Hello everyone,
Ward's questioning me of my qualifications for the FTSC is pretty funny as he has always been an "invited guest" to the FTSC due to his being Z2C as never actually been voted to the FTSC by his peers. He has never written any FTN software and never contributed anything to Fidonet except being an overglorified nodelist clerk and a pedantic malcontent who uses histrionics and temper tantrums to get his own way.
That is why how he and his bootlicker, Oliver "Oli" Rupp, operate as if they're better than anyone else. They're both prime examples of why Fidonet is dying.
For those who are new to Fidonet and don't know about Ward's decades-long behavior of deceit, lies, and just being a general malcointent...I have been suffering Ward's verbal abuse in public and private for nearly 30 years now in Fidonet. He has never told me what I did to deserve this besides being an American and having different political beliefs than he does. So here's an example of Ward in his prime and to show you what this Flemish ne'er-do-well can do.
In 2004, Ward Dossche, then International Coordinator (IC) as well as the Zone 2 Coordinator, refused to acknowledge a vote by other Zone Coordinators to have him replaced by Malcolm Miles, then the Zone 3 Coordinator. Ward argued that because 89% of FidoNet nodes were within Zone 2, his own vote should be worth 89% of the collective and therefore decisive over the other five coordinators.
This is a prime example of Ward's outright lying and distorting of facts and Policy 4 to fit his needs because we all know he doesn't give a damn about P4 and any other rules, common courtesy, tact, or couth otherwise.
I find it particularly hilarious about how he a) tried to say his vote counted as 89% in the ZCC and b) his groveling to his Z2 downlinks to try to drum up support for his perverted attempt to stay as IC.
The below is taken from the Fidonews V21 I20, published on 17 May 2004. You can download this issue at
http://www.filegate.net/pub/fidonews/FNEWSL20.ZIP for your own persual. There's more about this in that issue but I just brought the highlights here.
Ward refused to concede for several weeks but after getting dressed down by the ZCC, he finally stepped down.
Ward is now IC again and is the emperor of his own pile of trash.
===
=================================================================
FROM THE *CS
=================================================================
ZCC announces Malcolm Miles as International Coordinator
Janis Kracht, 1:261/38 (
janis@filegate.net)
The Fidonet Zone Coordinator Council, persuant to section 7.2 of
Policy 4.07, has voted to remove Ward Dossche as International
Coordinator, and has elected Malcolm Miles Z3C, as International
Coordinator. Votes were cast by 5 of the 6 Zone Coordinators
present, with no vote posted by Z2C.
The ZCC wishes to thank Ward Dossche for the work he's done, and the
time he's devoted to the position of IC over the last 3 and 1/2
years.
Janis Kracht
Z1C
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 21-20 Page 4 17 May 2004
A formal policy-interpretation by the IC persuant P4.7.1.Par.5
By Ward Dossche / International Coordinator
2:292/854
Date: 07 May 04
It has become increasingly clear that the operation and internal
management of the ZCC have not been sufficiently defined in Policy to
cater for the severe imbalance between the different zones which at
present exists where zone-1 occupies some 6-7%, zone-2 at least 91-92%
and the remaining zones 1-2% of the nodelist.
While technically this imbalance seems unimportant -or even
inexistant- when it concerns the moving of mail and files, lately it
has become a matter of disturbance in the internal operation of the
ZCC where personal motives of several ZCs, not technical motives, seem
to dominate the day to day business more and more.
As this potentially may have negative consequences to Fidonet as a
whole it is necessary for me, as IC, to exercise the provisions of
P4.7.1.Paragraph-5 which reads:
************************* QUOTE *************************
In cases not specifically covered by this document, the International
Coordinator may issue specific interpretations or extensions to this
policy.
************************ UNQUOTE ************************
The way how ZCC-members vote has never been described. Policy mentions
the word 'majority' but says nothing on how that majority is composed,
reached or interpreted.
Therefore, as of immediately on this day May 7th 2004, the following
interpretation will become effective:
"The votes cast by ZCC-members to reach a majority will be a function
of the percentage of listed individual sysops in the weekly nodelist
issued by the IC. These individual sysops will not be 'Pvt' 'Hold'
'Down' 'Zone' 'Region' 'Host' 'Hub' nor 'non-conforming ION- nor
non-conforming EON-nodes as per IC current policy expressed in the
ERRFLAGS-configuration file presently in use at 2:292/854'. Every 1%
of the listed sysops will count for 1 vote.
If and when one or several zones hold less that 1% of the eligible
sysops then the dominant zone's number of votes will be reduced with
01 units to cater for the representation of the small zones.
Using this methodology the ZCC votes will as of immediately be
weighted as follows:
ZC1 : 07 votes
ZC2 : 89 votes
ZC3 : 01 votes
ZC4 : 01 votes
ZC5 : 01 votes
ZC6 : 01 votes
FIDONEWS 21-20 Page 5 17 May 2004
Making a total of 100 votes."
