- sudo-discuss - sudoroom.org

Saturday - Free Class - "Just enough Sketch-up to pretend you can 3d model"

by Max Klein

Glance - *WHEN* 2pm on Saturday the 16th of March. - *DURATION* 2 hours - *LOCATION* sudo room <http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Getting_there> - *PRICE* $0 - *NUTSHELL* Live Sketchup and print tutorial - *INSTRUCTOR* Max Klein aka notconfusing <http://notconfusing.com> Plan - Understand the workflow (Idea>Design>STL>Slice>Print). - *IDEA* a miniature plate for canapes and appetizers that is ring and allows you to hold a drink in the same hand. - *DESIGN* we’ll make a 3d digital representation in sketchup - *STL* gloss over this detail and leave it for another class - *SLICE* gloss over this detail and leave it for another class - *PRINT* marvel, and take home. Learn On the right you’ll see some examples of what I’ve 3D printed at sudo room, having learned all my skills at sudo room, from sudoers. - 3D Printing Theory - Sketchup - Navigation - Basic Shapes - Shape Manipulation - Advanced Shapes - Exporting - Slic3r slicing software (in a minor way) - Repetier Host Printer Software (in a minor way) - How to manually adjust the 3d printer in times of crisis. Bring - Come with a laptop with sketchup <http://www.sketchup.com/> installed. There’s a free version for Windows and Mac. If you don’t have this installed, you cannot begin immediately. - Bring a mouse. Sketchup is much easier with a mouse, and all but impossible to learn with the track pad. Essential. Attend Kind people RSVP on the wiki<http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Just_enought_Sketch-up_to_pretend_you_can_3d_model…>, but all those who show up will be welcomed.

13 years, 1 month

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Fwd: Does anyone want to form a delegation to attend Hackerspace Marin meetups?

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)aya.yale.edu> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 9:16 PM Subject: Does anyone want to form a delegation to attend Hackerspace Marin meetups? To: sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> c.f. http://www.meetup.com/Hackerspace-Marin/?gj=ej1b&a=wg2.2_rdmr

13 years, 1 month

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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 1:09 PM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Cc: Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> In that case, I hope you can participate directly in drafting changes that reflect your views and I look forward to seeing them. Once I have things on git, if you wish to work in that medium, let me know if you aren't familiar and need any help getting going. Otherwise, I'll look on the wiki and the mailing list as usual. On Mar 9, 2013 12:03 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Responses inline below > > mediumreality.com > On Mar 9, 2013 11:25 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > It seems to me like the name change is compelling because it fit the > role as conceived better, > > I find the name change compelling because it is not a re-naming but an > evolution, more reflective of my values and of those I would hope this > organization espouses (ie, for those who exist as a priveleged class in a > police state where entire other classes of people experience violence on > the daily to be sensitive to what it might mean to invoke power, especially > using a framing evocative of police power) > > You might think this is the same thing as what you have said above. I do > not. > > >and the role was conceived in response to concrete experiences rather > than according to a conceptual template associated with a name or an > existing other role in another context, the name being mostly an > afterthought, > > Our opinions on the power of language to expose bias, and reinforce it, > differ. > > >albeit one that led in practice to distraction > > I disagree. You are missing my point. I believe the languaging of the > documents we use to govern ourselves is not a distraction but in fact is > their stuff of substance. > > >and more attention than it was worth relative to more substantive things > buried deeper in the details. > > I disagree. > > > That said, I look forward to any insights that come from you or others > from reframing and will read back over things myself with an eye toward > them. > > I have given feedback on the languaging several times, essentially the > same feedback. Hopefully the things I have said here to further explain > will help. > > > One insight I have now is that perhaps all Sudo Functionaries should > instead be Sudo Stewards of various kinds, perhaps with cheeky informal > archaic titles as inside jokes of sorts, > > For our functionality, inside jokes & obfuscatory terms will serve the > purpose of discouraging outsiders & newcomers from feeling like they > belong. Our goal should be to decrease the learning curve for our > governance structures. > > >fitting the culture of hacking and repurposing things, but mainly > descriptively named. This would give more substance to the minor edits I > made to the other roles and would be a good basis for splitting this change > into two separate ones to consider. > > See below. > > > > > Well, IMO it would make more sense to re-examine and re-draft the role > in light of the new framing, and see what else changes, rather than simply > changing the title. > > see the preceding for my TL;DR > > > > > Thought artifacts are real, yo. Let's not encode too many into the > Articles. > > > > On Mar 9, 2013 10:06 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> > >> Then, conflict steward <=> constable? > >> > >> On Mar 9, 2013 2:09 AM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >>> > >>> I love 'steward'! > >>> > >>> To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities > around what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the > community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a > sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? > Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding > steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the > process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but > honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so > I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. > >>> > >>> Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd > like to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might > be a good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the > meeting. > >>> > >>> (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of > ideas is part of the strength of that method?) > >>> > >>> :D > >>> R. > >>> > >>> On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >>>> > >>>> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) > >>>> > >>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and > where it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged > from the draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" > as a neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are > strongly preferred. > >>>>> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many > of which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia > page about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like > one that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. > >>>>> > >>>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by > marina! > >>>>>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable > suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an > Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is > more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. > >>>>>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can > streamline the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due > to complexity & language. > >>>>>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the > differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used > when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point > where we are in consensus. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns > about the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the > dictionary WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we > can come up with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of > social engineering. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> R. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a > structured articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. > we've tried these before and they were not super productive. i think that > where we faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target > areas" identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target > area": > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from > the sudo community] > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who does > this?] > >>>>>>> On the official sudo room wiki. > >>>>>>> On the sudo room discussion email list > >>>>>>> At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the > amendment will be held > >>>>>>> Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how > long? > >>>>>>> On the official sudo room wiki. > >>>>>>> On the official sudo room anonymous etherpad: > https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom > >>>>>>> On any sudo room email list. > >>>>>>> Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. > >>>>>>> The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve > in-person feedback, and discuss. > >>>>>>> Decision procedure: Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved question > of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing a step > between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then having time > to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe this was the > source of the confusion yesterday?]" > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso < > marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> hi everyone, > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we > make: > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> - conflict resolution > >>>>>>>> - amendments > >>>>>>>> - budget > >>>>>>>> - endorsements > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, > etc.) are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below > is the flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the > creation of new roles. > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" > below it would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> - marina > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job > clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in > place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying > to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run > into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much > resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution > decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and > getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be > the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, > what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single > thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit > more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working > with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we > need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best > practice"...what do others think? > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < > di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in > conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision > procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a > general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the > ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within > conflict resolution. > >>>>>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and > an oversight in the original draft. > >>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso < > marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> hi eddan, > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the > relevant parts of the articles. > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> i have a couple questions - > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion > to approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a > brand new suggestion?). > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a > new role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on > this falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended > to get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we > put the Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on > it in order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the > minimum necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on > it didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger > on it at the time. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we > make amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move > forward when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. > There is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very > section calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than > consensus. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this > by vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or > unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity > because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of > what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't > think we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never > have any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a > whole. This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified > and clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would > persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the > language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, > the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote > for all future amendments. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial > articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., > "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having > watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I > shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point > by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than > solving the task at hand. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the > constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval > (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal > solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is > decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to > any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being > paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't > really make sense. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be > 2/3 is because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon > started with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict > resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe > space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to > safe space. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where > everyone feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is > set up specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority > opinion and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting > and approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant > considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe > space, at least in my mind. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the > different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be > relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think > that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other > decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we > would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it > out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for > language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least > that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable > position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be > drafted with a consensus process. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting > plans for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to > the articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time > around, or that this is something we should address in future amendments? > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the > decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working > through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, > because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as > possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions > that involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even > advocating for that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is > recognize that it is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if > not others as well. Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative > discussion veers off a productive process when there is no one assigned to > pointing us to where we should go next. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for > someone that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 > vote, under the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should > call it an ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the > point. > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> - marina > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room > body, dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention > arose around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as > far as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the > establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed > and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. > If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as > it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion > in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was > announced last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous > process as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful > opportunity to discuss and object and to make available in-person and > on-line opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need > for such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of > view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at > regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in > addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was > reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for > direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks > and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, > is how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; > or must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by > this for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other > conditionals still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the > play-by-play events of tonight would be unproductive and that > considerations on the merits of the constable role be limited to high-level > comments and would be best served without delving into too many details > about the role. In other words, I'm suggesting we separate out the process > by which we (a) find consensus on language amending the articles of > association; and (b) decide on whether we need to add a Constable (or > related functionary) role. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are > some questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move > forward: > >>>>>>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) > say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? > >>>>>>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) > say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? > >>>>>>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute > resolution process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) > give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new > functionary role? > >>>>>>>>>>>> If so, what process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) > for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? > >>>>>>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) > is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? > >>>>>>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making these > decisions? > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but > will say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the > Constable role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever > language is drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done > by consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done > in detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and > wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting > tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for > any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that > proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. > Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways > we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a > Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that > the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there > are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective > before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to > me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case > for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive > direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an > ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating > ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've > heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make > sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> ---- > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" < > di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>>>>>>>>>>> Sudyo, > >>>>>>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a > rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to > facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and > where their resolution stands. > >>>>>>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to > the long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of > time in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last > week's meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible > meeting. > >>>>>>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during > the meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original > intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive > detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the > shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking > around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying > around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) > >>>>>>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, > here: http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> Highlights: > >>>>>>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and > in the Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may > perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the > Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must > perform them if no one else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) > >>>>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process > according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings > among conflicting parties and moderator. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the > conflict resolution process. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by > conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better > relationships and a stronger community. > >>>>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, > co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about > conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement > >>>>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process > >>>>>>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room > is encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative > environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not > resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of > association: > >>>>>>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as > Constable in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. > >>>>>>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who > consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work > with towards a solution. > >>>>>>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and > maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the > conflicting parties. > >>>>>>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange > to meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting > parties consent to. > >>>>>>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, > or if at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable > time, all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and > Mediator agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not > be likely to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in > the following way: > >>>>>>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting > scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation > is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at > least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast > to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would > compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the > description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) > is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of > the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the > Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress > sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. > >>>>>>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all > unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a > vote. > >>>>>>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation > about the issue. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus > according to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category > determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party > to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): > >>>>>>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > >>>>>>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > >>>>>>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only > fiscal redress is sought. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote > >>>>>>>>>>>> All other conflicts. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus > >>>>>>>>>>>> Positive feedback. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval > >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to > each conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be > held about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates > with the Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict > and provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to > the documentation. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is > held, during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it > directly with others. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the > conflict, which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the > Constable nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their > objections if a second member supports the proposal. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, > and then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were > proposed, but only if at least one member indicates that the one under > consideration is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in > this way, the matter is considered resolved. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place > an appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the > agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal > during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an > alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original > decision. > >>>>>>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour > has passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any > member may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the > conflict until the next meeting. > >>>>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to > Conflicts > >>>>>>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven > otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is > consistently maintained. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive > remedies. > >>>>>>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: > >>>>>>>>>>>> Facilitator > >>>>>>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt > with, and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group > decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, > by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles > of Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be > challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a > majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Scribe > >>>>>>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to > include their notes in final meeting minutes. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Exchequer > >>>>>>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the > budget process below. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of > the group, using the group's accounts. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it > available to the group. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Constable > >>>>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process > according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings > among conflicting parties and moderator. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the > conflict resolution process. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by > conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better > relationships and a stronger community. > >>>>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, > co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about > conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. > >>>>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > >>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list > >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >>>>>> >

13 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 11:25 AM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Cc: Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> It seems to me like the name change is compelling because it fit the role as conceived better, and the role was conceived in response to concrete experiences rather than according to a conceptual template associated with a name or an existing other role in another context, the name being mostly an afterthought, albeit one that led in practice to distraction and more attention than it was worth relative to more substantive things buried deeper in the details. That said, I look forward to any insights that come from you or others from reframing and will read back over things myself with an eye toward them. One insight I have now is that perhaps all Sudo Functionaries should instead be Sudo Stewards of various kinds, perhaps with cheeky informal archaic titles as inside jokes of sorts, fitting the culture of hacking and repurposing things, but mainly descriptively named. This would give more substance to the minor edits I made to the other roles and would be a good basis for splitting this change into two separate ones to consider. Well, IMO it would make more sense to re-examine and re-draft the role in light of the new framing, and see what else changes, rather than simply changing the title. Thought artifacts are real, yo. Let's not encode too many into the Articles. On Mar 9, 2013 10:06 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Then, conflict steward <=> constable? > On Mar 9, 2013 2:09 AM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I love 'steward'! >> >> To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around >> what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the >> community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a >> sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? >> Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding >> steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the >> process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but >> honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so >> I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. >> >> Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like >> to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a >> good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. >> >> (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of >> ideas is part of the strength of that method?) >> >> :D >> R. >> On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) >>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and >>>> where it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged >>>> from the draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" >>>> as a neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >>>> strongly preferred. >>>> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >>>> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >>>> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >>>> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>>>> marina! >>>>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>>>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>>>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>>>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>>>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can >>>>> streamline the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due >>>>> to complexity & language. >>>>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>>>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>>>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>>>> where we are in consensus. >>>>> >>>>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns >>>>> about the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the >>>>> dictionary WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we >>>>> can come up with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of >>>>> social engineering. >>>>> >>>>> R. >>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>>>> >>>>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>>>> >>>>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>>>> sudo community] >>>>>> >>>>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>>>> does this?] >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>>>> amendment will be held >>>>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for >>>>>> how long? >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, >>>>>> recieve in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> hi everyone, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>>>> - amendments >>>>>>> - budget >>>>>>> - endorsements >>>>>>> >>>>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, >>>>>>> etc.) are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below >>>>>>> is the flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the >>>>>>> creation of new roles. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below >>>>>>> it would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put >>>>>>>>> the Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we >>>>>>>>> make amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move >>>>>>>>> forward when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. >>>>>>>>> There is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very >>>>>>>>> section calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't >>>>>>>>> think we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never >>>>>>>>> have any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a >>>>>>>>> whole. This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified >>>>>>>>> and clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 >>>>>>>>> is because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon >>>>>>>>> started with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for >>>>>>>>> someone that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 >>>>>>>>> vote, under the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should >>>>>>>>> call it an ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the >>>>>>>>> point. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room >>>>>>>>>> body, dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention >>>>>>>>>> arose around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as >>>>>>>>>> far as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in >>>>>>>>>> making these decisions? >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but >>>>>>>>>> will say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the >>>>>>>>>> Constable role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever >>>>>>>>>> language is drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done >>>>>>>>>> by consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done >>>>>>>>>> in detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" < >>>>>>>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the >>>>>>>>>> long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time >>>>>>>>>> in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in >>>>>>>>>> the Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may >>>>>>>>>> perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the >>>>>>>>>> Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must >>>>>>>>>> perform them if no one else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, >>>>>>>>>> co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable >>>>>>>>>> in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about >>>>>>>>>> the issue. >>>>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus >>>>>>>>>> according to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category >>>>>>>>>> determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party >>>>>>>>>> to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to >>>>>>>>>> Conflicts >>>>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven >>>>>>>>>> otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is >>>>>>>>>> consistently maintained. >>>>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group >>>>>>>>>> decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, >>>>>>>>>> by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to >>>>>>>>>> include their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, >>>>>>>>>> co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>> >>>>>

