Re: [Last-Call] Last Call: BCP 83 PR-Action Against Dan Harkins

[Valery Smyslov <[e-mail]>]

Hi,

I do not support this PR action.

I read the provided messages and I am not convinced that they justify the accusation of expressing racism.
And while I admit that many of these messages are harsh and sarcastic and sometimes are on the verge of acceptable
(definitely this verge is subjective), it seems to me that the sarcastic form of these messages was used by the author
to make his arguments more expressive. The arguments themselves often look worth to consider.

"Not only is it extremely cruel to persecute in this brief life those who do not think the way we do, 
but I do not know if it might be too presumptuous to declare their eternal damnation."

Voltaire, A Treatise on Toleration (1763), translated by Richard Hooker

https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/11/04/voltaire-a-treatise-on-toleration-1763/ (excerpt)
or https://earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/voltaire1763.pdf (full text)

Regards,
Valery Smyslov.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: last-call [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of IETF Chair
> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2022 7:16 PM
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: [Last-Call] Last Call: BCP 83 PR-Action Against Dan Harkins
> 
> Following community feedback after various incidents, as documented below, the
> IESG has initiated a posting rights (PR) action that would restrict the posting
> rights of Dan Harkins, as per the procedures found in BCP 83 (RFC 3683).
> Specifically, his posting privileges to these lists would be suspended:
> 
> * admin-discuss
> * gendispatch
> * ietf
> * terminology
> 
> In the IESG's opinion, this individual has a history of sending emails that are
> inconsistent with the IETF Guidelines for Conduct (RFC 7154) and thereby
> "disrupt the consensus-driven process" (RFC 3683). Among these are contributions
> that:
> 
> * Express racism in the form of denying, belittling, and ridiculing anti-racist
>   sentiment and efforts
> 
> * Are rude and abusive, and often amount to insulting ridicule
> 
> (Links to examples of such emails sent to the lists above during the last two
> years are provided at the end of this email.)
> 
> Multiple attempts have been made to enter into a private discussion with this
> individual, both by IESG and community members, to communicate disquiet with his
> conduct on the lists. These attempts to restore respectful and courteous conduct
> on the lists have been rebuffed with communication that can be considered both
> antagonistic and hostile, and the pattern of behavior observed has continued.
> 
> The IESG also notes that the following actions have already been taken in
> response to the individual's actions:
> 
> * Two I-Ds were removed from the public archive due to their offensive nature:
>   https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-les-white-intersectional-dots
>   https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-les-white-tls-preferred-pronouns
>   (following these links displays the tombstone notice explaining their removal)
> 
> * His posting rights were restricted on the admin-discuss mailing list:
>   https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/admin-discuss/ZANH2VPN-U8VMvvOWLb5l03FdCs/
> 
> * A final public warning was issued on the gendispatch mailing list:
>   https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/68a4amMa1aiaRUPzPGgXdiY9gHg/
> 
> None of the attempts to discuss his participation style or warn the individual
> have led to any improvements. The IESG therefore believes that a PR action is
> the correct response to his continued problematic behavior across a number of
> different lists.
> 
> The IESG plans to make a decision in the next few weeks, and solicits final
> comments on this action. Please send substantive comments to the
> [e-mail] mailing lists by 27 October 2022. Exceptionally, comments may
> be sent to [e-mail] instead. If sending private feedback to the IESG,
> please indicate if you would be open to having your comments anonymized and
> shared in a summary.
> 
> Please note: Comments should be limited to the criteria described in BCP 83,
> notably on whether the individual in question has engaged in postings that are
> "unprofessional commentary, regardless of the general subject" in a manner
> disruptive enough to warrant this action.
> 
> Lars Eggert
> IETF Chair, on behalf of the IESG
> –-
> 
> Examples of problematic emails during the last two years include:
> 
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/zdq3F0PV40Cyw5ooj0orOWaYyUw/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/i-d7HlWgrkmrVlC7JZQSXDwIJCQ/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/YhPI9zZ_3xfidt5V-ORRnET36yY/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/B33zk8VfOYt4b4Cj-kIHXG3AXdg/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/d3iDS4WNkCJA3aMFnX2HjP4tsps/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/gendispatch/-On8AHrdnnCMlJOOyb1M1nlYMpk/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/n6UMvDuYLKmmvpP1ajICFvf634M/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/QCdjDbokmlARcwVqQ1TV3Rlz7eQ/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/X6OF0MBKAzyLhYaAfAxS6srXRNw/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/idJhG1MsLmKHyRlaAafcW2JF6Z8/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ipsec/LoGSVatZ4EsYRq4K52rmvRZTndk/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ietf/pl2lVqhtF4Z-0YuTjhCOmdyi1qE/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ietf/DFgnF_j8py_eMBGI1IUFdMahTKw/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/T3oCpY3BbTNLXWAWsCnFvahRLUQ/
> * https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/admin-discuss/xLuz4WTCm5ibIiMVN5ID8OWsCI0/
> 
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