ACSMCS@SEMASSU.EDU (Is it Friday yet?) (06/19/91)
Rather than clog up sci.space with more long posts about your charter, why not post some facts that many of us who might be potentially interested in joining your organization would need to know first: 1) What is the current membership? What is the composition of this membership? You claim to be an international organization, how many members do you have abroad? 2) What governments currently recognize your organization? Any international authority you might have is going to have to be acknowledged by the governments involved, especially if your organization intends to be militarily neutral. 3) What resources does your organization currently possess? You seem to have some very grandois plans, do you have the means to carry them out? 4) What activities has your organization already begun? Do you have any accomplishments to show other than a wordy charter? If you have concrete answers to these questions, I would be very interested in hearing them. If not, I think you are just wasting bandwidth by repeatedly posting your charter without actually contributing anything to the newsgroup. --Matthew Setzer Undergrad Math/CIS Major Southeastern Mass Univ acsmcs@smucs1.semassu.edu
tarl@sw.stratus.com (Tarl Neustaedter) (06/19/91)
I've asked the same questions, both in email and in postings to this group.
I've gotten snotty replies with no information and been ignored. I quote:
"My time is too important to waste on the likes of you :-I". Someone else
managed to provoke some real vitriol out of the USF, posted to this group.
I've done some checking and found out the following facts:
1) The postmaster at cornell does not know the USF from adam, and
Rick Dobson doesn't show up on her lists of Faculty, Staff or
students. I don't know this is a psuedonym.
2) The only official-sounding name on his list of participants is
Francois Spiero, listed as representing the European Space Agency.
He doesn't, his participation is personal; The USF has (I quote)
"absolutely no link with ESA whatsoever". Mr. Dobson, a disclaimer
is needed here. I suspect the same applies for a few others.
Given that this group is arrogating to itself the authority to "draft and
enforce international space law", I think detailed scrutiny of the current
organization, it's funding and official backing, is very much in order. Any
law-writing/enforcement organization needs continual monitoring of who and
what controls it; sources of funding are the primary means of such monitoring.
The organization is either a joke, or an extreme danger to all of us due to
the nature of the current "executive director" (who regards "people like me"
as beneath his notice, and responds to queries about funding with vitriol and
paranoia). If someone knows how to go about forcing this information out of
the USF, I'd appreciate it.
USF members, if you don't have the above information, think twice about
allowing your name to be used in public postings. You might also ask your
employers if they mind their name being used in these postings (without
disclaimers, take note). And I'd appreciate it if you send me any of the
information I've asked for, that you have. Your director won't.
--
Tarl Neustaedter tarl@vos.stratus.com
Marlboro, Mass. Stratus Computer
Disclaimer: My employer is not responsible for my opinions.ccoprmd@prism.gatech.EDU (Matthew DeLuca) (06/19/91)
In article <6213@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> tarl@sw.stratus.com (Tarl Neustaedter) writes: >Given that this group is arrogating to itself the authority to "draft and >enforce international space law", I think detailed scrutiny of the current >organization, it's funding and official backing, is very much in order. Any >law-writing/enforcement organization needs continual monitoring of who and >what controls it; sources of funding are the primary means of such monitoring. Fortunately, anyone can write all the laws they like...getting someone to *enforce* those laws is something else entirely. :-) The 'USF' will quietly fade away in a few months, like most other self-styled space agencies. -- Matthew DeLuca Georgia Institute of Technology "I'd hire the Dorsai, if I knew their Office of Information Technology P.O. box." - Zebadiah Carter, Internet: ccoprmd@prism.gatech.edu _The Number of the Beast_
pjs1@waikato.ac.nz (06/19/91)
In article <6213@lectroid.sw.stratus.com>, tarl@sw.stratus.com (Tarl Neustaedter) writes: > I've asked the same questions, both in email and in postings to this group. > I've gotten snotty replies with no information and been ignored. I quote: > "My time is too important to waste on the likes of you :-I". Someone else > managed to provoke some real vitriol out of the USF, posted to this group. > I've done some checking and found out the following facts: > > 1) The postmaster at cornell does not know the USF from adam, and > Rick Dobson doesn't show up on her lists of Faculty, Staff or > students. I don't know this is a psuedonym. > > 2) The only official-sounding name on his list of participants is > Francois Spiero, listed as representing the European Space Agency. > He doesn't, his participation is personal; The USF has (I quote) > "absolutely no link with ESA whatsoever". Mr. Dobson, a disclaimer > is needed here. I suspect the same applies for a few others. > > Given that this group is arrogating to itself the authority to "draft and > enforce international space law", I think detailed scrutiny of the current > organization, it's funding and official backing, is very much in order. Any > law-writing/enforcement organization needs continual monitoring of who and > what controls it; sources of funding are the primary means of such monitoring. > > The organization is either a joke, or an extreme danger to all of us due to > the nature of the current "executive director" (who regards "people like me" > as beneath his notice, and responds to queries about funding with vitriol and > paranoia). If someone knows how to go about forcing this information out of > the USF, I'd appreciate it. > > USF members, if you don't have the above information, think twice about > allowing your name to be used in public postings. You might also ask your > employers if they mind their name being used in these postings (without > disclaimers, take note). And I'd appreciate it if you send me any of the > information I've asked for, that you have. Your director won't. > -- I've noticed Nick's name has appeared in a couple of USF posts. So go on Nick tell the rest of us what you know about USF. Not what it's grand plans are, but actual things like, membership numbers, governmental reconition, etc. Another thing has USF aproached the Planetary Society as yet, as they being one of the leaders in international cooperation should be a help in getting things started. Pete Smith Uni of Waikato (Y-cat-O)