[Community-Discuss] [members-discuss] ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERS’ MEETING (AGMM)

[Owen DeLong]

> On Jun 2, 2022, at 21:50 , Ronald F. Guilmette <rfg at tristatelogic.com> wrote:
> 
> In message <AM7PR03MB6451D6816307CF2E96A2215DEEA19 at AM7PR03MB6451.eurprd03.prod.outlook.com>, 
> Andrew Alston <Andrew.Alston at liquidtelecom.com> wrote:
> 
>> No Ronald,
>> 
>> <sarcasm>
>> They do however contain billions in dark money, massive amounts of shadowy
>> lobby groups, the occasional invasion of a building, maybe a few people baying
>> to hang someone, 846 (so far) arrests, a years worth of hearings.... need I go
>> on?
>> </sarcasm>
> 
> I gather that you are making reference to the 2020 election in the U.S.

The building invasion, arrests, etc. is unique to 2020.

The billions in dark money, massive amounts of shadowy lobby groups, well, that’s pretty much par for the course in US federal elections and congress in general.

> Please note that despite all of the crooked things that happened during
> that election, everything that happened has been and is being investigated.
> People have gone to jail and yet others will.

Well… For some of the crooked things, yes. Everything, no, not everything is even being investigated.

> My hope is that anyone and everyone connected with this AFRINIC vote buying
> scheme will likewise be investigated and jailed, where appropriate, but I'm
> not holding out too much hope of that, mostly due to the international and
> inter-jurisdictional nature of these sordid activities.

While I agree it probably SHOULD be illegal, as I understand it, what was done technically isn’t illegal.

AIUI, they offered to invest in companies on the basis of their investment allowing them to determine how that company would vote in AFRINIC elections.

Technically, that’s a level of corporate governance transaction that would be perfectly legal even in the USA.

Again, I don’t know the details, but this is what I surmise from the video and from other comments I’ve seen on the lists. I had no involvement with or knowledge of any such scheme, and consider such a scheme extremely unethical and immoral even if it is perfectly legal.

From my perspective, it’s not significantly different from an average day on K street. Highly immoral and unethical, but not technically illegal.

Owen