This IC-interpretation which is now in force can be overruled by a
majority vote of the ZCC. However, since this interpretation stands
until overruled it also applies to a ZCC-overruling of this IC
policy-interpretation requiring an absolute majority of these 100
votes as well.
Take care,
Ward Dossche
International Coordinator
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 21-20 Page 6 17 May 2004
Motion to replace the IC
By Ward Dossche / International Coordinator
2:292/854
Date: 16 May 04 16:09:59
Some 2-3 weeks ago Z1C Janis Kracht filed a motion to replace the
current IC by Malcolm Miles, current Z3C.
All ZCs have voted in the meantime and following the rules per
IC-interpretation of relevant portions of P4 to determine how the ZCC
reaches a majority the following result has been tabled:
Z1C: YES 07 votes
Z2C: NO 89 votes
Z3C: YES 01 votes
Z4C: YES 01 votes
Z5C: YES 01 votes
Z6C: YES 01 votes
Tally:
======
YES : 11 votes
NO : 89 votes
The motion is denied.
It must equally be noted that Z1C Janis Kracht when filing the above
mentioned motion bypassed the formal procedures as laid-down in P4 how
the ZCC conducts its business by ignoring certain portions regarding
the prerogatives of the IC. The motion in itself therefore was a
policy-violation and void.
Take care,
Ward Dossche
International Coordinator
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 21-20 Page 7 17 May 2004
Open letter to the nodes of Zone-2
By Ward Dossche / IC & Z2C
2:292/854
Date: 15 May 04
Colleagues,
ZC1 Janis Kracht has called for a replacement of the current IC and,
those of you who have followed certain developments will understand
that she was quickly seconded by some people whom traditionally remain
absent from ZCC-operation except to vote against me.
There is an imbalance in the nodelist and the sheer numbers of our
zone, way over 90% of the total, have made the critical mass in
Fidonet shift from zone-1 to zone-2. This has been a very tough nut to
crack for specific individuals in zone-1 and it never went down. Your
zone-2 coordinator has played a strong role both as IC and ZC/2 and
since it often went against current accepted zone-1 practices he
became contested, deliberately misquoted, selectively quoted, verbally
abused and unspoken words have been put in his mouth.
There often are calls for democracy and in order to restore that
democracy in the ZCC, or install something that at least resembles it,
I have made an IC-ruling that majorities in ZCC-votes will be
determined by the weight of the individual zones where zone-1 will get
7 votes (it has 7% of the nodelist), etc... This ruling is perfectly
compliant with policy 7.1.par-5.
The intention is not, of course, to impose an autocratic rule, people
who have dealt with me over the years very well know this. Ruling
outside one's zone has effectively become impossible anyway and has
reduced the role of the IC to something very shadowy. The intention
however of my IC-ruling is to bring some balance back and ensure that
the concerns of zone-2 are adequately addressed. As concerns there are
the extremely foul and abusive language which seems permitted in
zone-1 which with few exceptions is targetted exclusively at
individuals in zone-2, there are the constant Third Reich references
which are permitted by the First Ammendment of the US Constitution it
seems, there is the very visual ASCII-art which is often being
released by some nodes with a sexual innuendo or Nazi-themes, etc...
I've had it, I hope you have had your fill too.
ZC1, ZC3, ZC5 and ZC6 effectively make it impossible to deal with
these matters. Since they have now been confronted with a strong
ZC2/IC the only way to continue that type of hegemony is not to
outvote the current IC but to simply try to replace him.
That attempt has now failed.
Do not doubt that there will be a roar of messages coming from zone-1,
we all know the names of those that will be writing and how
insignificant it all is. We all know the comments to expect, the
accusations, the threats, the ... well, we've seen and lived it for
years. Zone-2 knows that none of what we are about to receive the
coming days is actually true and/or correct, Fidonet here has always
FIDONEWS 21-20 Page 8 17 May 2004
been broadminded and will continue to be broad- minded ... people know
they can dissagree with me publicly and need not fear for their
nodenumber. Z1C Janis Kracht has already in the ZCC-conference accused
yours truly of disrespectful intentions of wanting to harm individual
zone-1 nodes; zone-2 nodes know how futile such an accusation is. Then
again, we have somewhat become used to that style of verbal assault.
Many of you have been RCs for very long, in some case even longer than
I've been ZC. I've had the good pleasure to share a beer, a coffee or
a meal with some of you so I hope you know what kind of service you
can continue to expect from me in the future and how free Fidonet will
remain.
If however you from zone-2 think it is going too far and indeed there
is a need for another IC/ZC2 then please voice that concern. Although
our zone-1 brethren fuel a different idea you all know that I've never
held a person's opinion against him/her if it conflicted with mine as
long as we can stay polite.
The choice, I'm affraid, is yours to decide on the future of zone-2
and with a great probability of Fidonet as a whole. Because of its
size the critical mass of Fidonet lies in this zone, do never forget
you do have a voice and be assured that it counts and matters.
I am awaiting your counsel.
Thank you,
Ward Dossche
IC & Z2C
===
-- Sean
... Ward Dossche: a prime example of why Fidonet is dead.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)