<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Mr Cohen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>I find it most interesting that your profile is the only one lacking a picture of the candidate - </span><a href="https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/may-2020/candidate-biographies#elad_cohen">https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/may-2020/candidate-biographies#elad_cohen</a> I’m curious to understand if there is any particular reason for this? Does one have something to hide?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I also find it exceptionally curious having now had the time to read all the profiles more carefully, to note that your Motivation and Background is the only one out of 8 candidates that attacks some other person and/or organisation as part of the motivation. All of the other candidates have the good graces and respect to focus on more positive aspects. I repeat that, You sir are the <b>ONLY</b> candidate that has openly run on the basis of personal attacks? I also note that your background is 1 sentence of 2 lines, which is just a statement that doesn’t provide some reasonably traceable evidence of your actual technical and management experience. Again one is left asking the question, Does one have something to hide?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am equally interested as to how you will technically achieve 0 RIPE fees yet at the same time improve SLA response time to 24 hours for RIPE tickets – on the surface they appear to be mutually exclusive targets. Don’t get me wrong I would love 0 fees to RIPE like all of us, but I am a realist – I just can’t see how you can reduce expenditure and increase other revenue outside of the fees all the same while improve response times (more staff). I am just failing to see how that would move the numbers by that large amount. I will also say good luck auditing every expense – you will fast learn that this is NOT the most efficient way to do things, and why a LOT of the “bureaucracy” exists in the first place.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To the other candidates – Kudos to you for taking the time to write out careful and reasoned motivations and providing some more useful insights into your real credentials – I wish you all the best of luck and may the best Man or Lady win and do RIPE proud!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Best Regards<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Anthony Somerset<span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US> members-discuss <members-discuss-bounces@ripe.net> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Elad Cohen<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 13, 2020 3:47 PM<br><b>To:</b> members-discuss@ripe.net<br><b>Subject:</b> [members-discuss] Fw: RIPE NCC Executive Board election<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Hello,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>My response below to "The Ronald Show" in Nanog, if you will post his intentional lies in member-dicuss then you show also post my reply below to his lies.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Kind Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Elad<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="98%" align=center></div><div id=divRplyFwdMsg><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='color:black'> Elad Cohen <<a href="mailto:elad@netstyle.io">elad@netstyle.io</a>><br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 13, 2020 4:46 PM<br><b>To:</b> Ronald F. Guilmette <<a href="mailto:rfg@tristatelogic.com">rfg@tristatelogic.com</a>>; <a href="mailto:nanog@nanog.org">nanog@nanog.org</a> <<a href="mailto:nanog@nanog.org">nanog@nanog.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: RIPE NCC Executive Board election</span> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Hello Everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>My apology for not providing an official response to the first "The Ronald Show" that took place here many months ago, I was out of hospital after full anesthesia and it took me months to get back to myself.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>What was done towards me and what being done to me by Ronald is an intentional personal attack against me and I will explain.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>I didn't agree to provide private business documents to the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project" that they tried to extort from me - then I found out who are the real people behind the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project" - and then they started to attack me (including here on Nanog, with false information, when I was out of hospital and wasn't in the condition to respond to them).<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"The Spamhaus Project" is an illegal anonymous organization according to their own words in their own following presentation:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/445894312/Spamhaus-Illegal-Private-Data-Violation">https://www.scribd.com/document/445894312/Spamhaus-Illegal-Private-Data-Violation</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>They wrote in it that they receive on a regular basis - massive amount of illegaly-obtained privacy data from their contacts in many internet companies and internet organizations - and then they share it in illegal way (without any warrant) with Law Enforcement Agencies - this is the reason that Law Enforcement Agencies are doing nothing regarding the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project".<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ronald Guilmette is the front person of the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project".<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>----<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>and that said legal counsel has then</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>proceeded to threaten various officials of the City of Cape Town,</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>South Africa with possible legal action if they do not relinquish</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>to him their rights in and title to the 165.25.0.0/16 block</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>----<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>This is a complete lie, in order to shame CoCT I will not share their internal correspondences. Anyone interested to know more information can email me directly.