Re: [Mtgvenue] If Muslims are blocked by the U.S., should the IETF respond?

[Fred Baker <[e-mail]>]

On Fri, Jan 27, 2017 at 02:29:01PM -0500, Dave Burstein wrote:
> Some might also think that we should move the July 2018 meeting from San
> Francisco to a location accessible to more of our members, perhaps to
> Mexico or Canada.

We have literally done that in the past, primarily because our Chinese colleagues have had issues with the US Embassy, getting visas. 

While the IETF doesn't have "membership" per se, I think an important part of Dave's comment is the impact on "members". To my knowledge, our muslim colleagues are far more interested in making the Internet work in their countries than in attacking the US (or anyone else). Our reasoning on moving away from US venues a decade ago had to do with people that wanted to actively participate, and who were interested in more wholesome activities.

In the particular case, I might suggest we find out what the issues are and how we are impacted before making changes; the important thing in this document isn't specific venues, but the process by which they are chosen. Whatever the rhetoric has been, I suspect that a ban against a religion will not stand, as it directly violates the US first amendment ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."). What could stand (and is largely in place today) is a ban on travel of people associated with organizations known to have issues with the US government or its citizens.