13 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 11:04 AM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: di.franco(a)aya.yale.edu Cc: Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Well, IMO it would make more sense to re-examine and re-draft the role in light of the new framing, and see what else changes, rather than simply changing the title. Thought artifacts are real, yo. Let's not encode too many into the Articles. On Mar 9, 2013 10:06 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Then, conflict steward <=> constable? > On Mar 9, 2013 2:09 AM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I love 'steward'! >> >> To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around >> what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the >> community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a >> sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? >> Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding >> steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the >> process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but >> honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so >> I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. >> >> Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like >> to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a >> good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. >> >> (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of >> ideas is part of the strength of that method?) >> >> :D >> R. >> On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) >>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and >>>> where it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged >>>> from the draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" >>>> as a neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >>>> strongly preferred. >>>> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >>>> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >>>> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >>>> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>>>> marina! >>>>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>>>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>>>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>>>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>>>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can >>>>> streamline the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due >>>>> to complexity & language. >>>>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>>>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>>>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>>>> where we are in consensus. >>>>> >>>>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns >>>>> about the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the >>>>> dictionary WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we >>>>> can come up with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of >>>>> social engineering. >>>>> >>>>> R. >>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>>>> >>>>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>>>> >>>>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>>>> sudo community] >>>>>> >>>>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>>>> does this?] >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>>>> amendment will be held >>>>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for >>>>>> how long? >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, >>>>>> recieve in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> hi everyone, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>>>> - amendments >>>>>>> - budget >>>>>>> - endorsements >>>>>>> >>>>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, >>>>>>> etc.) are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below >>>>>>> is the flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the >>>>>>> creation of new roles. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below >>>>>>> it would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put >>>>>>>>> the Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we >>>>>>>>> make amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move >>>>>>>>> forward when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. >>>>>>>>> There is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very >>>>>>>>> section calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't >>>>>>>>> think we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never >>>>>>>>> have any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a >>>>>>>>> whole. This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified >>>>>>>>> and clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 >>>>>>>>> is because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon >>>>>>>>> started with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for >>>>>>>>> someone that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 >>>>>>>>> vote, under the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should >>>>>>>>> call it an ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the >>>>>>>>> point. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room >>>>>>>>>> body, dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention >>>>>>>>>> arose around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as >>>>>>>>>> far as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in >>>>>>>>>> making these decisions? >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but >>>>>>>>>> will say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the >>>>>>>>>> Constable role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever >>>>>>>>>> language is drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done >>>>>>>>>> by consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done >>>>>>>>>> in detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" < >>>>>>>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the >>>>>>>>>> long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time >>>>>>>>>> in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in >>>>>>>>>> the Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may >>>>>>>>>> perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the >>>>>>>>>> Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must >>>>>>>>>> perform them if no one else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, >>>>>>>>>> co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable >>>>>>>>>> in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about >>>>>>>>>> the issue. >>>>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus >>>>>>>>>> according to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category >>>>>>>>>> determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party >>>>>>>>>> to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to >>>>>>>>>> Conflicts >>>>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven >>>>>>>>>> otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is >>>>>>>>>> consistently maintained. >>>>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group >>>>>>>>>> decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, >>>>>>>>>> by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to >>>>>>>>>> include their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, >>>>>>>>>> co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about >>>>>>>>>> conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>> >>>>>

13 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Cc: Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Then, conflict steward <=> constable? On Mar 9, 2013 2:09 AM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I love 'steward'! > > To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around > what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the > community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a > sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? > Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding > steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the > process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but > honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so > I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. > > Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like to > make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a > good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. > > (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of ideas > is part of the strength of that method?) > > :D > R. > On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) >> On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and >>> where it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged >>> from the draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" >>> as a neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >>> strongly preferred. >>> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >>> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >>> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >>> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>>> marina! >>>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline >>>> the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to >>>> complexity & language. >>>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>>> where we are in consensus. >>>> >>>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns >>>> about the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the >>>> dictionary WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we >>>> can come up with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of >>>> social engineering. >>>> >>>> R. >>>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>>> >>>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>>> >>>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>>> sudo community] >>>>> >>>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>>> does this?] >>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>>> amendment will be held >>>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for >>>>> how long? >>>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve >>>>> in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> hi everyone, >>>>>> >>>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>>> >>>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>>> - amendments >>>>>> - budget >>>>>> - endorsements >>>>>> >>>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) >>>>>> are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the >>>>>> flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation >>>>>> of new roles. >>>>>> >>>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it >>>>>> would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>>> >>>>>> - marina >>>>>> >>>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put >>>>>>>> the Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we >>>>>>>> make amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move >>>>>>>> forward when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. >>>>>>>> There is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very >>>>>>>> section calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't >>>>>>>> think we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never >>>>>>>> have any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a >>>>>>>> whole. This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified >>>>>>>> and clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 >>>>>>>> is because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon >>>>>>>> started with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone >>>>>>>> that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under >>>>>>>> the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an >>>>>>>> ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, >>>>>>>>> dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose >>>>>>>>> around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far >>>>>>>>> as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in >>>>>>>>> making these decisions? >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will >>>>>>>>> say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable >>>>>>>>> role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is >>>>>>>>> drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by >>>>>>>>> consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in >>>>>>>>> detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the >>>>>>>>> long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time >>>>>>>>> in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the >>>>>>>>> Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform >>>>>>>>> any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are >>>>>>>>> expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one >>>>>>>>> else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable >>>>>>>>> in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the >>>>>>>>> issue. >>>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according >>>>>>>>> to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines >>>>>>>>> the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the >>>>>>>>> conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven >>>>>>>>> otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently >>>>>>>>> maintained. >>>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions >>>>>>>>> are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing >>>>>>>>> them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to >>>>>>>>> include their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>> >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>> >>>>

13 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 2:03 AM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: di.franco(a)aya.yale.edu Cc: Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> I love 'steward'! To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of ideas is part of the strength of that method?) :D R. On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) > On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and where >> it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged from the >> draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" as a >> neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >> strongly preferred. >> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>> marina! >>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline >>> the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to >>> complexity & language. >>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>> where we are in consensus. >>> >>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns about >>> the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the dictionary >>> WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we can come up >>> with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of social >>> engineering. >>> >>> R. >>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>> >>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>> >>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>> sudo community] >>>> >>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>> does this?] >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>> amendment will be held >>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how >>>> long? >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve >>>> in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>> >>>>> hi everyone, >>>>> >>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>> >>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>> - amendments >>>>> - budget >>>>> - endorsements >>>>> >>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) >>>>> are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the >>>>> flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation >>>>> of new roles. >>>>> >>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it >>>>> would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>> >>>>> - marina >>>>> >>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put the >>>>>>> Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we make >>>>>>> amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move forward >>>>>>> when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. There >>>>>>> is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very section >>>>>>> calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't think >>>>>>> we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never have >>>>>>> any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a whole. >>>>>>> This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified and >>>>>>> clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 is >>>>>>> because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon started >>>>>>> with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone >>>>>>> that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under >>>>>>> the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an >>>>>>> ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, >>>>>>>> dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose >>>>>>>> around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far >>>>>>>> as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making >>>>>>>> these decisions? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will >>>>>>>> say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable >>>>>>>> role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is >>>>>>>> drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by >>>>>>>> consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in >>>>>>>> detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long >>>>>>>> and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, >>>>>>>> and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the >>>>>>>> Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform >>>>>>>> any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are >>>>>>>> expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one >>>>>>>> else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in >>>>>>>> the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the >>>>>>>> issue. >>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according >>>>>>>> to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines >>>>>>>> the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the >>>>>>>> conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise >>>>>>>> beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently >>>>>>>> maintained. >>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions >>>>>>>> are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing >>>>>>>> them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include >>>>>>>> their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>> >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>>

13 years, 1 month

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0
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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 3:01 PM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Cc: Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> (Hall ward) On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) > On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and where >> it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged from the >> draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" as a >> neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >> strongly preferred. >> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>> marina! >>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline >>> the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to >>> complexity & language. >>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>> where we are in consensus. >>> >>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns about >>> the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the dictionary >>> WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we can come up >>> with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of social >>> engineering. >>> >>> R. >>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>> >>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>> >>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>> sudo community] >>>> >>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>> does this?] >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>> amendment will be held >>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how >>>> long? >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve >>>> in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>> >>>>> hi everyone, >>>>> >>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>> >>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>> - amendments >>>>> - budget >>>>> - endorsements >>>>> >>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) >>>>> are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the >>>>> flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation >>>>> of new roles. >>>>> >>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it >>>>> would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>> >>>>> - marina >>>>> >>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put the >>>>>>> Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we make >>>>>>> amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move forward >>>>>>> when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. There >>>>>>> is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very section >>>>>>> calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't think >>>>>>> we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never have >>>>>>> any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a whole. >>>>>>> This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified and >>>>>>> clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 is >>>>>>> because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon started >>>>>>> with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone >>>>>>> that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under >>>>>>> the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an >>>>>>> ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, >>>>>>>> dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose >>>>>>>> around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far >>>>>>>> as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making >>>>>>>> these decisions? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will >>>>>>>> say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable >>>>>>>> role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is >>>>>>>> drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by >>>>>>>> consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in >>>>>>>> detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long >>>>>>>> and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, >>>>>>>> and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the >>>>>>>> Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform >>>>>>>> any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are >>>>>>>> expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one >>>>>>>> else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in >>>>>>>> the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the >>>>>>>> issue. >>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according >>>>>>>> to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines >>>>>>>> the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the >>>>>>>> conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise >>>>>>>> beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently >>>>>>>> maintained. >>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions >>>>>>>> are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing >>>>>>>> them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include >>>>>>>> their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>> >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>>

13 years, 1 month

1
0
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Fwd: conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Forwarding more of what seems not to have gone through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 3:00 PM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Cc: Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, Eddan Katz <eddan(a)eddan.com>, sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and where > it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged from the > draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" as a > neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are > strongly preferred. > "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of > which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page > about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one > that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. > On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >> marina! >> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable suggestion, >> with its problematic Enforcement language, into an Ombudspersonish >> solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is more flexible >> and applicable to a greater range of situations. >> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline >> the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to >> complexity & language. >> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >> where we are in consensus. >> >> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns about >> the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the dictionary >> WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we can come up >> with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of social >> engineering. >> >> R. >> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>> >>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>> >>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>> sudo community] >>> >>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>> does this?] >>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>> amendment will be held >>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how >>> long? >>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve >>> in-person feedback, and discuss. >>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>> >>> >>> >>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>> >>>> hi everyone, >>>> >>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>> >>>> - conflict resolution >>>> - amendments >>>> - budget >>>> - endorsements >>>> >>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) >>>> are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the >>>> flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation >>>> of new roles. >>>> >>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it >>>> would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>> >>>> - marina >>>> >>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com >>>> > wrote: >>>> >>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>> >>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>> >>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>> >>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>> >>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>> >>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put the >>>>>> Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>> >>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we make >>>>>> amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move forward >>>>>> when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. There >>>>>> is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very section >>>>>> calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>> consensus. >>>>>> >>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>> >>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't think >>>>>> we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never have >>>>>> any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a whole. >>>>>> This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified and >>>>>> clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>> >>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>> >>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>> >>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 is >>>>>> because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon started >>>>>> with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>> safe space. >>>>>> >>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>> >>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the different >>>>>> categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be relevant to >>>>>> anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think that this >>>>>> interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other decision >>>>>> other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we would >>>>>> then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it out. >>>>>> All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>> >>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>> >>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>> >>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>> >>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone >>>>>> that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under >>>>>> the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an >>>>>> ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> - marina >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>> >>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, >>>>>>> dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose >>>>>>> around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far >>>>>>> as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is how >>>>>>> to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or must >>>>>>> be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this for >>>>>>> sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making >>>>>>> these decisions? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will >>>>>>> say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable >>>>>>> role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is >>>>>>> drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by >>>>>>> consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in >>>>>>> detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long >>>>>>> and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, >>>>>>> and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the >>>>>>> Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform >>>>>>> any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are >>>>>>> expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one >>>>>>> else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>> association: >>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in >>>>>>> the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents >>>>>>> to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with >>>>>>> towards a solution. >>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet >>>>>>> to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at >>>>>>> least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the >>>>>>> issue. >>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according >>>>>>> to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines >>>>>>> the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the >>>>>>> conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise >>>>>>> beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently >>>>>>> maintained. >>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions >>>>>>> are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing >>>>>>> them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include >>>>>>> their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> sudo-discuss mailing list >> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >> >>

13 years, 1 month

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Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal

by Eddan

Dear Sudo folk - As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? What does the Functionaries section ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution process ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new functionary role? If so, what process ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? What part of the agenda structure ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? How do we go about advancing our values ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making these decisions? I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. May God Bless Sudo Room. sent from eddan.com ---- On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: Sudyo, I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and where their resolution stands. I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft Highlights: Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. Define role of Constable (section 2.2) Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: Section 3.4 Enforcement [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of association: The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with towards a solution. The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the conflicting parties. The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties consent to. If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the following way: The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a vote. First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the issue. Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote Other serious conflict. Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal redress is sought. Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote All other conflicts. Decision Procedure: Consensus Positive feedback. Decision Procedure: Auto-approval Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the documentation. Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly with others. Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a second member supports the proposal. Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the matter is considered resolved. Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original decision. If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict until the next meeting. [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently maintained. Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive remedies. More precise language about functionaries: Facilitator Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. Scribe Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include their notes in final meeting minutes. Posts notes publicly after each meeting. Exchequer Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget process below. Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, using the group's accounts. Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to the group. Constable Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. _______________________________________________ sudo-discuss mailing list sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss

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Sun. Mar. 17: Vegan Pizza Night + Oakland Wiki Vegan/Vegetarian Edit Party!

by Marina Kukso

Hi Sudoers, Join us at Chateau Bellevue (359 Bellevue Ave., Oakland) at 5PM on March 17th for *Vegan Pizza Night and Oakland Wiki Vegan/Vegetarian Edit Party*! We'll be making vegan pizza and adding content to Oakland Wiki ( oaklandwiki.org) about vegan/vegetarian resources in Oakland (restaurants, best grocery stores, fun social events, excellent nonprofits and volunteer opportunities, and whatever else you can think of). Oakland Wiki is a *free*website about Oakland that *anyone* can edit. We are currently working on adding a lot of great content about vegan and vegetarian resources in Oakland to the wiki, and would love to have your contributions to this shared community resource (check out our current vegan/vegetarian guide here: http://oaklandwiki.org/Vegetarians_and_Vegans). During the night, we'll be showing people how to edit and working together to add content to the wiki. Bring some toppings (or your favorite dough!), your laptop, and a vegan/veggie friend! Best, Marina PS - Alcohol will not be turned away.

