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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=en-MU link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>[Français disponible au bas]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>Dear Colleagues, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>I wish to reiterate that we don't take lightly such a decision, and it was not the easiest to make. Having said that, I am grateful that I can see from the email exchanges that the community understands the reasoning behind the decision and does not judge us based on the decision itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>Mr. Guilmette, I appreciate your email and the evident sincerity in your words.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>I would like to take the opportunity to repeat the invitation to the community to join us for our upcoming webinar on 4 March 2021. (<a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpduquqjkvE9Zjjv74MC33wGJHRcea2nRV">https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpduquqjkvE9Zjjv74MC33wGJHRcea2nRV</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>During the webinar, we will be discussing collectively as a community how to foster a welcoming, all-inclusive environment that engages in constructive dialogues where people exercise their right to freely and openly express their thoughts and critics while respecting their colleagues and their right not to be publicly attacked or insulted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>We will not take any action regarding the archives until after the webinar, where we can agree collectively on the best way forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>We are working on ensuring that live interpretation services (French/ English) will be made available for this session so that the community can express their thoughts in the language that they feel most comfortable using.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>Kind regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>Eddy <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>###############<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB>Chers Collègues,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Je souhaite réitérer que nous ne prenons pas a la légère une telle décision et elle n’a pas été la plus facile a prendre. Cependant, je suis ravi de voir au travers les différents échanges, que la communauté comprend le cheminement qui nous y a conduit et ne nous juges pas seulement sur base de notre décision.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Mr. Guilmette, j’apprécie votre email ainsi que la sincérité évidente de vos propos.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Je souhaite aussi répéter l’invitation lancée a toute la communauté a notre webinar du 4 Mars 2021 (<a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpduquqjkvE9Zjjv74MC33wGJHRcea2nRV"><span lang=en-MU style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpduquqjkvE9Zjjv74MC33wGJHRcea2nRV</span></a>). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Pendant ce webinar, nous allons discuter, comme une communauté, sur comment créer un environnement accueillant, inclusif qui est engagé dans un dialogue constructif où les participants jouissent de leur droit de s’exprimer librement même pour critiquer tout en respectant les autres ainsi que leur droit de ne pas se voir attaquer ou insulter publiquement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Contrairement </span><span lang=FR>à</span><span lang=FR> ce qui a été annoncé auparavant, nous n’allons pas immédiatement appliquer la mesure concernant les archives. Il est plus judicieux que nous en discutions ensemble pendant cette réunion alors que nous nous accordons sur la meilleure marche à suivre pour le futur.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Pour cette session, nous comptons rendre disponible un service d’interprétariat simultané (Français/Anglais) pour permettre a tous de bien s’exprimer dans la langue de leur choix.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Meilleures salutations,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=FR>Eddy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-US style='mso-fareast-language:#2000'>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Ronald F. Guilmette <rfg@tristatelogic.com> <br>Sent: Thursday, 25 February 2021 01:44<br>To: community-discuss@afrinic.net<br>Subject: Re: [Community-Discuss] Breach of the Code of Conduct by Mr Ronald Guilmette</span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>In message <<a href="mailto:1526AB54-5720-4D1E-87E2-534844E239B4@consulintel.es"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>1526AB54-5720-4D1E-87E2-534844E239B4@consulintel.es</span></a>>,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>JORDI PALET MARTINEZ <<a href="mailto:jordi.palet@consulintel.es"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>jordi.palet@consulintel.es</span></a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>>Moreover, removing any posting from the mailing list archives is a <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>>clear attack to this community. This is called censorship. If AFRINIC, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>>as an organization, is providing the service, it must be an open and <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>>transparent service, and that includes not making any kind of censorship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>I thank both Jordi and Mike Silber for their kind and constructive comments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>I wish to say also that I personally am OK with having my prior posting here scrubbed from the mailing list archives. I understand that there is some concern, well placed or not, within AFRINIC that some of my comments may reflect badly on the organization itself and might possibly have some effect on either the already ongoing litigation or on potential future litigation... and I most certainly would not desire anything that I have said, as a private citizen, to have any negative effect upon AFRINIC's legal position.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>After being duly informed that further contributions from me would be moderated for a period of 30 days, I did some reading on this topic of this legal offense known as "Scandalizing the Court". I had to educate myself about that, because we quite certainly have nothing even remotely like that here in the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>What I learned, among other things, is that such an offense continued to exist, in England, Whales, and Scotland, until really quite recently, i.e. the 2012-2013 time frame, but that since that time it has been abolished in those judicial systems. I also learned that this offense continues to exist within many Commonwealth countries, apparently including Mauritius.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>It is not for me to opine on the question of whether my prior comments do or do not satisfy all of the various legal elements of the crime of "Scandalizing the Court", specifically as that crime is defined within the legal system of Mauritius. That question is most certainly not within my area of expertise. I would only offer the suggestion that my prior comments may possibly not rise to the level of satisfying the legal definition of that crime, and that even if they did, I would most certainly plead for some mitigation and leniency at my sentencing, based upon my ignorance of local law in this instance. (And in any event, as should be obvious, I cannot say that I am particularly worried that Mauritian authorities would seek to have me extradited from the U.S. to Mauritius, to face Mauritian justice for this particular crime, and even if that remote possibility suddenly became probable, I might simply choose to relocate myself to some national jurisdiction that appears to be immune, at present, to such inter-national extradition proceedings, e.g. someplace that appears on maps just to the left of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>Kenya.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>With regards to my prior comments about individuals, I do apologize to the community if any of these might have any effect on AFRINIC's legal position. It is my hope and belief that they should not and will not.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>I speak only for myself. Furthermore, I am quite certainly subject to potential legal proceedings (e.g. for defamation) here in the United States of America... by far the most litigious country on earth... and I am thus cautious in what I say and how I say it. I have said no more about individuals than I believe could be justified in open court, based upon persuasive and abundant available hard evidence, much of which I have already shared here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>Nontheless, I ask forgiveness from the community for my often intemperate manner of speech, forgiveness which I hope will be forthcoming, given the totality of the context.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>I have sought, for well more than a year and a half now, simply to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, at least with respect to the corruption of the WHOIS data base. Given this clear and abiding quest, who among you can still be entirely unsympathetic to the frustration that I feel, to still not know, even at this late date, either how the data base came to be corrupted, or any of the particulars about the one bit of actual litigation that has arisen from those still- mysterious events. My cup runneth over with a lack of information, and after such an extended period of time in this state, I ask to be excused for my more than ordinary lack of both temperance and patience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>That having been said, I accept without reservation the actions taken in response to my recent comments, including both the removal of inflamatory (and perhaps prejuduicial) postings of mine from the archives as well as a 30-day moderation period. I take no personal offense at these actions, and they seem to me to be commensurate and proportional responses. I say this knowing, as I do, that as a citizen of the United States, I am generally free to be more vocal in my defense of AFRINIC and its interests, against both foreign interlopers and any possible lethargy on the part of the local judiciary than AFRINIC itself could prudently be. I only hope that my unconstrained opinions will be properly attributed to me alone. If AFRINIC finds it either necessary or convenient to take actions to further clarify the crisp dividing line between itself and me, then I am perfectly OK with that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>rfg<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU>Community-Discuss mailing list<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><a href="mailto:Community-Discuss@afrinic.net"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>Community-Discuss@afrinic.net</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=en-MU><a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>