURRENT GENERATIONS WILL IT TO BE!
___________________________________
www.voicesfordd.com


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