13 years, 1 month

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Fwd: Re: conflict resolution proposal

by rachel lyra hospodar

Forwarding message that failed to go through. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Date: Mar 9, 2013 12:03 PM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: <di.franco(a)aya.yale.edu> Cc: "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)eddan.com>, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, "sudo-discuss" <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Responses inline below mediumreality.com On Mar 9, 2013 11:25 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > It seems to me like the name change is compelling because it fit the role as conceived better, I find the name change compelling because it is not a re-naming but an evolution, more reflective of my values and of those I would hope this organization espouses (ie, for those who exist as a priveleged class in a police state where entire other classes of people experience violence on the daily to be sensitive to what it might mean to invoke power, especially using a framing evocative of police power) You might think this is the same thing as what you have said above. I do not. >and the role was conceived in response to concrete experiences rather than according to a conceptual template associated with a name or an existing other role in another context, the name being mostly an afterthought, Our opinions on the power of language to expose bias, and reinforce it, differ. >albeit one that led in practice to distraction I disagree. You are missing my point. I believe the languaging of the documents we use to govern ourselves is not a distraction but in fact is their stuff of substance. >and more attention than it was worth relative to more substantive things buried deeper in the details. I disagree. > That said, I look forward to any insights that come from you or others from reframing and will read back over things myself with an eye toward them. I have given feedback on the languaging several times, essentially the same feedback. Hopefully the things I have said here to further explain will help. > One insight I have now is that perhaps all Sudo Functionaries should instead be Sudo Stewards of various kinds, perhaps with cheeky informal archaic titles as inside jokes of sorts, For our functionality, inside jokes & obfuscatory terms will serve the purpose of discouraging outsiders & newcomers from feeling like they belong. Our goal should be to decrease the learning curve for our governance structures. >fitting the culture of hacking and repurposing things, but mainly descriptively named. This would give more substance to the minor edits I made to the other roles and would be a good basis for splitting this change into two separate ones to consider. See below. > > Well, IMO it would make more sense to re-examine and re-draft the role in light of the new framing, and see what else changes, rather than simply changing the title. see the preceding for my TL;DR > > Thought artifacts are real, yo. Let's not encode too many into the Articles. > > On Mar 9, 2013 10:06 AM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Then, conflict steward <=> constable? >> >> On Mar 9, 2013 2:09 AM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> I love 'steward'! >>> >>> To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. >>> >>> Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. >>> >>> (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of ideas is part of the strength of that method?) >>> >>> :D >>> R. >>> >>> On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) >>>> >>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and where it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged from the draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" as a neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are strongly preferred. >>>>> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >>>>> >>>>> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by marina! >>>>>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>>>>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to complexity & language. >>>>>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point where we are in consensus. >>>>>> >>>>>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns about the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the dictionary WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we can come up with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of social engineering. >>>>>> >>>>>> R. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>>>>> >>>>>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the sudo community] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who does this?] >>>>>>> On the official sudo room wiki. >>>>>>> On the sudo room discussion email list >>>>>>> At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the amendment will be held >>>>>>> Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how long? >>>>>>> On the official sudo room wiki. >>>>>>> On the official sudo room anonymous etherpad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>>>>> On any sudo room email list. >>>>>>> Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>>>>> The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>>>>> Decision procedure: Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> hi everyone, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>>>>> - amendments >>>>>>>> - budget >>>>>>>> - endorsements >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation of new roles. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best practice"...what do others think? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within conflict resolution. >>>>>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an oversight in the original draft. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand new suggestion?). >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put the Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on it at the time. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we make amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move forward when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. There is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very section calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than consensus. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't think we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never have any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a whole. This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified and clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote for all future amendments. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than solving the task at hand. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't really make sense. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 is because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon started with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to safe space. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where we should go next. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution process ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new functionary role? >>>>>>>>>>>> If so, what process ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making these decisions? >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" < di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of association: >>>>>>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with towards a solution. >>>>>>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the conflicting parties. >>>>>>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties consent to. >>>>>>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the following way: >>>>>>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a vote. >>>>>>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the issue. >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal redress is sought. >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly with others. >>>>>>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original decision. >>>>>>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict until the next meeting. >>>>>>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently maintained. >>>>>>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive remedies. >>>>>>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget process below. >>>>>>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to the group. >>>>>>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. >>>>>>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>

13 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

Fwd: Re: conflict resolution proposal

by rachel lyra hospodar

(Forwarding message that seems to have failed to go through) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> Date: Mar 9, 2013 2:03 AM Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal To: <di.franco(a)aya.yale.edu> Cc: "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)eddan.com>, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>, "sudo-discuss" <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> I love 'steward'! To me it sounds welcoming and helpful, and opens up possibilities around what else the role could be... for example, maybe someone from the community at large who wants to do, say, an unconference, could ask a sudo-ite to steward their event, ie, be a point of contact for the space? Or as our fundraising structure ramps up, projects could have a funding steward (also builds in accountability there!) that keeps an eye on the process and helps to clarify it. I know that's a ways down the road but honestly I have never seen a funding structure that was unconfusing, so I'll just go ahead and predict that ours might be, too. Also in the case of amendments, if someone has an amendment they'd like to make but is confused or intimidated by the process, a steward might be a good neutral ally who can help everything along before & during the meeting. (Am I a consensus nerd if I point out that this kind of evolution of ideas is part of the strength of that method?) :D R. On Mar 8, 2013 3:00 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Steward? (See union steward, stewardship, etymology: house ward) > On Mar 8, 2013 2:21 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I tried to avoid "enforcement" specifically and its presence if and where >> it remains is a bug. I would not mind it being summarily expunged from the >> draft wherever you find it. I generally went with "implementation" as a >> neutral term and made clear elsewhere that restorative remedies are >> strongly preferred. >> "Constable" I have found to have a range of nuanced meanings, many of >> which seem to fit our situation well, from the very thorough wikipedia page >> about it. It is the best word I know of so far, but I too would like one >> that requires less up-front study of wikipedia to appreciate. >> On Mar 8, 2013 2:12 PM, "rachel lyra hospodar" <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I'd be interested in the structured editing time suggested here by >>> marina! >>> -I am interested in examining ways to transmute the Constable >>> suggestion, with its problematic Enforcement language, into an >>> Ombudspersonish solution, perhaps creating a sudo functionary role that is >>> more flexible and applicable to a greater range of situations. >>> -I am also very interested in seeking ways and places we can streamline >>> the articles, since overall to me they seem kind of opaque due to >>> complexity & language. >>> -I am interested in seeking ways to create some clarity around the >>> differences between unanimity, consensus, and voting, and which is used >>> when. This could also include reaching clarity on how to get to the point >>> where we are in consensus. >>> >>> I also do want to explicitly state once again that I have concerns about >>> the denotations (ie, some of the stuff it actually says in the dictionary >>> WRT the word) of 'constable' and 'enforcement' and am hoping we can come up >>> with words less evocative of archaic and violent forms of social >>> engineering. >>> >>> R. >>> On Mar 7, 2013 1:18 PM, "Marina Kukso" <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> also, i'd like to add that i'd be interested in having a structured >>>> articles of association workshop sometime after this friday. we've tried >>>> these before and they were not super productive. i think that where we >>>> faltered before was in not having a very good list of "target areas" >>>> identified ahead of time. here's an example of a possible "target area": >>>> >>>> "The process to amend these articles of association entails: >>>> >>>> [MISSING INFO: how to get a strong amendment that has buy in from the >>>> sudo community] >>>> >>>> 1. Announcing the proposed amendment, posted: [MISSING INFO: who >>>> does this?] >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the *sudo room* *discussion* email list >>>> - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a vote on the >>>> amendment will be held >>>> 2. Recieving feedback and commentary posted: [MISSING INFO: for how >>>> long? >>>> - On the official *sudo room* wiki. >>>> - On the official *sudo room* anonymous etherpad: >>>> https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudoroom >>>> - On any *sudo room* email list. >>>> 3. Adding an agenda item to an official meeting's agenda. >>>> - The agenda item includes time to review the feedback, recieve >>>> in-person feedback, and discuss. >>>> - *Decision procedure:* Consensus [MISSING INFO: unresolved >>>> question of digital, in person, both, etc. also it seems like we're missing >>>> a step between receiving in person feedback, discussion etc,. and then >>>> having time to incorporate that feedback into a new text. in fact, maybe >>>> this was the source of the confusion yesterday?]" >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>> >>>>> hi everyone, >>>>> >>>>> according to the articles, we only have a few decisions that we make: >>>>> >>>>> - conflict resolution >>>>> - amendments >>>>> - budget >>>>> - endorsements >>>>> >>>>> voting procedures for all of these (in terms of 2/3, consensus, etc.) >>>>> are clearly spelled out. it looks like what eddan is proposing below is the >>>>> flowerings of an amendment to create a new thing to vote on - the creation >>>>> of new roles. >>>>> >>>>> (also, i believe that in places where eddan uses "unanimity" below it >>>>> would actually be accurate to instead say "consensus.") >>>>> >>>>> - marina >>>>> >>>>> ps - on a related note, i think the articles have done a good job >>>>> clearly laying out how we vote on things once we have something solid in >>>>> place. from my perspective, we've been running into murky areas when trying >>>>> to get to a solid decision that can be voted on (in the past, we've run >>>>> into problems getting a single budget to vote on (this should be much >>>>> resolved with our new budget sheet), getting a single conflict resolution >>>>> decision to vote on (we're in the process of addressing this now), and >>>>> getting a single amendment text to vote on). "reaching consensus" would be >>>>> the catch-all way that we "get to a single decision to vote on" (i mean, >>>>> what "consensus" really does is move away from the idea of having a single >>>>> thing to vote up or down on), but i wonder if what we need is a little bit >>>>> more defined structure on the process of reaching consensus, ie, working >>>>> with others to draft amendments, etc.? we have some of that, but maybe we >>>>> need more? maybe not even anything formal, but sort of "best >>>>> practice"...what do others think? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Anthony Di Franco < >>>>> di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Your logic here suggests to me that decision procedures when in >>>>>> conflict resolution should be considered separately from general decision >>>>>> procedures, and the old decision procedures should be moved out to a >>>>>> general decision-making scope, perhaps with sensible modifications, and the >>>>>> ones in my amendment specific to conflict resolution should apply within >>>>>> conflict resolution. >>>>>> What we have now seems to be simply a conflation of the two and an >>>>>> oversight in the original draft. >>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013 9:59 AM, "Eddan Katz" <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Thanks, Marina, In-line replies below. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mar 7, 2013, at 8:49 AM, Marina Kukso <marina.kukso(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> hi eddan, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> thanks for laying out the situation and providing links to the >>>>>>> relevant parts of the articles. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> i have a couple questions - >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 1) i'm not sure what section of the articles your suggestion to >>>>>>> approve the constable role by a 2/3 vote is based on (maybe this is a brand >>>>>>> new suggestion?). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In a strict sense, there is no language defining how to add a new >>>>>>> role. I laid out the questions below because I do think guidance on this >>>>>>> falls in between the cracks somewhat and those questions are intended to >>>>>>> get us to a conventionally understood agreement on it. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I do remember this being brought up the first time around we put the >>>>>>> Articles together, but that we were convinced to remain silent on it in >>>>>>> order to ensure that the number of official roles be kept to the minimum >>>>>>> necessary. I also remembering that something about being silent on it >>>>>>> didn't seem right at the time, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on >>>>>>> it at the time. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So here's the rub: if we are to rely on the process by which we make >>>>>>> amendments solely as guide, we must still figure out how to move forward >>>>>>> when we hit a dead end or doesn't come out the way we had intended. There >>>>>>> is some additional confusion caused by the the fact that this very section >>>>>>> calls for a vote on the amendment, which is a different method than >>>>>>> consensus. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What kind of threshold would then be necessary to approve this by >>>>>>> vote? There are only 3 options - majority, super-majority (2/3), or >>>>>>> unanimity. We intentionally did not include any voting requiring unanimity >>>>>>> because of the problems introduced by single-person veto obstruction of >>>>>>> what the group as a whole wants (while protecting minority opinion). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In other words, if one person among us, whoever it is, doesn't think >>>>>>> we should have any more additional roles - then the decision to never have >>>>>>> any more roles fulfilling any functions is imposed on the group as a whole. >>>>>>> This is a problem when a need for a particular role is identified and >>>>>>> clearly agreed upon. But this is also a structural dynamic that would >>>>>>> persist with any amendment on any issue introduced in the future. While the >>>>>>> language-drafting process is more clear and offers practicable solutions, >>>>>>> the approval of such an amendment is defaulting to being a unanimous vote >>>>>>> for all future amendments. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It was this kind of result that moved us to vote on the initial >>>>>>> articles under the threshold of a compact, which is a minimum number (i.e., >>>>>>> "coalition of the willing") rather than a percentage of the whole. Having >>>>>>> watched some of the Republican house filibuster on C-SPAN last night, I >>>>>>> shudder at the prospect of our entire initiative being held up at gun point >>>>>>> by some zealot trying to manipulate the process for purposes other than >>>>>>> solving the task at hand. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> To answer your question, I do not think that 2/3 vote on the >>>>>>> constable role is a new suggestion. Having reached a dead end on approval >>>>>>> (see above), I think that the kind of decision it is (dispute, fiscal >>>>>>> solvency, membership, etc.) should guide the threshold by which the vote is >>>>>>> decided. Reading the Amendment section in isolation without reference to >>>>>>> any other part of the document leaves us highly vulnerable to being >>>>>>> paralyzed (See current Republican-led Congress); and in my view can't >>>>>>> really make sense. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The reason I think the addition of a Constable role should be 2/3 is >>>>>>> because this whole suggestion and the process we've embarked upon started >>>>>>> with a pretty much universally shared distaste for how the conflict >>>>>>> resolution process was turning out. The conversation focused around safe >>>>>>> space initially and then was expanded some, but still closely connected to >>>>>>> safe space. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Basically, making sure we have an equitable process where everyone >>>>>>> feels free and encouraged to contribute, and where the system is set up >>>>>>> specifically not to allow the loudest voices to drown out minority opinion >>>>>>> and dissent. While the process moved us into the amendment drafting and >>>>>>> approval section, I would argue that this situation and relevant >>>>>>> considerations still most consistently falls under the notion of safe >>>>>>> space, at least in my mind. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> So even though the Conflict Resolution section in which the >>>>>>> different categories of issues are laid out can be interpreted to only be >>>>>>> relevant to anything taking place in dispute resolution, I do not think >>>>>>> that this interpretation allows us any guidance on how to make any other >>>>>>> decision other than resolving disputes. In order to get something done, we >>>>>>> would then be steering people to the dispute resolution process to work it >>>>>>> out. All I can say to that is Oy Vey! >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I think that the guidance of how to approve things (except for >>>>>>> language-drafting) should stay within the categories set out. At least >>>>>>> that's what I thought we were doing when we forked it out that way. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the reasons above, I think the appointment of a Constable >>>>>>> position be approved by a 2/3 vote and the language defining that role be >>>>>>> drafted with a consensus process. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 2) regarding the suggestion that we have two separate voting plans >>>>>>> for the creation of a new role and for making all other amendments to the >>>>>>> articles. are you suggesting that this is how we do it this time around, or >>>>>>> that this is something we should address in future amendments? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I actually do think there is some merit to splitting apart the >>>>>>> decision about something in a more general sense for a vote, and working >>>>>>> through the drafting process separately. I am not suggesting that though, >>>>>>> because I think we'd be best served by making as narrow a decision as >>>>>>> possible given that we haven't thought through other scenarios. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I would support making this kind of split for all decisions that >>>>>>> involve officially adding functionary roles, but am not even advocating for >>>>>>> that here. It seems to me like the best thing to do is recognize that it >>>>>>> is definitely relevant for making a constable role, if not others as well. >>>>>>> Our experience has shown that sometimes deliberative discussion veers off >>>>>>> a productive process when there is no one assigned to pointing us to where >>>>>>> we should go next. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For the unique situation of making a foundationary role for someone >>>>>>> that makes sure we move forward in the process, I propose a 2/3 vote, under >>>>>>> the Safe Space designated threshold. I still think we should call it an >>>>>>> ombudsperson instead, but know that it is completely beside the point. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> - marina >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 2:43 AM, Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Dear Sudo folk - >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, >>>>>>>> dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose >>>>>>>> around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far >>>>>>>> as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the >>>>>>>> establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed >>>>>>>> and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. >>>>>>>> If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as >>>>>>>> it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion >>>>>>>> in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced >>>>>>>> last week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process >>>>>>>> as we have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to >>>>>>>> discuss and object and to make available in-person and on-line >>>>>>>> opportunities to improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for >>>>>>>> such a role has persistently come up that represented various points of >>>>>>>> view on several specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at >>>>>>>> regular intervals to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in >>>>>>>> addition to me) around an opportunity to interject; and everyone was >>>>>>>> reminded of the option for anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for >>>>>>>> direct editing on the wiki. This took place over a period of about 6 weeks >>>>>>>> and more, in as formal a method as we've made up along the way so far. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is >>>>>>>> how to add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or >>>>>>>> must be done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this >>>>>>>> for sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals >>>>>>>> still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of >>>>>>>> tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the >>>>>>>> constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served >>>>>>>> without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm >>>>>>>> suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on >>>>>>>> language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we >>>>>>>> need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some >>>>>>>> questions it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: >>>>>>>> What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) >>>>>>>> say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? >>>>>>>> What does the Functionaries section ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) >>>>>>>> say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? >>>>>>>> Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution >>>>>>>> process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) >>>>>>>> give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new >>>>>>>> functionary role? >>>>>>>> If so, what process ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) >>>>>>>> for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? >>>>>>>> What part of the agenda structure ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) >>>>>>>> is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? >>>>>>>> How do we go about advancing our values ( >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making >>>>>>>> these decisions? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will >>>>>>>> say that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable >>>>>>>> role be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is >>>>>>>> drafted to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by >>>>>>>> consensus. Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in >>>>>>>> detail is crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and >>>>>>>> wide divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting >>>>>>>> tonight that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for >>>>>>>> any progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that >>>>>>>> proposal differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. >>>>>>>> Suffice it to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways >>>>>>>> we're not used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a >>>>>>>> Constable (or equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that >>>>>>>> the vote require 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there >>>>>>>> are so many ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective >>>>>>>> before making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to >>>>>>>> me that the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case >>>>>>>> for the need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive >>>>>>>> direction. The constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an >>>>>>>> ultimate judge of conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating >>>>>>>> ombudspeople and/or a jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've >>>>>>>> heard proposed. Rather, I think we need someone like a Constable to make >>>>>>>> sure we get unstuck when trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> May God Bless Sudo Room. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> sent from eddan.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> Sudyo, >>>>>>>> I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a >>>>>>>> rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to >>>>>>>> facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and >>>>>>>> where their resolution stands. >>>>>>>> I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long >>>>>>>> and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, >>>>>>>> and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's >>>>>>>> meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. >>>>>>>> I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the >>>>>>>> meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original >>>>>>>> intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive >>>>>>>> detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the >>>>>>>> shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking >>>>>>>> around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying >>>>>>>> around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) >>>>>>>> The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: >>>>>>>> http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Highlights: >>>>>>>> Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the >>>>>>>> Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform >>>>>>>> any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are >>>>>>>> expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one >>>>>>>> else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. >>>>>>>> Define role of Constable (section 2.2) >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Section 3.4 Enforcement >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process >>>>>>>> The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is >>>>>>>> encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative >>>>>>>> environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not >>>>>>>> resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of >>>>>>>> association: >>>>>>>> The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in >>>>>>>> the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. >>>>>>>> The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who >>>>>>>> consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work >>>>>>>> with towards a solution. >>>>>>>> The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and >>>>>>>> maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the >>>>>>>> conflicting parties. >>>>>>>> The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to >>>>>>>> meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties >>>>>>>> consent to. >>>>>>>> If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if >>>>>>>> at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, >>>>>>>> all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator >>>>>>>> agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely >>>>>>>> to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the >>>>>>>> following way: >>>>>>>> The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting >>>>>>>> scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation >>>>>>>> is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at >>>>>>>> least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast >>>>>>>> to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would >>>>>>>> compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the >>>>>>>> description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) >>>>>>>> is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of >>>>>>>> the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the >>>>>>>> Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress >>>>>>>> sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with sudo room's values. >>>>>>>> During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all >>>>>>>> unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a >>>>>>>> vote. >>>>>>>> First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the >>>>>>>> issue. >>>>>>>> Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according >>>>>>>> to sudo room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines >>>>>>>> the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the >>>>>>>> conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): >>>>>>>> Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Other serious conflict. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote >>>>>>>> Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal >>>>>>>> redress is sought. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote >>>>>>>> All other conflicts. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Consensus >>>>>>>> Positive feedback. >>>>>>>> Decision Procedure: Auto-approval >>>>>>>> Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each >>>>>>>> conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held >>>>>>>> about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the >>>>>>>> Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and >>>>>>>> provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the >>>>>>>> documentation. >>>>>>>> Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, >>>>>>>> during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly >>>>>>>> with others. >>>>>>>> Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, >>>>>>>> which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable >>>>>>>> nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a >>>>>>>> second member supports the proposal. >>>>>>>> Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and >>>>>>>> then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, >>>>>>>> but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration >>>>>>>> is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the >>>>>>>> matter is considered resolved. >>>>>>>> Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an >>>>>>>> appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the >>>>>>>> agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal >>>>>>>> during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an >>>>>>>> alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original >>>>>>>> decision. >>>>>>>> If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has >>>>>>>> passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member >>>>>>>> may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict >>>>>>>> until the next meeting. >>>>>>>> [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts >>>>>>>> The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise >>>>>>>> beyond reasonable doubt. >>>>>>>> Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently >>>>>>>> maintained. >>>>>>>> Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. >>>>>>>> Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive >>>>>>>> remedies. >>>>>>>> More precise language about functionaries: >>>>>>>> Facilitator >>>>>>>> Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, >>>>>>>> and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. >>>>>>>> Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions >>>>>>>> are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing >>>>>>>> them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. >>>>>>>> Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of >>>>>>>> Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be >>>>>>>> challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a >>>>>>>> majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. >>>>>>>> Scribe >>>>>>>> Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include >>>>>>>> their notes in final meeting minutes. >>>>>>>> Posts notes publicly after each meeting. >>>>>>>> Exchequer >>>>>>>> Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget >>>>>>>> process below. >>>>>>>> Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the >>>>>>>> group, using the group's accounts. >>>>>>>> Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to >>>>>>>> the group. >>>>>>>> Constable >>>>>>>> Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process >>>>>>>> according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. >>>>>>>> Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among >>>>>>>> conflicting parties and moderator. >>>>>>>> Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict >>>>>>>> resolution process. >>>>>>>> Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting >>>>>>>> parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better >>>>>>>> relationships and a stronger community. >>>>>>>> If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates >>>>>>>> with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict >>>>>>>> resolution with reference to the documentation. >>>>>>>> Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>> >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>>

