I have just heard a very disturbing rumor from a very credible source. Former Washington state Congressman Rick White is believed to be running for a seat on the ICANN Board representing the Domain Name Supporting Organization. White, an attorney with Perkins Koie (Coie?) was elected to Congress in 1994 as a foot soldier to Newt Gingrich. Remember that other Newt foot soldier Esther Dyson who joined....what was it called? The Peace Progress and Freedom Foundation about that time? Remember Newt wanting a lap top for every school kid in the USA? You can bet that the Information Technology Association of America was salivating at that prospect of that one. (Jon Englund is now ICANN's man inside the ITAA.) White ran on a very conservative family values platform in 1994, re-elected in 96 and shortly there after had a nasty divorce and married a legislative aid and lost the last election. But in the meantime during his congressional stint he stood up and tried to take credit for the 1996 telecom reform act. "It's a good bill; its a fair bill; it's the best we could do...." he said. Reminds me of Icann. But 3 years ago my friend Jeff Michka awarded him the grand gaggie for 1996 for the most disingenous statement of the season on a telecom matter -- if memory serves me right. Now White hearing the Internet's siren song went straight for the Congressional Internet Caucus and became its Chair. Then last fall he lost. Back to Seattle and Bainbridge Island and to doing what you do when you lose your seat. Becoming a lobbyist. And my friend in late July or early August 99 turns on C-span 2 and there's Rick White, an attorney leading a discussion on the importance of the Internet with the congressional Internet caucus. What was that all about he wondered? Well, now if the rumor I have heard is correct, we know. ICANN has taken some real congressional flak this summer. It needs a nice Mr Fixer to channel big corporate assurances that estee and the captin mike and vint and john really have the best interests of the internet at heart. Rick White would be a superb candidate for the corporate interests who want to establish their regulatory control over the internet and their ownership of our domain names and now realize they don't have their congressional flanks covered. This is control over the internet, over the future of telecommuncations and over the ground rules for electronic commerce at stake. Vast sums of money, vast power. Rick's services as ICANN shill to placate congress and lull it to sleep --- what a jewell. What a LOVELY idea. Ah yes Rick White for DNSO board member. Teamed with Jon Englund and ITAA, he'll make sure that the door to Congressional redress is closed **************************************************************** The COOK Report on Internet Index to seven years of the COOK Report 431 Greenway Ave, Ewing, NJ 08618 USA http://cookreport.com (609) 882-2572 (phone & fax) ICANN: The Internet's Oversight Board - [EMAIL PROTECTED] NEW - Incompetence or Duplicity? ICANN and it Allies' Stealth Agenda http://cookreport.com/isoccontrol.shtml ****************************************************************