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>----<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"I am assured that at no time did the City of Cape Town ever sell, trade, or barter away their rights to this valuable IPv4 block"</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>----<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ronald is "assured" exactly as he is "assured" that all Dutch people are criminals and all Colombian network oeprators are criminals and all Chicago citizens are criminals according to his statements in the following links:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://imgur.com/AcmgwEX">https://imgur.com/AcmgwEX</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://imgur.com/WUZvdNJ">https://imgur.com/WUZvdNJ</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://imgur.com/a/Rzrbxkz">https://imgur.com/a/Rzrbxkz</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ronald was called an antisemitic and a racist person here on Nanog in the following two links, by people which are not related to me:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://imgur.com/AQCmZlk">https://imgur.com/AQCmZlk</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://imgur.com/a/Rzrbxkz">https://imgur.com/a/Rzrbxkz</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>In the first "The Ronald Show" many months ago - Ronald called me in two antisemitic names that are being used to relate to Jews in Shakespeare literature (just like Ronald is relating to Shakespeare in <a href="https://imgur.com/AcmgwEX">https://imgur.com/AcmgwEX</a> ) - as part of his defamation campaign towards me - none of you raised a voice and not only that but some Nanog subscribers enjoyed his racism and antisemitism (without a single proof against me) as was written here by them (with a popcorn).<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The "source" in "The Spamhaus Project" that supported and pumped Ronald Imagination is the criminal of the anonymous twitter account: <a href="https://twitter.com/underthebreach">https://twitter.com/underthebreach</a> , that person according to his own words in his own criminal anonymous twitter account - is a master of cyber influence operations (meaning to influence people without a single proof) - that person is also an employee of the Israeli-based company GeoEdge and they are a direct competitor of a company that used the netblocks that Ronald attacked - not only that but Ronald also attacked another Israeli-based company called Divineworks (here in Nanog) and they are also a direct competitor of the Israeli-based company GeoEdge. What was done here is a cyber influence operation without a single proof because of a business competition.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>That criminal <a href="https://twitter.com/underthebreach">https://twitter.com/underthebreach</a> which is a member of "The Spamhaus Project" and pumped Ronald Imagination - is not the only person which is abusing the power of "The Spamhaus Project" for commericial goals, that are many many more people and companies behind the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project" which are making profit from it, for example:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>- Vincent Schonau from Open-Xchange (AKA "Vincenet Hanna" of "The Spamhaus Project") that "The Spamhaus Project" is attacking the competitors of Open-Xchange.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>- Laura Atkins from WordToTheWise which is selling a Spamhaus listing removal service (<a href="https://wordtothewise.com">https://wordtothewise.com</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Real identities behind "The Spamhaus Project":<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Mike Anderson" - Michael O'Reirdan (Chairman Emeritus of W3AAWG) and Professor Ross Anderson from Cambridge university (both known as "Mike Anderson" of "The Spamhaus Project")<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Rob Shultz" - Rob McEwen (<a href="https://www.invaluement.com/">https://www.invaluement.com/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Thomas Morrison" - Daniel R. Thomas (<a href="https://personal.cis.strath.ac.uk/d.thomas/">https://personal.cis.strath.ac.uk/d.thomas/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Pete Dawes" - Ildiko Pete (<a href="https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ip358/">https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~ip358/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Vincent Hanna" - Vincent Schonau of Open-Xchange (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentschonau/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentschonau/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Milly Fawcett" - Kelly Molloy of FarSight Security (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-molloy-b886442/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-molloy-b886442/</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Among others.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Companies behind the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project":<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>ThreatSTOP<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>FarSight Security<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Fastly<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Dyn<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Cymru<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Abusix<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Among others.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Regarding the article that Ronald shared, in it there is clearly written:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"It must be noted that Cohen is not being accused of any illegal activity in this report."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>But it doesn't change the fact that the article was clearly written only for Ronald to be able to post it and to proceed with the illegal "cyber influence operation" to attack me without a single proof. The article was written by the instruction of the "The Spamhaus Project" mob and then Ronald made this post according to the instruction from "The Spamhaus Project" mob. A coordinated illegal "cyber influence operation" without a single proof.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Many subscribers of the Nanog list are members of the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project" - Ronald Guilmette is just their front clown - expect many of them to jump now and to defame me here without a single proof (because this is how the illegal anonynous organization "The Spamhaus Project" works) - and you can ask them a simple single question - "show us a single proof" - and - "if you cannot show us a single proof then please stop spamming the mailing list".<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ronald at the end of his post keep spreading lies and writing:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"less than honorable intent reach for power"<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"to persons with an interest only in what is best for them personally, to the exclusion of all else"<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"Democracy dies in darkness."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>When in reality I invented three new pantets for the best of the whole Internet community and I will work to implement them if I will be elected:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>IPv4+ that will mitigate the "IPv4 Exhaustion" problem and will add more 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses: (can be implemented with software updates and not all internet hosts in the world will have to be updated - home routers and home modems which are the vast majority of routing equipment in the world - will not need to be updated and will support more 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses with IPv4+ ) <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003676.html">https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003676.