13 years, 1 month

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The Mandate Vote Proposal (MVP)

by Eddan Katz

Since my new proposal was buried in the earlier thread, I am submitting the following: Add the word "mandate" before the word "vote" in step 1, prong 3, so that it would read: - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a [mandate] vote on the amendment will be held This proposal is to bring greater clarity to the voting and drafting process, which I believe has been a significant obstacle in knowing how to proceed. The way it would work then, would be that a proposal is made for something - such as the creation of a constable/ombudsperson/steward. To be precise, the mandate vote that is called for does not constitute approval of the specific language that will modify the Articles of Association. If meeting the appropriate vote threshold, all members of Sudo Room are then invited to propose language o effectuate that mandate. The drafting process would work best as a consensus process if there are more than one specific language proposals. Presumably, the language proposals, which can be only about a part of implementing the mandate, not necessarily the whole thing. When there are different proposals that articulate solutions from various perspectives, the back-and-forth compromise & debate opens up the possibility of compromise and thus consensus. So, in order to do this in a performative fashion - I am officially proposing the Mandate Vote proposal (not a change to the Articles of Association). I will put together a wiki page that will include explanations of what problem is being addressed, how this will solve it, and what other impacts can be anticipated. If a mandate exists amongst Sudo Room members to put together a specific language proposal, I will then invite commentary and suggestions p my proposed language. In this case, very simply, the addition of the word mandate before vote in the Amendments section. As I've suggested for other drafting initiatives in order to allow for the broadest participation in a structured way - this will be a 3-stage process. For ten days following the vote - a GREEN draft will be distributed and discussion will focus at a more broad and thematic level. For the 3 days following, an ORANGE draft will be up for discussion that will work on sentence-level changes in the relevant parts of the draft. There will then be 1 day for word specific changes (only) before the draft text is submitted for consensus approval. If consensus is not achieved, no changes in the Articles are effectuated. sent from eddan.com

13 years, 1 month

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computer donations + large event 3/21

by :::Marty:::

Hi y'all. I was looking on the wiki regarding donations and is there an updated policy on computer donations? I have two complete systems (minus cases) and another few boxes of decent parts that i am trying to get rid of. Is this something that would be okay to bring by/freebox/ or put on the supply shelves. Is there any need for this sort of stuff? I also was looking on the calendar and wanted to let you know there is a poetry reading that would overflow into the common space on Thursday 3/21. It is there on the calendar but unpublished. One of the two meet ups could definitely use the Public School classroom if this event needs the bigger space. Best, -Marty -- www.resonantcity.net twitter: @resonantcity <https://twitter.com/#!/resonantcity> , @uselessunless <https://twitter.com/#!/uselessunless> [ personal ] http://www.facebook.com/ResonantCity <https://www.facebook.com/ResonantCity>

13 years, 1 month

1
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test123

by hol＠gaskill.com

test123

13 years, 1 month

1
0
0 0

The Mandate Vote Proposal (MVP)

by Eddan Katz

Since my new proposal is buried in the thread, I am starting a new thread submitting the following: Add the word "mandate" before the word "vote" in step 1, prong 3, so that it would read: - At least 1 week before the meeting at which a [mandate] vote on the amendment will be held This proposal is to bring greater clarity to the voting and drafting process, which I believe has been a significant obstacle in knowing how to proceed. The way it would work then, would be that a proposal is made for something - such as the creation of a constable/ombudsperson/steward. To be precise, the mandate vote that is called for does not constitute approval of the specific language that will modify the Articles of Association. If meeting the appropriate vote threshold, all members of Sudo Room are then invited to propose language o effectuate that mandate. The drafting process would work best as a consensus process if there are more than one specific language proposals. Presumably, the language proposals, which can be only about a part of implementing the mandate, not necessarily the whole thing. When there are different proposals that articulate solutions from various perspectives, the back-and-forth compromise & debate opens up the possibility of compromise and thus consensus. So, in order to do this in a performative fashion - I am officially proposing the Mandate Vote proposal (not a change to the Articles of Association). I will put together a wiki page that will include explanations of what problem is being addressed, how this will solve it, and what other impacts can be anticipated. If a mandate exists amongst Sudo Room members to put together a specific language proposal, I will then invite commentary and suggestions p my proposed language. In this case, very simply, the addition of the word mandate before vote in the Amendments section. As I've suggested for other drafting initiatives in order to allow for the broadest participation in a structured way - this will be a 3-stage process. For ten days following the vote - a GREEN draft will be distributed and discussion will focus at a more broad and thematic level. For the 3 days following, an ORANGE draft will be up for discussion that will work on sentence-level changes in the relevant parts of the draft. There will then be 1 day for word specific changes (only) before the draft text is submitted for consensus approval. If consensus is not achieved, no changes in the Articles are effectuated. sent from eddan.com

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Just solved puzzle of the week

by mattsenate＠gmail.com

Woops, not 4cuts. The problem says 4 pieces! The game is still on! // Matt ----- Reply message ----- From: "mattsenate(a)gmail.com" <mattsenate(a)gmail.com> To: "sudo-discuss" <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Subject: Just solved puzzle of the week Date: Sun, Mar 10, 2013 11:39 AM You have a rectangular prism of dimensions 8 x 8 x 27. Turn it into a cube in 4 cuts. Will post answer on back if mini chalk board in sudo. // Matt

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Last night: conflict resolution proposal (Eddan)

by mattsenate＠gmail.com

Very reasonable assessment IMHO. I did try to communicate, I was specifically uncomfortable about removing fairness from the conflict resolution process and have sense posted my suggested changes for discussion. I think errors of omission are important to note, just as errors of fact or logic might be. // Matt ----- Reply message ----- From: "Max Klein" <isalix(a)gmail.com> To: <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Subject: [sudo-discuss] Last night: conflict resolution proposal (Eddan) Date: Thu, Mar 7, 2013 9:55 AM I'm responding to what Eddan has said, with my perspective from faciliator last night. 1. The Articles say that amendments require consensus. 2. From my perspective as Facilitator last night, consensus on the Constable changes were almost reached, because 3, A straw poll of those wanting to vote, gave a unanimous yes, 4, and then a straw poll for accepting constable changes was almost unanimous, except that, 5. A member blocked the consensus process, which 6. Is an allowable and natural part of the consensus process. Up to here, I think that the process and content ran properly and validly - albeit tiring and onerous (to be expected). 7. The next step in the Consensus process, is to address the blocking concern (I may not have faciltated this portion correctly). 8. The reason given, as I saw it, from the blocking member was that they wanted more time to personally comb and edit the Constable policy. 9. Group must consider if there is valid reason to extend blocking member additional time, beyond the prescribed proposal process. En sum, I think that as facilitator I should have extended the discussion past 6 to 7,8, and 9. That's my lesson from last night. notconfusing From: Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> > To: sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> > Cc: > Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 02:43:28 -0800 > Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal > Dear Sudo folk - > > As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, > dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose > around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far > as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the > establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed > and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. > If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as > it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion > in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. > > The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced last > week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process as we > have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to discuss > and object and to make available in-person and on-line opportunities to > improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for such a role has > persistently come up that represented various points of view on several > specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at regular intervals > to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in addition to me) around > an opportunity to interject; and everyone was reminded of the option for > anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for direct editing on the wiki. > This took place over a period of about 6 weeks and more, in as formal a > method as we've made up along the way so far. > > The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is how to > add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or must be > done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this for > sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals > still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of > tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the > constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served > without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm > suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on > language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we > need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. > > So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some questions > it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: > What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) > say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? > What does the Functionaries section ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) > say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? > Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) > give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new > functionary role? > If so, what process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) > for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? > What part of the agenda structure ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) > is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? > How do we go about advancing our values ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making these > decisions? > > I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will say > that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable role > be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is drafted > to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by consensus. > Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in detail is > crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and wide > divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting tonight > that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for any > progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that proposal > differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. Suffice it > to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways we're not > used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. > > In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a Constable (or > equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that the vote require > 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there are so many > ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective before > making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to me that > the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case for the > need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive direction. The > constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an ultimate judge of > conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating ombudspeople and/or a > jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've heard proposed. Rather, > I think we need someone like a Constable to make sure we get unstuck when > trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. > > May God Bless Sudo Room. > > sent from eddan.com > > > ---- > > On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Sudyo, > I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a rigorous > conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to facilitate > the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and where their > resolution stands. > I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long and > unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, and I > presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's meeting. I > intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. > I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the meeting > and to think through a process that would capture the original intent of > the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive detail > and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the shortcomings of > the old process in practice. While I was there mucking around in the > articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying around. (It also > still seems to me that the numbering is off.) > The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft > > Highlights: > Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the > Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform > any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are > expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one > else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. > Define role of Constable (section 2.2) > Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to > the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting > parties and moderator. > Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict > resolution process. > Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on > a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a > stronger community. > If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with > Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution > with reference to the documentation. > Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: > > Section 3.4 Enforcement > [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process > The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is > encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative > environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not > resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of > association: > The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in the > matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. > The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents to > assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with towards > a solution. > The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and maintains > records of all meetings and relevant communications among the conflicting > parties. > The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet to > work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties consent > to. > If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at least > one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, all > relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator agree > after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely to > lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the following > way: > The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting scheduled at > least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation is gathered > together by the Constable and made available to the group at least one week > beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast to the group, > preferably on the mailing list, but information that would compromise > anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the description of the > issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) is included. Both > the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of the factual content > of the documentation before it is posted. Both the Constable and Mediator > must expressly affirm that the form of redress sought by the plaintiff(s) > is consistent with sudo room's values. > During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all unresolved > issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a vote. > First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the issue. > Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according to sudo > room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines the voting > threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the conflict. The > categories are (in order of decreasing severity): > Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. > Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > Other serious conflict. > Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal redress is > sought. > Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote > All other conflicts. > Decision Procedure: Consensus > Positive feedback. > Decision Procedure: Auto-approval > Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each > conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held > about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the > Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and > provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the > documentation. > Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, during > which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly with > others. > Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, which are > added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable nor the > Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a second > member supports the proposal. > Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and then > alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, but > only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration is > still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the > matter is considered resolved. > Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an appeal on > the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the agenda, except > that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal during a > meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an > alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original > decision. > If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has passed > during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member may > request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict until > the next meeting. > [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts > The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise beyond > reasonable doubt. > Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently > maintained. > Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. > Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive remedies. > More precise language about functionaries: > Facilitator > Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, and > recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. > Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions are > made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing them > in mind and referring to them whenever needed. > Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association > about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by > anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining > or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. > Scribe > Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include their > notes in final meeting minutes. > Posts notes publicly after each meeting. > Exchequer > Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget process > below. > Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, > using the group's accounts. > Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to the > group. > Constable > Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to > the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting > parties and moderator. > Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict > resolution process. > Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on > a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a > stronger community. > If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with > Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution > with reference to the documentation. > Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > >

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NymRights meetup Saturday March 16th at 2pm

by aestetix

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Oh hai, We're going to have a small NymRights gathering at sudo room next Saturday at 2pm. A quick summary of what we'll be discussing. Anyone is welcome to join, the more people we get involved, the better a group we can be! On the agenda: Discussion of Phoenix Plenary from February Creation of suggested naming policy for websites Upcoming IIW workshop and IDESG meeting (which is in Mountain View) Stay tuned to nymrights.org for more updates! Cheers, aestetix -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.18 (Darwin) Comment: GPGTools - http://gpgtools.org iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJROYvJAAoJEOrRfDwkjbpTrJ0IAIljuEbsgL05Eg34e9iwMRdD hfU7JRuXeUrLeZLMBY4fjjRCz4KOmcx91srpK4VEYD+PmK0dFtM2zp5Y991juOff JE6ppyeMo8wboKcsaU6v7oin68afWdYeX6sEhgdzNbdvQDxmmyuPaP/GZOKz6ZNw gYkbBw/tDhygRbr0WQvU0A1B98Ck0HUaOwXbHL4aiAZqmATDK7/npqWITn8rZDPP gjWfWmsecBWJTvzo6xL1pKPCFo2FgUOusPlANIgXKnxqZuKH2UAz58hdArvSuGhb /c9JgyWkyAQhD8XoyBhvyNjPS5y52xUJ7gKp4+n0kq9IyR9SIzj/SPmvHg7+Wl8= =sLam -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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East Bay Bike Party Route posted

by Julio Rios

info<http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/east-bay-bike-party-green-…> route<https://www.google.com/maps?saddr=west+oakland+bart&daddr=37.828443,-122.28…> starts at West Oakland BART

