Jon,
Alex's decision to remove Jason from office by fiat, rather than following the ordinary procedures to do so, was a special exception. Charles Bailey's decision to bar him from office by fiat was a special exception. It seems to me that when a Domain is prevented from having a DST by special exceptions, that the Domain should not be held responsible for reporting when it is simply not the Domain's fault.
And, let's be absolutely clear, Steel Shadows is not choosing not to elect a DST. We want a DST, and will be happy to elect one. But as long as Jason is improperly prevented from running, we are being prevented from electing a DST. If you choose to punish us further because we will not pretend to hold an election, that is within your discretion to do, but don't pretend that it's justified or ethical.
> Mr. Towsner, I would like a retraction for these statements
> regarding my honesty and honor, or else for you to file for a
> disciplinary action request with your evidence for this charge. Lying
> to the members is punishable under the Code of Conduct, but- more
> importantly- this is a challenge to who I am. If you have proof that I
> have done so, then I expect you to bring it, and I will respond with
> my defense. If you do not, then I expect a retraction. Either way, I
> will not accept you casually smearing my honor in this forum or any
> other. You have called me a liar, sir, and I will have that charge
> addressed one way or the other, through proper channels.
I have carefully gone over your comments, and it seems that you are correct. I tend to use the term lying to include grossly negligent misrepresentations, but several friends have informed me that most people don't consider such statements included.
Therefore, I apologize to you, to Alex T., and to the domain, for incorrectly asserting that Alex and Jon lied to the domain. While I personally believe that they probably did, it is possible that they made grossly negligent false statements about matters they were officially responsible for, and then failed to respond when corrected.
In the particular case of Jon, it's conceivable that, when Jon claimed the Membership Handbook prevented him from doing something he'd done a few weeks earlier, he'd just forgotten that he had that power in the intervening time. While it's true that Jon never acknowledged this, and also true that, on multiple occasions, Jon has repeated false statements after they have been corrected on this list, I cannot actually conclude that this is intentional. It is possible that Jon has, by coincidence, repeatedly missed the e-mails in which people corrected him. Therefore, while I find this explanation implausible, I cannot be certain that Jon is lying, and I should have not asserted that he was.
As to your honor, Jon, it seems to me that failing to do your job is just as dishonorable as lying, but that is a matter for your conscience.
> Honor is the only thing a man owns, sir. Everything else can be
> taken from him by others- his goods, his reputation, even his life.
> But only you can give away your own honor. I believe that, and you
> have called my honor into question, sir. I do not take that lightly,
> and will not stand by and see it occur without response, and as
> vigorous a response as I can muster, at that. I do not even request an
> apology, since this might simply be a misstatement- but I do expect a
> retraction or rephrasing in some manner, or else that we take this to
> judgment that I may clear my name rather than being slandered
> baselessly.
Yes, I recall that when you conveyed Alex T's slanders towards a member of our Domain, you seemed quite upset when Alex refused to either retract or clarify them.
Henry Towsner
US2003112558