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Completely mitigating the global email spam problem in a clean and automatic way: (and also mitigating the illegal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project")<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003778.html">https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003778.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Completely mitigating spoofed ip amplification DDoS attacks and spoofed ip traffic with is a source for criminality:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003902.html">https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2020-April/003902.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>They ("The Spamhaus Project" mob) wants to keep controlling RIPE and any other internet organizations - I want to liberate RIPE - I want to make sure that that illegal anonymous organization that violates any thing which is sacred in the Interent (freedom, free speech and connectivity) - will have no footprint in RIPE.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>My full agenda can be read here:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/may-2020/candidate-biographies#elad_cohen">https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/may-2020/candidate-biographies#elad_cohen</a><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ronald is afraid from me being elected because he knows that if I will be elected I will put an end to the illgal anonymous organization "The Spamhaus Project" which is intimidating and harassing many organizations and many businesses worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Kind Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Elad<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="98%" align=center></div><div id=divRplyFwdMsg><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='color:black'> NANOG <<a href="mailto:nanog-bounces@nanog.org">nanog-bounces@nanog.org</a>> on behalf of Ronald F. Guilmette <<a href="mailto:rfg@tristatelogic.com">rfg@tristatelogic.com</a>><br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:50 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nanog@nanog.org">nanog@nanog.org</a> <<a href="mailto:nanog@nanog.org">nanog@nanog.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> RIPE NCC Executive Board election</span> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Many of you here may be dues-paying members of both ARIN and RIPE.<br><br>Those of you who are may wish to be aware of the fact that there will<br>be an election held on (I believe) May 14th, just a day or two from<br>now, for three open RIPE NCC Executive Board seats.<br><br>I have it on good authority that one of the candidates running for<br>the open RIPE NCC board seats in this election has hired legal<br>counsel in South Africa, and that said legal counsel has then<br>proceeded to threaten various officials of the City of Cape Town,<br>South Africa with possible legal action if they do not relinquish<br>to him their rights in and title to the 165.25.0.0/16 block, a<br>block that all historical records, including even ARIN "WhoWas"<br>historical records show, clearly and unambiguously, has been<br>legally registered to the City of Cape Town for over twenty years.<br>(I am assured that at no time did the City of Cape Town ever sell,<br>trade, or barter away their rights to this valuable IPv4 block,<br>and that they are defending themselves, as best as they can, against<br>this attempt to extort them out of their rightful prooperty.)<br><br>Where I come from, this kind of thing is called barratry, but you<br>be the judge.<br><br>In any case, prior to the RIPE election, I wanted to let you all<br>know these facts about the candidate in question, as well as a<br>number of additional startling facts relating to the people who<br>nominated this candidate for a RIPE NCC Executive board seat, as<br>documented by my friend, South African journalist Jan Vermeulen:<br><br><a href="https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/350973-man-connected-to-african-ip-address-heist-running-for-board-position-at-european-ip-address-organisation.html">https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/350973-man-connected-to-african-ip-address-heist-running-for-board-position-at-european-ip-address-organisation.html</a><br><br>I could go into more detail about many of the nominators mentioned<br>in the above article, but I don't want to make this email too long,<br>so I'll await some explict request for that additional info. For now<br>it should suffice to make at least some of the basic facts more widely<br>available, a task which is accomplished just by sharing the above link,<br>IMHO.<br><br><br>Regards,<br>rfg<br><br><br>P.S. I have been specifically and explicitly enjoined and constrained<br>from posting here anything at all that might smack of being either<br>partisan or of an even vaguely "political" nature, and thus, I will<br>refrain from doing so. I would be remiss hoever if I did not at least<br>note in passing that history records that in times such as these, when<br>people of good character and good intent are, as they rightly should be,<br>focused on the health and safety of themselves, their loved ones, and<br>their professional collegues, and when the gaze of the world is elsewhere,<br>persons of less than honorable intent reach for power and, with unfortunate<br>regularity, obtain it.<br><br>I cannot and do not ask that those of you who have been saddled with<br>personal or local crises during this sad time turn away from those<br>responsibilities to give attention to matters of Internet governance,<br>however urgent those may appear at the moment. For all of us, our first-<br>order duty lies nearby, with family, friends, and collegues. But for<br>those of you who still have a few cycles to spare, I do ask that you<br>consider carefully the newfound and critical importance of this tool,<br>this Internet, in the lives of so many millions, all around the world,<br>and the self-evident risks of its governance being handed over, by default<br>or otherwise, to persons with an interest only in what is best for them<br>personally, to the exclusion of all else.<br><br>P.P.S. I would be posting this info and the above link also to the<br>very relevant RIPE members-discuss mailing list, but as I am not a<br>due-paying member of RIPE, I have no ability to do so. Separately,<br>due in no small part to the candidate's own recent and manifest on-list<br>transgressions on that very list, that list has recently been switched<br>to a heavy-handed moderation, under which, it seems, even discussion of<br>the pros and cons of candidates in the upcoming RIPE NCC Executive Board<br>election are now categorized as "too controversial" and thus, themselves,<br>are now entirely off-limits.<br><br>I cannot help but be reminded of a catch-phrase that I saw somewhere,<br>not too long ago:<br><br> "Democracy dies in darkness."<br> -- anon<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>