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that was a great first experience!

by revphil

thanks to Hol and all the folks at Microcontroller Hack Night who made my first time to Sudo Room so engaging, enjoyable and delicious! Great guac and salsa! Sudo Room felt kind of like when I first came into Portland's Free Geek 12 years ago. Lots of radical F/OSS folks trying to solve the worlds problems by helping each other learn to do stuff! The major difference was that Free Geek specifically targets the two most formidable problems with technology (imho) by using e-waste and the Digital Divide against each other. But we had lots of tinkering just the same. I adore what yalls have created and hope to return again soon. Er, I forgot the name of the northern European guy (I thank he was Dutch) with whom I was speaking about bike powered electronics, but I have loads more questions. phil ------------------------------------------------------ erotic elegance and ergonomic efficiency ------------------- Bike Smut --------------------

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Test Driven Articles Development

by William Budington

I thought of this during the meeting but didn't want to veer too far off topic, but since the analogy of articles amendment to software development (particularly version control) came up, I thought this was pertinent. At certain points during the Articles of Association, it might be a good idea to write tests. Test Driven Development is an integral part of a lot of software development - coming up with different situations and contexts of how your software is used. But it can actually be applied here quite easily - especially to the 'conflict resolution' sections. How well do the articles we've agreed upon handle different types of conflicts? Well, we can write test cases for them. For instance: Test Case 1: Someone has stolen money from the donations jar Test Case 2: An injury happens at Sudoroom The more tests we write, the better the coverage of the articles are in different situations. This may also help elucidate the gaps where our articles may need amending. Writing tests also actually helps clarify the meaning and intention of articles with more obtuse language. I was going to go create a wiki page on it, but the server rejected me from creating a login for some reason :( Bill

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Who's SudoRoom's web server admin?

by Lisha Sterling

Woops... I sent the wrong CVE. There was one for Tornado that was also open and when I bopped back and forth between my windows I copy-pasted the wrong URL. Sorry. I'll try to figure out which one I'd pulled up from the scripts I ran on sudoroom.org yesterday (as opposed to the others that popped up from the other things I was looking at. *groan*). - Lish (feeling really dumb at the moment...) On Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 1:14 PM, Matthew Senate <mattsenate(a)gmail.com> wrote: > you should join our list sudo-sys :D > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-sys > > > On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 6:56 PM, Lisha Sterling <lishevita(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> I just wanted to give a heads up that we've got some cross-site scripting >> vulnerabilities in the sudoroom websever that sits at 50.0.83.116 >> >> https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2012-4558 >> for more info... >> >> - Lisha >> >> -- >> http://www.alwayssababa.com/ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> sudo-discuss mailing list >> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >> >> > -- http://www.alwayssababa.com/

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Constable amendment changes

by mattsenate＠gmail.com

I agree with the sentiment, and in lieu of suggesting an alternative at first, decided to ask for more thoughts, so thanks. However, even if it is a process we do now, I disagree that (a) it is absolutely necessary for the exchequer specifically to do this rather than to support the overall process and encourage better systems to automate and (b) it need not be codified in the description of the role, but instead as documentation, best practices, recommendations, etc such as on a wiki page. Further, I would suggest if we did want to keep it in, that we think long and hard, but add it to the fiscal solvency process, for which we are collectively responsible, and the exchequer may be the first or default person to implement or act. Do you think it reasonable to make a new wiki page instead for exchequer operational insight? // Matt ----- Reply message ----- From: "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> To: "Matthew Senate" <mattsenate(a)gmail.com> Cc: "sudo-discuss" <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> Subject: [sudo-discuss] Constable amendment changes Date: Thu, Mar 7, 2013 9:04 AM In the second case, I added this because handling the money and being authorized to use the accounts was key to my being exchequer, and will remain so, and even if aspects of the processes of handling money are delegated, distributed, automated, (it happened with wepay a bit,) these basics remain necessary as a default. On Mar 7, 2013 2:49 AM, "Matthew Senate" <mattsenate(a)gmail.com> wrote: > hey all, > > here are the changes I described in the mtg tonight: > http://sudoroom.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Articles_of_Association%2FCon… > > This page's history has: > (a) the current Articles > (b) the proposal from tonight > (c) my proposed changes > > // Matt > > p.s. > > I left out some bits about Facilitator and Exchequer, but the rest is > mainly re-worded, reduced, and refined. The omitted pieces (due to > unnecessary in the first case since majority vote already over-rules > facilitator, and too specific for the second case): > > Facilitator: > > ** Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of > Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be > challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a > majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. > > Exchequer: > > ** Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, > using the group's accounts. > > > _______________________________________________ > sudo-discuss mailing list > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >

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Who's SudoRoom's web server admin?

by Lisha Sterling

I just wanted to give a heads up that we've got some cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in the sudoroom websever that sits at 50.0.83.116 https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2012-4558 for more info... - Lisha -- http://www.alwayssababa.com/

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Last night: conflict resolution proposal (Eddan)

by Max Klein

I'm responding to what Eddan has said, with my perspective from faciliator last night. 1. The Articles say that amendments require consensus. 2. From my perspective as Facilitator last night, consensus on the Constable changes were almost reached, because 3, A straw poll of those wanting to vote, gave a unanimous yes, 4, and then a straw poll for accepting constable changes was almost unanimous, except that, 5. A member blocked the consensus process, which 6. Is an allowable and natural part of the consensus process. Up to here, I think that the process and content ran properly and validly - albeit tiring and onerous (to be expected). 7. The next step in the Consensus process, is to address the blocking concern (I may not have faciltated this portion correctly). 8. The reason given, as I saw it, from the blocking member was that they wanted more time to personally comb and edit the Constable policy. 9. Group must consider if there is valid reason to extend blocking member additional time, beyond the prescribed proposal process. En sum, I think that as facilitator I should have extended the discussion past 6 to 7,8, and 9. That's my lesson from last night. notconfusing From: Eddan <eddan(a)clear.net> > To: sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org> > Cc: > Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 02:43:28 -0800 > Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] conflict resolution proposal > Dear Sudo folk - > > As now ought to be assumed amongst the illustrious Sudo Room body, > dedicated as we are to a deliberative process, a point of contention arose > around the process itself. The honest disagreement and confusion, as far > as I understand it, is fundamentally about how we agree to approve the > establishment of a position deputized to make sure the process is followed > and make sure that conflicts move towards fair and efficient resolution. > If the previous sentence makes some sense but also makes your head hurt, as > it does mine, you won't be surprised to find out there was some confusion > in this evening's meeting over what exactly we're supposed to do. > > The vote on adding the role of constable came up as was announced last > week, and it was agreed that Anthony has followed meticulous process as we > have it laid out so far, giving everyone plentiful opportunity to discuss > and object and to make available in-person and on-line opportunities to > improve on the proposal. Discussion over the need for such a role has > persistently come up that represented various points of view on several > specific aspects of the proposal. Debate was halted at regular intervals > to give the less aggressive and talkative folks (in addition to me) around > an opportunity to interject; and everyone was reminded of the option for > anonymous commenting on the etherpad and for direct editing on the wiki. > This took place over a period of about 6 weeks and more, in as formal a > method as we've made up along the way so far. > > The reasonable difference in interpretation to put it simply, is how to > add a position to the Articles of Association by: (1) 2/3 vote; or must be > done (2) by consensus. There are many other issues implied by this for > sure, some of which have been brought up already and other conditionals > still to be worked out. I also think re-hashing the play-by-play events of > tonight would be unproductive and that considerations on the merits of the > constable role be limited to high-level comments and would be best served > without delving into too many details about the role. In other words, I'm > suggesting we separate out the process by which we (a) find consensus on > language amending the articles of association; and (b) decide on whether we > need to add a Constable (or related functionary) role. > > So this is the part where it gets kind of tricky. Here are some questions > it seems to me need to be clarified in order to move forward: > What does the Amendments section of the Articles ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Article_4._Amendments) > say about the process by which we approve adding a functionary position? > What does the Functionaries section ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_2.2_Sudo_Functiona…) > say about how to amend the Articles to create another position? > Do the decision procedures categorized in the dispute resolution process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Section_3.4_Enforcement) > give us guidance on the process that should be followed in creating a new > functionary role? > If so, what process ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.40_Process) > for approving the addition of a Constable (or equivalent) role be followed? > What part of the agenda structure ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Sub-Section_3.0.1_Agenda) > is the most appropriate category for adding a functionary role? > How do we go about advancing our values ( > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association#Values) in making these > decisions? > > I won't represent anyone else's position on their behalf, but will say > that I think consensus is not the right process by which the Constable role > be approved. This being said, I do think that whatever language is drafted > to amend the Articles to include this new role be done by consensus. > Having a common understanding of how this ought to be done in detail is > crucial, in my opinion, to avoid further misunderstandings and wide > divergence of interpretation. I propose as I did at the meeting tonight > that these two parts of the decision need to be disentangled for any > progress to be made. Upon reflection, I would have presented that proposal > differently and with more specific reference to the Articles. Suffice it > to say that we're figuring out how to do this stuff in some ways we're not > used to, and that we all have a lot to learn from each other. > > In sum, I propose that there be a vote next week on adding a Constable (or > equivalent) to the functionaries in the Articles, and that the vote require > 2/3 approval, our highest threshold thus far. Since there are so many > ancillary issues, I'd rather hear other Sudo folks' perspective before > making too much of a case for this way of moving forward. Seems to me that > the complications of getting to this vote make the greatest case for the > need for such a role, to keep things moving in a productive direction. The > constable (or ombudsperson as I had proposed), is not an ultimate judge of > conflicts in my understanding. In fact, rotating ombudspeople and/or a > jury of peers is more along the lines of what I've heard proposed. Rather, > I think we need someone like a Constable to make sure we get unstuck when > trying to resolve disputes and decide on things. > > May God Bless Sudo Room. > > sent from eddan.com > > > ---- > > On Feb 22, 2013 11:17 PM, "Anthony Di Franco" <di.franco(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Sudyo, > I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a rigorous > conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to facilitate > the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and where their > resolution stands. > I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long and > unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, and I > presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's meeting. I > intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. > I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the meeting > and to think through a process that would capture the original intent of > the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive detail > and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the shortcomings of > the old process in practice. While I was there mucking around in the > articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying around. (It also > still seems to me that the numbering is off.) > The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: > http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft > > Highlights: > Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the > Constable in particular: section 2.2: "Any member of sudoroom may perform > any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are > expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one > else can or will." and section 3.4.1 below. > Define role of Constable (section 2.2) > Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to > the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting > parties and moderator. > Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict > resolution process. > Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on > a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a > stronger community. > If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with > Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution > with reference to the documentation. > Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure: > > Section 3.4 Enforcement > [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process > The resolution of disputes and disagreements within sudo room is > encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative > environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not > resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of > association: > The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in the > matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. > The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents to > assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with towards > a solution. > The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and maintains > records of all meetings and relevant communications among the conflicting > parties. > The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet to > work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties consent > to. > If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at least > one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, all > relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator agree > after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely to > lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the following > way: > The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting scheduled at > least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation is gathered > together by the Constable and made available to the group at least one week > beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast to the group, > preferably on the mailing list, but information that would compromise > anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the description of the > issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) is included. Both > the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of the factual content > of the documentation before it is posted. Both the Constable and Mediator > must expressly affirm that the form of redress sought by the plaintiff(s) > is consistent with sudo room's values. > During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all unresolved > issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a vote. > First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the issue. > Then, a category of severity is established by consensus according to sudo > room's values and the facts of the case. The category determines the voting > threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the conflict. The > categories are (in order of decreasing severity): > Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. > Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > Other serious conflict. > Decision Procedure: 2/3 vote > Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal redress is > sought. > Decision Procedure: 1/2 vote > All other conflicts. > Decision Procedure: Consensus > Positive feedback. > Decision Procedure: Auto-approval > Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each > conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held > about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the > Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and > provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the > documentation. > Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, during > which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly with > others. > Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, which are > added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable nor the > Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a second > member supports the proposal. > Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and then > alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, but > only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration is > still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the > matter is considered resolved. > Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an appeal on > the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the agenda, except > that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal during a > meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an > alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original > decision. > If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has passed > during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member may > request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict until > the next meeting. > [edit]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts > The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise beyond > reasonable doubt. > Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently > maintained. > Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. > Restorative remedies are strongly preferred over retributive remedies. > More precise language about functionaries: > Facilitator > Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, and > recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. > Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions are > made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing them > in mind and referring to them whenever needed. > Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association > about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by > anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining > or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. > Scribe > Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include their > notes in final meeting minutes. > Posts notes publicly after each meeting. > Exchequer > Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget process > below. > Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, > using the group's accounts. > Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to the > group. > Constable > Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to > the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. > Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting > parties and moderator. > Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict > resolution process. > Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on > a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a > stronger community. > If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with > Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution > with reference to the documentation. > Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. > >

13 years, 1 month

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Constable amendment changes

by Matthew Senate

hey all, here are the changes I described in the mtg tonight: http://sudoroom.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Articles_of_Association%2FCon… This page's history has: (a) the current Articles (b) the proposal from tonight (c) my proposed changes // Matt p.s. I left out some bits about Facilitator and Exchequer, but the rest is mainly re-worded, reduced, and refined. The omitted pieces (due to unnecessary in the first case since majority vote already over-rules facilitator, and too specific for the second case): Facilitator: ** Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. Exchequer: ** Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, using the group's accounts.

