However a PR action is an incredibly huge hammer.
...
I have to reluctantly agree with Sam. I'm reluctant because there are far too many days when I wish Jefsey would just quietly go away Of course, he is not the only person I'd put on that list, and I imagine I'm on some similar lists kept by others, but that is exactly the point and the problem.
1. The hammer is, indeed, huge. That is why it must be reserved for use on folk who cause significant problems, rather than folk who merely demonstrate a bit of social gracelessness. In particular, it is to be used when someone establishes a track record of real and significant disruption.
2. Almost everyone can have a moment of utility, just as almost everyone can have a moment of disruption. The question is whether that utility counter-balances the damage caused by being disruptive. I believe the purpose of the current procedure is, really, to make exactly that assessment.
3. None of us is essential to the IETF. No matter how wonderful anyone's occasional contributions, the IETF can do just fine without any one of us. First and foremost, the IETF is about the social process of developing agreement on technical matters. Anyone who demonstrates a pattern of disruption to that process is hurting the core of the IETF. Such folk need to be excluded from public IETF discussions.
d/ -- Dave Crocker Brandenburg InternetWorking <http://bbiw.net> _______________________________________________ Ietf@xxxxxxxx https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf