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:
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:
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)