13 years, 2 months

2
2
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conflict resolution proposal

by Anthony Di Franco

Sudyo, I have edited in a more advanced draft of my proposal for a rigorous conflict resolution process and for the role of a Constable to facilitate the keeping of open and transparent records about conflicts and where their resolution stands. I emailed a bit about this a few weeks ago in response to the long and unsatisfactory non-process the group had just spent a lot of time in, and I presented a much briefer version of this proposal at last week's meeting. I intend to have it up for a vote at the next eligible meeting. I have tried to incorporate the feedback I received during the meeting and to think through a process that would capture the original intent of the sketchy previous language but flesh it out with comprehensive detail and precision, and I had firmly in mind the memories of the shortcomings of the old process in practice. While I was there mucking around in the articles I fixed a few other odd things that were lying around. (It also still seems to me that the numbering is off.) The whole draft, with my and other changes, is, as usual, here: http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Articles_of_Association/Draft *Highlights:* *Emphasize horizontality in the Functionaries in general and in the Constable in particular: section 2.2:* "Any member of sudoroom may perform any of the functions of any of the Functionaries, but the Functionaries are expected to perform their duties regularly and must perform them if no one else can or will." *and section 3.4.1 below.* - *Define role of Constable (section 2.2)* - - Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. - Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. - Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. - Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. - If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. - Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self. *Precise and comprehensive conflict resolution procedure:* Section 3.4 Enforcement [edit<http://sudoroom.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Articles_of_Association/Draft…> ]Sub-Section 3.4.0 Process The resolution of disputes and disagreements within *sudo room* is encouraged through informal process and the spirit of a collaborative environment. There is a process, however, by which issues that are not resolved informally and that arise within the scope of these articles of association: 1. The party who seeks resolution finds someone to act as Constable in the matter, and works with this Constable to find a Mediator. 1. The Mediator is an impartial and uninvolved third party who consents to assist, and with whom all conflicting parties consent to work with towards a solution. 2. The Constable organizes meetings for conflict resolution and maintains records of all meetings and relevant communications among the conflicting parties. 3. The Constable, Mediator, and the conflicting parties arrange to meet to work out a resolution to the conflict that all conflicting parties consent to. 2. If at least one conflicting party does not consent to meet, or if at least one conflicting party is unavailable to meet in a reasonable time, all relevant circumstances considered, or if the Constable and Mediator agree after at least one meeting that further meetings would not be likely to lead to resolution, the issue is brought before the group in the following way: 1. The issue is added to the agenda of the next official meeting scheduled at least one week in the future, and all relevant documentation is gathered together by the Constable and made available to the group at least one week beforehand, preferably on the wiki, and notice is broadcast to the group, preferably on the mailing list, but information that would compromise anyone's privacy or dignity is not made public. In the description of the issue, the form of redress sought in by the plaintiff(s) is included. Both the Constable and Mediator must give their approval of the factual content of the documentation before it is posted. Both the Constable and Mediator must expressly affirm that the form of redress sought by the plaintiff(s) is consistent with *sudo room's* values. 2. During each meeting's agenda item on Conflict Resolution, all unresolved issues on the wiki are brought up for discussion followed by a vote. 1. First, the Constable presents all relevant documentation about the issue. 2. Then, a category of severity is established by *consensus* according to *sudo room'*s values and the facts of the case. The category determines the voting threshold for sustaining a sanction against any party to the conflict. The categories are (in order of decreasing severity): 1. Any matter calling for membership suspension or termination. - *Decision Procedure:* 2/3 vote 2. Other serious conflict. - *Decision Procedure:* 2/3 vote 3. Conflict where only fiscal issues are involved and only fiscal redress is sought. - *Decision Procedure:* 1/2 vote 4. All other conflicts. - *Decision Procedure:* Consensus 5. Positive feedback. - *Decision Procedure:* Auto-approval 3. Then, the opportunity to represent perspective is granted to each conflicting party and to the Mediator, and general discussion may be held about the issue if any member wishes. The Constable co-facilitates with the Facilitator in order to answer questions specific to the conflict and provides information about the history of the conflict by referring to the documentation. 4. Then, a brief period of deliberation of definite time is held, during which members are free to consider the issue or discuss it directly with others. 5. Then, members may propose alternative remedies to the conflict, which are added to a list of potential remedies if neither the Constable nor the Mediator objects. They may be overruled in their objections if a second member supports the proposal. 6. Finally, a vote is held on the plaintiff(s)' proposed remedy, and then alternative remedies are voted upon in the order they were proposed, but only if at least one member indicates that the one under consideration is still relevant. After all remedies have been considered in this way, the matter is considered resolved. 7. Any conflicting party unsatisfied with the decision may place an appeal on the agenda in the same way that conflicts are placed on the agenda, except that a majority of the group must vote to accept the appeal during a meeting, and the process begins anew. The appeal must propose an alternative remedy and refer to values that were not served by the original decision. 8. If at the end of any step in the process more than an hour has passed during the current meeting in considering the conflict, any member may request that a majority vote be held on whether to table the conflict until the next meeting. [edit<http://sudoroom.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Articles_of_Association/Draft…> ]Sub-Section 3.4.1 Principles and Values Specific to Conflicts 1. The accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt. 2. Respect for the privacy and dignity of all members is consistently maintained. 3. Proportional and effective remedies should be sought. 4. Restorative <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice> remedies are strongly preferred over retributive<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice> remedies. *More precise language about functionaries:* - Facilitator - Maintains the agenda for meetings, ensures topics are dealt with, and recognizes speakers in a fair and inclusive way. - Ensures that all group business is handled and all group decisions are made in the way described in these Articles of Association, by bearing them in mind and referring to them whenever needed. - Uses own best judgment to resolve ambiguity in the Articles of Association about how business is handled in meetings, but may be challenged in this by anyone who does not consent, which results in a majority vote on sustaining or overturning the Facilitator's judgment. - Scribe - Takes notes during meetings and collaborates with others to include their notes in final meeting minutes. - Posts notes publicly after each meeting. - Exchequer - Presents the budget during meetings, as articulated in the budget process below. - Receives dues and donations and pays expenses on behalf of the group, using the group's accounts. - Maintains accurate budget documentation and makes it available to the group. - Constable - Point person for facilitating the conflict resolution process according to the Articles, but not necessarily a moderator. - Stewards selection of a moderator and schedules meetings among conflicting parties and moderator. - Documents all meetings and communications relevant to the conflict resolution process. - Promotes good-faith participation in the process by conflicting parties on a basis of mutual respect and growth towards better relationships and a stronger community. - If conflict resolution goes before the whole group, co-facilitates with Facilitator, and handles points of information about conflict resolution with reference to the documentation. - Does not act as Constable in conflicts involving self.

13 years, 2 months

2
2
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Subiir, you are loved, but we need to do something about these:

by mattsenate＠gmail.com

// Matt

13 years, 2 months

4
3
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Anaerobic Digester

by Matthew Meier

Hey Sudoers, I think this is kind of neat. I'm working today on an anaerobic digester. The first of its kind in America. Imported from Germany. It uses "Green Waste" (Food Garbage and Branches and Other Plant matter) and Digests it the same way a cow does. In the end you're left with High Nutrition Fertilizer, and natural gas which is pumped into a generator which powers the facility. There is no waste generated in this process. That's all I know but yeah. It's pretty neat! -Wolfy

13 years, 2 months

8
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Fwd: [nerdsfornature] Fwd: Actipedia has launched!

by Marina Kukso

this may be relevant to our community's interests! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Martha Pettit <marthagpettit(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 2:39 PM Subject: [nerdsfornature] Fwd: Actipedia has launched! To: civic-design(a)googlegroups.com, nerdsfornature(a)googlegroups.com, occupy-design(a)googlegroups.com, occupydata(a)googlegroups.com Awesomeness! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: The Yes Lab <info(a)tmwrk.com> Date: Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 2:14 PM Subject: Actipedia has launched! To: marthagpettit(a)gmail.com [image: Yes Lab] *"Actipedia" Crowdsourcing Platform Goes Public* *Database of creative activism case studies will inform and inspire a new generation of activists* The Yes Lab <http://yeslab.org/> and the Center for Artistic Activism<http://artisticactivism.org/>are announcing the launch of Actipedia.org, an open-access, user-generated database of creative activism case studies designed to inspire activists. "We designed Actipedia to inspire activists to more creative—and effective—actions," explains Stephen Duncombe, co-founder of the Center for Creative Activism. "Actipedia is about sharing the ways people challenge power and envision a better society," adds Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Lab. "To change the world we've got to learn from each other." Actipedia is built on an open-source platform and is designed for ease of use, with simple formats for viewing, searching and posting examples. The site draws case studies from original submissions, reprinted news articles, and informal snippets of action reports. Although it is only now launching, Actipedia already hosts over 400 case studies and counting, from countries from all over the world. "Actipedia provides a space for inspiration and for contribution," noted one recent user. "Seeing all the amazing work going on around the world motivates me and makes me realize the potential impact I can have." Contact: Stephen Duncombe 212-998-7327 srd(a)artisticactivism.org http://actipedia.org *The Yes Lab <http://yeslab.org/> helps activist groups carry out media-getting creative actions, focused on their own campaign goals. Through brainstorms and trainings, social justice organizations can take advantage of all that the Yes Men—Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno—have learned, not only about our their own ways of doing things, but those practices they’ve come in contact with over the decade and a half they've been engaging in creative activism and tactical media.* *The Center for Artistic Activism <http://artisticactivism.org/> is a place to explore, analyze, and strengthen connections between social activism and artistic practice. The Center was founded by Stephen Duncombe, longtime activist and professor at New York University and Steve Lambert, longtime artist and professor at SUNY Purchase. Since 2009, the center has has served as a site for artistic activist trainings, actions, research and resources. The Center seeks to foster more creative activists and more effective artists.* Actipedia can be found at http://actipedia.org/ or on twitter @Actipedia<https://twitter.com/Actipedia/>, and the collaborators are available for interviews upon request. To unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here<http://tmwrk.com/civicrm/mailing/unsubscribe?reset=1&jid=147&qid=75941&h=5e…> . To never receive email from the Yes Lab, click here<http://tmwrk.com/civicrm/mailing/optout?reset=1&jid=147&qid=75941&h=5e9ebd4…> . This email was sent from: 20 Cooper Square Fifth Floor New York, NY 10003 United States [image: This has been a Yes Lab communique.] -- *Martha Pettit * User Experience Designer, Diligent Creative martha(a)diligentcreative.com http://staydiligent.com/ <http://diligentcreative.com/> (415) 283-5733 901 Mission Street, Suite 105 San Francisco, CA 94103 -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NerdsforNature" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to nerdsfornature+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to nerdsfornature(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nerdsfornature?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

13 years, 2 months

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Re: [sudo-discuss] 3/5 Microcontroller Project Hack Night: Wrap-up

by Jenny Ryan

Yay! I want to come and learn next week! wrt scheduling, please check out http:sudoroom.org/calendar for any potential conflicts, and make the recurring event ( http://sudoroom.org/wp-admin). Let me know if you need any help with that! Jenny http://jennyryan.net http://thepyre.org http://thevirtualcampfire.org http://technomadic.tumblr.com `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` "Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories." -Laurie Anderson "Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." -Hannah Arendt "To define is to kill. To suggest is to create." -Stéphane Mallarmé ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 1:21 PM, Morten H. D. Fuglsang <vallebo(a)gmail.com>wrote: > Yes. Yesterday was awesome and I am all in favor of making this a regular > thing. Suggested times work well for me, albeit I have no clue about > scheduling conflicts in terms of other things. > Having it split into two segments seem to make sense. Let's try it out > and see what happens :) > > Make a great day, > Morten H. D. Fuglsang > US: +1 415 799 6931 // skype: FlyvendeHest > > > On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 11:02 AM, rusty lindgren <rustylindgren(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> I wish I had more time, or I would have stayed and learned some arduino >> stuffz. >> >> Good work sudo peepz! >> >> >> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 11:01 AM, <hol(a)gaskill.com> wrote: >> >>> Hi Folks, >>> >>> We had a good session last night, with a mushroom environmental control >>> system and an RGB color mixer both advancing to the next operational stage, >>> a beer brewing robot gaining a good amount of ground on its grainy prey, >>> and a wood gasifier control system not getting much attention at all as the >>> maker was having such a good time helping others out and generally talking >>> shop. Also had a first-time solderer successfully execute a cut-and-solder >>> list on some heavy amperage connections, learned how to google our >>> debugging problems into submission, extolled the virtues of power >>> transistor arrays, and determined experimentally that it probably isn't a >>> good idea to put a glass jar of process water in a bench vise. Throw in >>> some chips and salsa, and a good night was had by all. >>> >>> I'd like to make this a recurring thing and build momentum in the cycle >>> of getting an idea, turning it into a project, building the project, and >>> coming away with more and better ideas. To facilitate this, we could take >>> over the newly (?) vacated alternating tuesday meetup spot at sudo room. I >>> propose we break it up into one night a month for fresh ideas and new >>> entrants, one night a month for refining and implementing more developed >>> ideas. Here is what I propose: >>> >>> Microcontroller Project Hack Night >>> @sudo room >>> March 26 @ 5:30PM - 11PM >>> April 23 @ 5:30PM - 11PM >>> May 21 @ 5:30PM - 11PM >>> "A shared worktime for tackling microcontroller and robotics projects. >>> Bring that complex project you've been putting off finishing and hunker >>> down around the communal soldering iron and serial terminal for a >>> high-productivity, high-spirited build night. Both independent work and >>> collaboration strongly engouraged, as are snacks and other refreshments." >>> >>> Basic Microcontroller Hack Night >>> @sudo room >>> April 9 @ 5:30PM - 11PM >>> May 7 @ 5:30PM - 11PM >>> "A good night for both beginning and more experienced microcontroller >>> users. Emphasis is on first principles, trying out new sensors and >>> actuators, testing out new ideas that haven't yet found a home in a >>> project, and cracking open black boxes of all sorts for fresh ideas. >>> Eventually we will have low-cost starter kits available to get beginners >>> hacking right away." >>> >>> Are there any scheduling conflicts? Do people want to meet up more than >>> twice a month or does this seem like enough to satisfy your need for group >>> hacking sessions in this area? My theory is that we can always meet more >>> than this, but scheduling too many (ie weekly) meetups will max out peoples >>> bandwidth and result in decreased cohesion between attendees. I will also >>> work on getting this added to the calendar in the near future. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Hol >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Cheers, >> >> Rusty Lindgren >> ** >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> sudo-discuss mailing list >> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > sudo-discuss mailing list > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >

13 years, 2 months

1
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Python Meetup

by Matthew Senate

Finding a good time to touch some Open Oakland projects like CKAN and LocalWiki software development, put together a low-key meetup: http://sudoroom.org/ai1ec_event/python-meetup/ Looking for facilitators, attendees, participants, supporters, newbs, nerds, geeks, and all! // Matt

13 years, 2 months

4
3
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THIS SAT 3/9: Today I Learned: Jewelry-Making and Jewelry Repair

by Marina Kukso

Please share widely!: *Jewelry-making and Jewelry Repair* Join us at Sudo Room this Saturday Mar. 9th at 2PM for a workshop on making and repairing jewelry. Bring broken and second hand jewelry plus any beads or other bits you have on hand and we will learn how to take apart old jewelry to make new creations. We will also have people on hand to help you repair any broken jewelry. Bring yourself and a friend, we’ll have snacks! Sudo Room is at 2141 Broadway (entrance on 22nd St., take the elevator upstairs). *This workshop is part of the series “Today I Learned,” a series of free workshops that take place every Saturday at 2PM at Sudo Room, a creative community and hackerspace in downtown Oakland. Check out the full schedule at sudoroom.org <http://sudoroom.org/wiki/Today_I_Learned>.*

13 years, 2 months

1
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Invite and Notice Mon, Mar 11, 6:30-9:00pm at Sudo Room

by Matthew Senate

Hey all, The Community Democracy Project http://communitydemocracyproject.org/ is hosting a special meeting on Monday March 11th, with at least one (maybe a few) guest speakers. Please be advised that we will be using more of the room and producing more sound (as well as requiring a bit more quiet during presentation(s). We have coordinated with the JavaScript meetup and plan to follow up with the Public School as a heads-up. More info: *What*: Community building + demystifying the budget + CDP campaign 101 *Meet other CDP supporters and volunteers *"Oakland Budget 101" training from local budget experts and activists *Hear from other groups working toward local economic justice *Training on talking about the campaign, mobilizing others *When*: Monday, March 11. Starts promptly at 6:30, ends by 9. // Matt

13 years, 2 months

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Dystopia Watch: Surveillance drones coming to a cafe near you.

