This is McCarthyism resurrected.
" “I have here in my hand a list of 205 [State Department employees]
that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the
Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping
the policy of the State Department.”
We should not stoop to witch hunt allegations without any supporting
evidence being offered. Ronald indicated he couldn't find evidence of
fraud, and thus wasn't willing to file a fraud report. He simply
said he
couldn't find evidence that the accused networks and individuals
*weren't*
committing fraud, and that it was up to ARIN to demonstrate they weren't
complicit in covering up for the entity. In essence, he's demanding that
ARIN show the world how they go about determining that every company
that has ever applied for number resources is *not guilty* of fraud.
We should *never* put the burden of proving innocence on the victim.
The burden of proof of guilt should be on the accuser's side to produce.
When accusations of fraud are submitted, yes, it's worthy and reasonable
for ARIN to report on the outcome.
But for Ronald to demand that ARIN reveal the details of how ARIN went
about deciding that every company that ever applied for number resources
was *NOT* breaking the law is a witch hunt. It is a demand to
produce proof
of innocence rather than acting on accusation of guilt with evidence
to back
up the assertion.
Just as it is not the job of the police to check on what each and
every one of
us is doing in our households to make sure we're innocent of all
crime, it is not
ARIN's job to ensure every company that ever applied for number
resources
is completely innocent of all crime. If there is an accusation of
fraud, they should
act on it and investigate it thoroughly. But absent that, if no
evidence of fraudulent
behaviour is reported, it should not be incumbent on ARIN staff to
justify why they
have not taken action against every company that ever submitted a
request to
them.
I for one do not wish to turn the ARIN region into that level of
totalitarian regime.
When Ronald finds evidence of fraud, he should report it, and ARIN
should
investigate it, and report accordingly if fraud is found.
But to fire broad-based accusations against the ARIN membership and
against
ARIN staff without proof is a bridge too far:
" *) How many more memberships are currently sitting on ARIN's
books that,
as in this case, obviously should never have been there, and what
effort, if any, will ARIN now expend to find them and to terminate
the memberships involved?"
If it's obvious (ie, there is proof of fraud), then why is Ronald
unwilling to
file a complaint against the networks in question?
He himself admits he can find no evidence of fraud:
"I cannot, in all honesty and good conscience, report something as
"fraud" where the set of pertinent facts, as I have elaborated
them,
*do not* suggest that there has been any fraud, deceit, or
misrepresentation of any kind, at least not on the part of the
member
organization in question."
So, he cannot accuse the specific network in question of committing
fraud, for there is proof.
But he is willing to accuse ARIN staff of not finding the very proof he
himself has been unable to find.
If there is clear evidence of fraud that ARIN is overlooking, and that
evidence can be produced, I might have some sympathy for what Ronald
is demanding.
But to simply claim that ARIN staff are incompentent at finding evidence
of fraud when Ronald himself cannot find such evidence is unconscionable,
and I would hope Ronald would have the decency to either produce
evidence
to support his claim, or retract it with an apology.
It is every bit as unreasonable a demand as if I were to demand that
Ronald
produce *proof* he has stopped beating his wife, to use the age-old
example. :(
Thanks!
Matt
Regards,
Bill Herrin
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