Re: List posting rules

[Carlos O'Donell]

On Sat, Nov 2, 2019 at 2:01 PM Dora Scilipoti <dora@gnu.org> wrote:
> You, Carlos O'Donell, and your fellow censor Mark Wielaard, should NOT
> be the moderators of this list.  You are both signers of a public
> document that calls for the removal of Richard Stallman as the leader of
> GNU, namely the "Joint Statement." Therefore, your natural bias is to
> accept messages that work towards your goal while rejecting those that
> oppose it.

I agree that I likely exhibit bias, to that end we have invited others
to moderate.

Brandon Invergo and Mike Gerwitz are also moderators, specifically to
help avoid this kind of bias.

I don't see why I should not be a moderator. Everyone has some kind of
bias. Moderation is a difficult task.

The goal is to keep the list discussions on-topic, governance should
be about governance not people, and existing list rules should be
followed.

> For example, given that the declared purpose of this is list is to talk
> about governance, Sandra Loosemore's messages were in violation of the
> following rule, and yet they were approved:

The purpose of this list is spelled out in the list description.
Sandra didn't post a discussion about governance, she didn't talk
about restructuring the GNU Project. She spoke only about existing
leadership.

Governance discussions, those talking about governance models, and how
to restructure GNU, should stay on topic, and should *not* talk about
people and their capabilities.

> While another message, carefully drafted to refute her considerations in
> the clearest possible way, was rejected:

You just posted it, but it was a thread about list posting rules and a
discussion of those rules, so it's on topic, and not repetition by
Marcel, nor is it a thread that has degenerated into name calling,
tit-for-tat, or flaming (thank you for that).

I have indicated to Marcel that if he wishes to repost messages for
review that the moderators (4 of us) are willing to review it again.

I have seen one repost by Marcel that was unkind, particularly with
his displeasure at being moderated.

This is a GNU list, and I urge people to hold themselves to a high
standard of writing, and decorum in discussion.

Cheers,
Carlos.