by Anon195714

(Matthew: I see your comment was posted to me but not posted to list, so I've redacted it from this posting to the list, which is in reply to you. If you want to post your comment to the list, feel free. Everyone else: it wasn't a scathing criticism or something scandalous, in fact I think Matthew may have wanted to post it to list but didn't hit Reply All. That said, it's up to him.) The surveillance ecosystem is already enormous, and the vast majority is in the private sector. General rule: "Dissipative structures form ecosystems around entropy-gradients." Organisms are dissipative structures; work is energy-conversion. This explains much of human social behavior as well as physical ecosystem behavior. For example people want music and they're willing to work hard (convert energy) to get it. Energy conversion produces an entropy gradient. The music industry middlemen (RIAA) insert themselves into the path between sources & sinks (artists & audiences, and that relationship is two-way) to tap as much energy out of this process as possible, in the form of money. Illegal file downloaders as well as self-produced bands who use Creative Commons or Copyleft, are seen by the music industry as short-circuits in the system. Consumer behavior in general is an enormous energy source (money source), and the goal of capitalism is ultimately to surround every consumer with the equivalent of a Dyson sphere to capture as much of their work output as possible. The modern surveillance ecosystem is all about "predicting and controlling" individual behavior, toward that end. So, per Matthew, one way to counter this is to set up a countervailing ecosystem, with entropy gradients tilted in such a manner as to produce incentives to fight back against the surveillance. As for defending privacy: privacy is equivalent to free speech. As a lawyer told us when I was working on "crypto for the masses" in the early 1980s, the right to freedom of speech necessarily includes the right to choose your audience. Today we commonly use the term "chilling effect" to refer to what happens when you can't choose your audience, e.g. when your boss and the credit bureaux etc. are likely to be watching you on "social" networks. It's been said more than once, that you can tell when someone's boss is watching them on Facebook: all of a sudden their comments go totally bland (not that any of us should be using Facebook unless we're deliberately using it as a publicity tool for political or other campaigns). That's the chilling effect in action. And if DARPA and Google have their way, where everyone's every conversation, private and in-person included, is recorded and archived and made searchable, the chill will be so total that it will make life in East Germany under the Stasi look like a picnic by comparison. Knowledge is power: when THEY know all about YOU, but you know nothing about them, who has the power? As the old song said, "Getting to know you / getting to know all about you..." Not to mention, "He sees you when you're sleeping / he knows when you're awake. / He knows if you've been bad or good / so be good for (getting lots of presents) sake!" Going back thousands of years, societies envisioned deities as concerned with individual "moral behavior" (i.e. sex) as a way of strengthening tribal cohesion. Western cultures in particular evolved with the very strong sense that their deities were keeping a close watch over them. This gave people a sense of comfort and protection. Today as agnosticism, atheism, and various forms of transpersonal beliefs (in effect religion without personalized deities) are on the rise in the geek sector, the sense of comfort from "being watched over" has transplanted itself from the deity to the surveillance superstructure. Many people are secretly fond of the idea that Big Google is reading every word they write, listening to every phone call they make, and following them around. This is nothing more than a new deity taking the place of the old one: "someone big who watches over us." It seems to me that a necessary part of the evolution of rational people away from the need for personalized deities, is to get away from the need for the "comfort" of being watched over. Individuals who are rational self-aware autonomous moral actors have no need of being watched over by anything other than our own consciences. -G. ===== On 13-03-05-Tue 2:43 PM, Matthew D. Howell wrote: (Comment was sent to me in private email, not to the list, so if Matthew wishes he can repost it to the list.) ===== On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 2:22 PM, Anon195714 <anon195714(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> Re. Anthony, Rachel, Matthew, re "masking audio." >> >> That was the first thing I tried when I found out about NSA's voice >> recognition back in 1980 (if I recall correctly it was the October 1980 >> issue of _The Progressive_ that referred to the HARVEST program, keyword >> rec and voice rec, and some stuff in a British paper or magazine also, I >> may still have copies around). >> >> The idea was that instead of using a voice scrambler or crypto (which >> required a device at each end of a conversation), voice rec could be >> defeated from one end of a phone call by saturating the channel with >> just enough noise. What killed that idea was the fact that long >> distance telephony used T-carrier that split up the conversation into >> two different speech paths between telco central offices (e.g. me to >> you, you to me). So a device would still be needed at both ends, and >> one may as well just use a scrambler. That led me down the trail to >> details about scramblers (bottom line, analog scramblers aren't any >> good) and ultimately to cryptography by 1982 - 1983. >> >> Re. "every person's voice has a distinct signature that can be >> recognized...", yes, thus voiceprint recognition, which was 99.6% >> accurate in 1960 according to an article in _Telephony_ magazine at the >> time (I may still have that around also). Fast-forward to today at the >> speed of Moore's law, and you can be quite sure that voiceprint >> recognition is used for tracking. >> >> This is one of the things I find most pernicious about the decline in >> the use of landlines and the rise in the number of people with "mobile >> only": A landline enables you to design, build, connect, and use any >> hardware you choose, including digital voice crypto devices, and >> including computers running digital voice crypto. And with a landline >> phone, when the receiver is on the hook, the microphone is physically >> disconnected by the hookswitch, a visible set of switch contacts inside >> the phone. >> >> Mobile devices are sealed black boxes, the ultimate revenge against >> phone phreaks & phone hackers, where you have no final control over >> what's in the black box. Just like the bad old days of Ma Bell when it >> was quasi-illegal to connect "foreign attachments" to your home phone >> line. Even a voice crypto app on a mobile device is questionable at >> best, because you have no way of knowing if at some level it's being >> undermined by something else in the device that you can't detect. By >> analogy, crypto on your laptop, but a keystroke logger hiding between >> you and the crypto app. >> >> The mere possibility of being able to hack the hardware provides more >> security than any sealed box, and best of all is when you can design & >> build your own hardware, such as when people build their own desktop >> machines from components. >> >> Anyway, I agree with Rachel & Matthew that audio masking isn't >> sufficient because it can be undone by the watchers. It may have to do >> in some situations, but it would be better to design more "aggressive" >> personal defense tech such as wearable "resonant audio cannons" or >> something else. >> >> -G. >> >> >> ===== >> >> >> On 13-03-05-Tue 11:21 AM, Matthew D. Howell wrote: >>> @Rachel The state of the technology for recognizing and separating >>> patterns in audio is advanced enough to overcome that sort of thing. >>> Every person's voice has a distinct signature that can be recognized. >>> I would venture a guess that some kind of encrypted digital signal >>> transmission would be the best way to keep any sonic communication >>> private in the most extreme of situations. (most interested party with >>> the best technology at their disposal) >>> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – >8 >>> /V\ /-\ + + |–| ø \/\/ ∂ £ £ >>> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– >>> Matthew D. Howell >>> misterinterrupt, tHe M4d swiTcH, the RuinMechanic >>> cell: (617) 755-1481 >>> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 11:16 AM, rachel lyra hospodar >>> <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> Wouldn't it need to be non-commercially available music, so they couldn't >>>> just find the audio data of the track, invert its wave, and cancel it out of >>>> the recording? >>>> >>>> CACOPHONY FOR THE REVOLUTION! >>>> >>>> mediumreality.com >>>> >>>> On Mar 5, 2013 10:23 AM, "Steve Berl" <steveberl(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> You could carry a boombox around playing loud music where ever you go. >>>>> Perhaps this would be the end of earbuds. :-) >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 10:20 AM, Anthony Di Franco <di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>>>> wrote: >>>>>> People have rendered surveillance cameras useless with very bright IR >>>>>> LEDs in their fields of view. >>>>>> Could something similar be done for sound recording devices? >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mar 5, 2013 6:17 AM, "Anon195714" <anon195714(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: >>>>>>> Yo's- >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Something I forgot to add re. DARPA's desire for universal recording of >>>>>>> face-to-face conversations. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What's the ideal device for doing all that recording? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> How'bout something you wear? How'bout something that "everyone" wears?, >>>>>>> or even a significant fraction of "everyone"? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Like maybe Google Glasses. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Always on, camera and mic always "connected" to "the cloud." Orwell's >>>>>>> telescreen gone mobile. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Everyone who wears them will become, in effect, _unpaid surveillance >>>>>>> drones_ watching their family and friends, not from up in the sky, but >>>>>>> from up close where every word can be heard. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Some will say "oh, there's no stopping technology." People said that >>>>>>> about the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb. But public outcry led >>>>>>> first to treaties and then to progressive degrees of nuclear >>>>>>> disarmament. We haven't used that technology since it was first used in >>>>>>> WW2. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> We can stop pernicious tech if we choose. We can refuse, we can >>>>>>> withdraw consent, we do not have to press the Buy button. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Technology should liberate and empower people. "Conveniences with a few >>>>>>> strings attached" are not liberation, they're puppet-strings. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It's all about control: technology that you can control, vs. technology >>>>>>> that can control you. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -G. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ===== >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On 13-03-05-Tue 1:50 AM, Anon195714 wrote: >>>>>>>> Yo's- >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> This just in: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> "DARPA wants to make [voice recognition/transcription] systems so >>>>>>>> accurate, you’ll be able to easily record, transcribe and recall all >>>>>>>> the >>>>>>>> conversations you ever have. ... Imagine living in a world where every >>>>>>>> errant utterance you make is preserved forever. ... DARPA [awarded >>>>>>>> U.Texas comp sci researcher Matt Lease]... $300,000... over two years >>>>>>>> to >>>>>>>> study the new project, called “Blending Crowdsourcing with Automation >>>>>>>> for Fast, Cheap, and Accurate Analysis of Spontaneous Speech.”" >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> "The idea is that business meetings or even conversations with your >>>>>>>> friends and family could be stored in archives and easily searched. >>>>>>>> The >>>>>>>> stored recordings could be held in servers, owned either by >>>>>>>> individuals >>>>>>>> or their employers. ... The answer, Lease says, is in widespread use >>>>>>>> of >>>>>>>> recording technologies like smartphones, cameras and audio >>>>>>>> recorders... >>>>>>>> [A] memorandum from the Congressional Research Service described [an >>>>>>>> earlier DARPA project of this type known as] EARS, as focusing on >>>>>>>> speech >>>>>>>> picked up from broadcasts and telephone conversations, “as well as >>>>>>>> extract clues about the identity of speakers” for “the military, >>>>>>>> intelligence and law enforcement communities.”" >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/darpa-speech/ (Yes, "real >>>>>>>> geeks >>>>>>>> don't read Wired," but nonetheless its news pages are useful for >>>>>>>> keeping >>>>>>>> a finger on the pulse of Big Brother and his corporate Brethren.) >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> In short: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> DARPA is researching the means by which every conversation you have, >>>>>>>> in-person, whether at work or with family or friends, gets picked up >>>>>>>> by >>>>>>>> the mic in your smartphone or other portable device, and stored on a >>>>>>>> server, where DARPA's algorithms and human editors turn all of it into >>>>>>>> fast-searchable text, that could be used by your employer, the >>>>>>>> military, >>>>>>>> law enforcement, and intel agencies. Presumably the credit bureaus, >>>>>>>> insurance companies, and financial institutions will want "in" on the >>>>>>>> data as well. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Now connect that with this, about cell-site tracking and call detail >>>>>>>> records: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> "The government maintained [that] Americans have no expectation of >>>>>>>> privacy of such cell-site records [call detail records or CDR] because >>>>>>>> they are in the possession of a third party — the mobile phone >>>>>>>> companies." >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/03/gps-drug-dealer-retrial/ >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> The key point is that the gov's current position is that data stored >>>>>>>> on >>>>>>>> a third party's servers have "no expectation of privacy." What begins >>>>>>>> with CDR will eventually include voicemail messages stored on the >>>>>>>> mobile >>>>>>>> phone companies' servers, and then eventually all of your live >>>>>>>> in-person >>>>>>>> conversations that are stored "in the cloud." >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> "Anything you say can and will be used against you..." Mark my words. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Meanwhile people keep using gmail and Google Voice, and smartphones >>>>>>>> from >>>>>>>> which they can't remove the batteries. Because nothing is more >>>>>>>> important >>>>>>>> than "convenience," right? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> As a character in a sci-fi piece I wrote in the mid-1980s said, "Why >>>>>>>> put >>>>>>>> a person in prison, when you can put prison in the person instead?" >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> -G. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> -steve >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss

13 years, 2 months

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Bay Lights - World's Largest LED sculpture debuts tonight 9pm

by Raymond Lai

Hey Sudoers, Just wanted to let everyone know that artist Leo Villareal<http://www.villareal.net/>'s new project The Bay Lights <http://thebaylights.org/> will debut tonight at 9pm with a live webcast starting at 8:30. 'The Bay Lights' is turning the Bay Bridge into massive art. 25,000 LEDs, 1.8 miles wide and 500' high. Villareal's is also the artist behind 'Multiverse<http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/villarealinfo.shtm>' which utilizes 41,000 LEDs and is shown at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Cheers, Ray - the Emperor of Ice Cream

13 years, 2 months

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Skymall Workshop / Skillshare: Basic Concrete Slab *Sat March 16*, 10am onward

by Vicky Knox

Hey all! My friend Bobby will be putting on the below workshop. He is an amazing builder and metalworker who I've been sneakily trying to suck into the vortex that is Sudo Room. If anyone is interested in going to this workshop that he is putting on, will you envangelize him please? This event is sure to be fun--he has a fascinating mind and brews awesome beer. If you're into beer, make sure to ask him to show you the huge vats he welded, as well as the taps he has set up. V From: Robert Tomkiewicz <tomkiewicz.b(a)gmail.com> Subject: Skymall Workshop / Skillshare: Basic Concrete Slab *Sat March 16*, 10am onward Hi all, I am in the process of modernizing the laundry facilites at the old homestead and the first step is pouring a little slab outdoors to hold the washer and dryer off the ground and function as a foundation for the shed which will hold them. Together, we'll (re)discover the basics of pouring a concrete slab. We'll be mixing by hand in wheelbarrows, which is just fine for a slab of this scale, unless I get a line on a mixer before the end of the week. I will have the forms built and (probably) the rebar laid before Saturday, but they'll be there for you to take a look at so you can see how they're constructed before we begin. Beer and snackage provided. Space is limited to the amount of people that will actually be useful, which in fact is quite a few. Still, if you could RSVP with any specific dietary preferences that would be super sweet. If we're super fast we might even get to do some plumbing. Got to get that natural gas hookup to the dryer, and hot water pipe in place for the washing machine. Bobby

13 years, 2 months

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Re: [sudo-discuss] Dystopia Watch: Surveillance drones coming to a cafe near you.

by rachel lyra hospodar

(Private response from dan included below) I am not suggesting here that the goal is to neutralize the voice, but to obfuscate its meaning, to nearby microphones. If there are many sounds fitting the pattern of the user's voice, then perhaps the technology mr. Howell mentions would have a harder time 'hearing' the conversation's actual content in a useful way? Our brains are excellent at pattern recognition & targeted focus, and I guess I am positing here that the gap between their ability to do this, and the software's, is big enough to use. I'm less concerned about establishing completely secure encrypted special-use channels (eg redphone), but more am idly thinking about ways to increase security for day-to-day interactions (redCafe???) ...like doing harm reduction. My experience with activism in our modern surveillance state is that, while a small group can be trained to be truly information secure, this is only really possible for specific highly covert projects, and it generates behavior anomalous enough to be its own red flag. Generally speaking you have to interact with people in their terms, in public or 'normal' ways, to reach them. The conversations I expect people will be crucified for are not the truly secret ones. Running a device like this in cafes would be a hilarious way to do outreach about Big Brother. Many people have no idea of the extent of what is already possible. R. On Mar 5, 2013 11:47 AM, "Daniel Finlay" <namelessdan(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > To truly neutralize a sound the inverted copy of the sound needs to be perfectly lined up with the original sound in relation to the target microphone. (It's impractical for general use. Besides, if it worked the way you're imagining, we wouldn't be able to hear each other) > > > On Mar 5, 2013, at 11:34 AM, rachel lyra hospodar <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> What if everyone carried a device that captured what they were saying and replayed it, layered along with other recordings of their own voice? >> >> Or we could hold all of our meetings without devices, in the fields and mountains, with birdsong our walls and the sky as our roof. >> >> On Mar 5, 2013 11:22 AM, "Matthew D. Howell" <matthewdhowell(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> @Rachel The state of the technology for recognizing and separating >>> patterns in audio is advanced enough to overcome that sort of thing. >>> Every person's voice has a distinct signature that can be recognized. >>> I would venture a guess that some kind of encrypted digital signal >>> transmission would be the best way to keep any sonic communication >>> private in the most extreme of situations. (most interested party with >>> the best technology at their disposal) >>> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – >8 >>> /V\ /-\ + + |–| ø \/\/ ∂ £ £ >>> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– >>> Matthew D. Howell >>> misterinterrupt, tHe M4d swiTcH, the RuinMechanic >>> cell: (617) 755-1481 >>> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 11:16 AM, rachel lyra hospodar >>> <rachelyra(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> > Wouldn't it need to be non-commercially available music, so they couldn't >>> > just find the audio data of the track, invert its wave, and cancel it out of >>> > the recording? >>> > >>> > CACOPHONY FOR THE REVOLUTION! >>> > >>> > mediumreality.com >>> > >>> > On Mar 5, 2013 10:23 AM, "Steve Berl" <steveberl(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >> >>> >> You could carry a boombox around playing loud music where ever you go. >>> >> Perhaps this would be the end of earbuds. :-) >>> >> >>> >> On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 10:20 AM, Anthony Di Franco < di.franco(a)gmail.com> >>> >> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> People have rendered surveillance cameras useless with very bright IR >>> >>> LEDs in their fields of view. >>> >>> Could something similar be done for sound recording devices? >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mar 5, 2013 6:17 AM, "Anon195714" <anon195714(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: >>> >>>> >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Yo's- >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Something I forgot to add re. DARPA's desire for universal recording of >>> >>>> face-to-face conversations. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> What's the ideal device for doing all that recording? >>> >>>> >>> >>>> How'bout something you wear? How'bout something that "everyone" wears?, >>> >>>> or even a significant fraction of "everyone"? >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Like maybe Google Glasses. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Always on, camera and mic always "connected" to "the cloud." Orwell's >>> >>>> telescreen gone mobile. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Everyone who wears them will become, in effect, _unpaid surveillance >>> >>>> drones_ watching their family and friends, not from up in the sky, but >>> >>>> from up close where every word can be heard. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Some will say "oh, there's no stopping technology." People said that >>> >>>> about the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb. But public outcry led >>> >>>> first to treaties and then to progressive degrees of nuclear >>> >>>> disarmament. We haven't used that technology since it was first used in >>> >>>> WW2. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> We can stop pernicious tech if we choose. We can refuse, we can >>> >>>> withdraw consent, we do not have to press the Buy button. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Technology should liberate and empower people. "Conveniences with a few >>> >>>> strings attached" are not liberation, they're puppet-strings. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> It's all about control: technology that you can control, vs. technology >>> >>>> that can control you. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> -G. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> >>> >>>> ===== >>> >>>> >>> >>>> >>> >>>> On 13-03-05-Tue 1:50 AM, Anon195714 wrote: >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > Yo's- >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > This just in: >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > "DARPA wants to make [voice recognition/transcription] systems so >>> >>>> > accurate, you’ll be able to easily record, transcribe and recall all >>> >>>> > the >>> >>>> > conversations you ever have. ... Imagine living in a world where every >>> >>>> > errant utterance you make is preserved forever. ... DARPA [awarded >>> >>>> > U.Texas comp sci researcher Matt Lease]... $300,000... over two years >>> >>>> > to >>> >>>> > study the new project, called “Blending Crowdsourcing with Automation >>> >>>> > for Fast, Cheap, and Accurate Analysis of Spontaneous Speech.”" >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > "The idea is that business meetings or even conversations with your >>> >>>> > friends and family could be stored in archives and easily searched. >>> >>>> > The >>> >>>> > stored recordings could be held in servers, owned either by >>> >>>> > individuals >>> >>>> > or their employers. ... The answer, Lease says, is in widespread use >>> >>>> > of >>> >>>> > recording technologies like smartphones, cameras and audio >>> >>>> > recorders... >>> >>>> > [A] memorandum from the Congressional Research Service described [an >>> >>>> > earlier DARPA project of this type known as] EARS, as focusing on >>> >>>> > speech >>> >>>> > picked up from broadcasts and telephone conversations, “as well as >>> >>>> > extract clues about the identity of speakers” for “the military, >>> >>>> > intelligence and law enforcement communities.”" >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/darpa-speech/ (Yes, "real >>> >>>> > geeks >>> >>>> > don't read Wired," but nonetheless its news pages are useful for >>> >>>> > keeping >>> >>>> > a finger on the pulse of Big Brother and his corporate Brethren.) >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > In short: >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > DARPA is researching the means by which every conversation you have, >>> >>>> > in-person, whether at work or with family or friends, gets picked up >>> >>>> > by >>> >>>> > the mic in your smartphone or other portable device, and stored on a >>> >>>> > server, where DARPA's algorithms and human editors turn all of it into >>> >>>> > fast-searchable text, that could be used by your employer, the >>> >>>> > military, >>> >>>> > law enforcement, and intel agencies. Presumably the credit bureaus, >>> >>>> > insurance companies, and financial institutions will want "in" on the >>> >>>> > data as well. >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > Now connect that with this, about cell-site tracking and call detail >>> >>>> > records: >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > "The government maintained [that] Americans have no expectation of >>> >>>> > privacy of such cell-site records [call detail records or CDR] because >>> >>>> > they are in the possession of a third party — the mobile phone >>> >>>> > companies." >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/03/gps-drug-dealer-retrial/ >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > The key point is that the gov's current position is that data stored >>> >>>> > on >>> >>>> > a third party's servers have "no expectation of privacy." What begins >>> >>>> > with CDR will eventually include voicemail messages stored on the >>> >>>> > mobile >>> >>>> > phone companies' servers, and then eventually all of your live >>> >>>> > in-person >>> >>>> > conversations that are stored "in the cloud." >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > "Anything you say can and will be used against you..." Mark my words. >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > Meanwhile people keep using gmail and Google Voice, and smartphones >>> >>>> > from >>> >>>> > which they can't remove the batteries. Because nothing is more >>> >>>> > important >>> >>>> > than "convenience," right? >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > As a character in a sci-fi piece I wrote in the mid-1980s said, "Why >>> >>>> > put >>> >>>> > a person in prison, when you can put prison in the person instead?" >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > -G. >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> > _______________________________________________ >>> >>>> > sudo-discuss mailing list >>> >>>> > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> >>>> > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>>> > >>> >>>> >>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>> >>>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> >>>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> >>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> >>> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> >>> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> >>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >>> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> -- >>> >> -steve >>> >> _______________________________________________ >>> >> sudo-discuss mailing list >>> >> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> >> >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > sudo-discuss mailing list >>> > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >>> > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss >>> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> sudo-discuss mailing list >> sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org >> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >

13 years, 2 months

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sudoroom door! help!

by hol＠gaskill.com

Can someone please PM me the link to open the sudoroom door? i'm inside the building, just need to get inside the room. Thanks! Hol (resending under correct subject line) _______________________________________________ sudo-discuss mailing list sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss

13 years, 2 months

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Microcontroller hacking tomorrow night?

by hol＠gaskill.com

Anybody want to do some microcontroller tinkering tomorrow night? Would like to figure out how to interface arduinoRPi. Also going to continue work on using Processing http://processing.org/exhibition/ to communicate with microcontrollers. Lots of power when you combine a few of these basic tools... Cheers, Hol

13 years, 2 months

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there's a membership page on sudoroom.org

by Tommy York

We just collaboratively designed it in Sudoroom (w00t kopimism), much thanks to Matt for designing the Google doc form. Comments appreciated. ----------------- Thomas Riley York (杨德民) 510.926.0510 http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommyyork

13 years, 2 months

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Re: [sudo-discuss] sudo-discuss Digest, Vol 5, Issue 4

by Cyrus Farivar

FWIW, here's the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lockpick-20130302,0,454000.story -C -- Cyrus Farivar "suh-ROOS FAR-ih-var" Journalist and radio producer | cyrusfarivar.com (http://cyrusfarivar.com) Author, "The Internet of Elsewhere" | internetofelsewhere.com (http://internetofelsewhere.com) US: +1 510 394 5485 (m) | Twitter/Skype: cfarivar "Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the Internet." cfarivar(a)cfarivar.org (mailto:cfarivar@cfarivar.org) On Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 3:22 PM, sudo-discuss-request(a)lists.sudoroom.org wrote: > Send sudo-discuss mailing list submissions to > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org (mailto:sudo-discuss@lists.sudoroom.org) > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > sudo-discuss-request(a)lists.sudoroom.org (mailto:sudo-discuss-request@lists.sudoroom.org) > > You can reach the person managing the list at > sudo-discuss-owner(a)lists.sudoroom.org (mailto:sudo-discuss-owner@lists.sudoroom.org) > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of sudo-discuss digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: It's Unconscionable (Anca Mosoiu) > 2. Re: It's Unconscionable (rusty lindgren) > 3. thunderbolt video cards (rusty lindgren) > 4. Re: Friday Filosophy: Software as Speech (Steve Berl) > 5. Re: Friday Filosophy: Software as Speech (Eddan) > 6. Yelp Locksmiths Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (rusty lindgren) > 7. Re: It's Unconscionable (Daniel Finlay) > 8. Re: Yelp Locksmiths Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (Andrew) > 9. Re: It's Unconscionable (Eddan) > 10. Re: It's Unconscionable (rusty lindgren) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2013 23:27:54 -0800 > From: Anca Mosoiu <anca(a)techliminal.com (mailto:anca@techliminal.com)> > To: Michael Scroggins <michaeljscroggins(a)gmail.com (mailto:michaeljscroggins@gmail.com)> > Cc: sudo-discuss <sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org (mailto:sudo-discuss@lists.sudoroom.org)>, eddan(a)eddan.com (mailto:eddan@eddan.com) > Subject: Re: [sudo-discuss] It's Unconscionable > Message-ID: > <CALDsrHjzKjQAwAs-X5QMP8e+e0_w+ejxFaZJec_P1tS9a_invQ(a)mail.gmail.com (mailto:CALDsrHjzKjQAwAs-X5QMP8e+e0_w+ejxFaZJec_P1tS9a_invQ@mail.gmail.com)> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > On Fri, Mar 1, 2013 at 6:35 PM, Michael Scroggins < > michaeljscroggins(a)gmail.com (mailto:michaeljscroggins@gmail.com)> wrote: > > > > > The sentence implicitly draws a difference of kind between the lock > > picking class and the other Workshop Weekend classes. Doing so invites the > > question: What is the difference that makes broadcasting this workshop (in > > the way it was) regrettable? In an environment where the mayor, the chief > > of police and the media have all given the same answer - the class breeds > > criminals - allowing that question is regrettable. > > > > > It's regrettable because it gave some easy pickings for the people who want > to portray Oakland, and the current administration, in a certain way. Many > of the people who are upset about the workshop aren't upset about > lockpicking, they're upset that Jean Quan appears to encourage crime in her > newsletter. > > It's regrettable because it sucked up airwaves and mental effort that might > have been better spent. > > Drafting a reasoned and reasonable response lowers the blood pressure of > the people who are up in arms just because they aren't informed. Some of > them will come around, especially if they understand the actual intent of > the class. > > Eddan, I'd like to participate in writing a statement. I was really taken > aback when I read some of the emails and talked to some of the people who > were actually upset. > > The media storm will blow over with the next foot-in-mouth opportunity from > a local politician, but we have a great opportunity to reach out while the > world is looking. > > Anca. > > > -- > -=-=-=- > Anca Mosoiu | Tech Liminal > anca(a)techliminal.com (mailto:anca@techliminal.com) > M: (510) 220-6660 > http://techliminal.com | T: @techliminal | F: facebook.com/techliminal (http://facebook.com/techliminal) >

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Yelp Locksmiths Greatest Hits Vol. 1

by rusty lindgren

1. *"These mother fuckers should burn in hell. *Quit scamming people. You'd make more money actually being nice honest and helping more people that like your business instead of charging a shit load for 1 customer and losing 27490291. 2. "...The guy shows up in literally 10 minutes, pops open the door in about 30 seconds and then charges me $100 for the "labor" because opening a door is a $100 charge. WTF... Such bullshit. *Two stars for him being super speedy though.*" 3. *"Since my cat was inside crying and needing to be fed*- I told him I would pay $200 for him to unlock it or I was going to call someone else. He ended up drilling the lock out and then wanting to charge another $190 to replace it. *Preying on desperate people in bad situations.*" 4. "When he got here he said it would be 29 dollars service fee and 100 to pick the lock, he spent exactly 30 seconds trying to pick the lock, said it was unpickable and went to his car to get a drill and another lock to replace it. Took him may be 15 minutes to drill and replace the lock then he handed me a bill for 258 dollars. I said how could something that jtook under 30 minutes with very little effort cost so much. *He didn't care, just took my credit card and charged it."* 5. IF I COULD GIVE THEM NEGATIVE STARS I WOULD NOT HESITATE! *This is my first review and I actually made a yelp account just to save anyone from falling into their scam* they call a business. 6. They call themselves locksmiths, but that is a joke. They completely busted our font door lock (to the point that the handle was hanging loosely off the door and no long worked to keep the door closed), then proceeded to charge (and demand!) $150 for the "service." *I could have gotten in a lot quicker and cheaper by borrowing a neighbor's hammer!* -Rusty

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thunderbolt video cards

by rusty lindgren

Anyone done this on mac or linux(link below)? Would be cool to just send rendering jobs over thunderbolt... would be even cooler if I could build the pci-board set up myself, rather than spend a lot on this set-up. http://9to5mac.com/2012/12/11/mlogics-mlink-thunderbolt-expansion-chassis-n… -Rusty **

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Art Murmur This Evening!

by Marina Kukso

Hi everyone, Just a reminder that we'll be having art murmur this evening at sudo room. Coyote counter collective will be there from 7-10pm repping art, designs, and photos from a dozen different artists -including laser etched stuff! mediumreality.com We may also have a visit from Masahiro and his brain interface machine once again! As Jenny mentioned, we have been asked by George and Laurie to close up shop by 11PM, so join us early for art, socialization, and hacking! - Marina

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get some sudo stuff this weekend at OMCA white elephant sale?

by Matthew Senate

http://sudoroom.org/ai1ec_event/omca-white-elephant-sale/?instance_id=51404 // Matt

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It's Unconscionable

by Eddan

Now, this requires a response. Has anybody started drafting something? If not, I will. ... Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan<http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=bayarea&…> was not pleased. "I'm in shock that people would provide a class to teach people a skill to violate the law," Jordan said. "It's unconscionable." Lock-pick instructor Michael Fitzhugh<http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=bayarea&…> is a member of TOOOL (The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers<http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=bayarea&…>), a Netherlands-based outfit that teaches and holds national and international lock-picking events annually. In their world, lock picking is done for sport and bragging rights. But, he says, it's also a useful tool if you lock yourself out of your home. Jordan has a more conventional solution to that problem: "Call a locksmith!" http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Quan-s-wrong-note-on-lock-picking-cla… Even worse than Quan, this guy's so desperate to change the subject about the incompetence of the OPD in news story after news story. Unconscionable!?! This coming from a police department that was about to go into an unprecedented federal receivership for its failure to reform; not to mention a police department seared with a global reputation for brutality, racism, and excessive means; and whose fundamental miscalculations and mismanagement of the response to Occupy cost the city millions of dollars.

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Minor Physical Rearrangement

by hol＠gaskill.com

Hi Folks, First off, I'm glad we have so many people who are proactive in generating a response to the state-sponsored dumbfuckery. I have enjoyed the lively discussion since opening my inbox :) In more mundane news, last night Jack and I organized the shop area of sudo room in preparation for some CNC milling, and in the process I went kind of crazy rearranging things in and adjacent to the shop. I prioritized respecting other active projects over achieving ship-shape of course, and I hope I didn't disturb anybody's ongoing projects or create off-nominal feng-shui in the process. Below is an approximate change log SHOP AREA (2 benches, 2 coffee tables, 1 chair) -set up the CNC equipment in compact and functional configuration -constructed arm to hang CNC motor and store clamps -moved all corded tools to a quad-milk crate cubby (including heat gun) -cut a hole in one workbench for cords to concentrate cordless tool battery charging station -moved soldering irons over to window area for proper ventilation (where is the solder? and the solder flux? i brought a big tub of flux in a while back) -moved the folding typewriter stand to the bike area for better tool access there -rearranged various tools to be more compact -designated a jar for drill bits and driver bits -designated a bin for all fasteners/drywall anchors etc -labeled the misc hardware bucket -concentrated safety equipment in one area to do: get hooks for pegboard, hang more tools and trace outlines, add more hearing protection to safety equip, more lasers, more metal, 3D print a shop vac nozzle that mounts to the spindle head instead of clamping thank you for all those who constructed all the benches! i was all talk on that project... BIKE & MISC PROJECT AREA (1 bench, 1 bike stand, 1 typewriter stand) -moved some bike stuff onto typewriter stand for easier access -concentrated induction metallurgy equipment neatly under bench -assembled n-1 soldering irons, still need to hack a fan to exhaust out window during heavy soldering -moved coffee roaster and coffee machine to top of big fridge, heat gun to corded tools area, tripod to camera area in storage hallway to do: add ventilation and soldering consumables area, maybe add a shelf for more project storage, overhead/hanging storage for bulkier future bike components major to-do: construct a tower for brewing/storing beer equipment??? LONG TABLE -removed trash... -sorted some misc hardware -moved bag of electronic components to bookshelf next to other bag of electronic components -moved some stuff to upper tier to clear table -put one soldering iron by the oscilloscope for light/quick soldering not requiring ventilation to do: chain more power strips together for infinite energy Also moved the 2 desks in the back corner toward the wall just to assist in flow around long table...didn't seem like the optimum solution but both are still sittable. Also QR'd the shit out of various objects. I hope I didn't cause anyone a headache searching for stuff, I just wanted to get the shop in usable condition and wound up going into a whirlwind figuring it would be good to have the place a little more organized prior to art murmur. Cheers, Hol

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