Dear Fellow TDWG members:

Often the discussions on TDWG lists can overwhelm due to number of responses and depth of content. I am therefore astounded that there have been no replies to Bob Morris' well-thought-out and convincingly-delivered argument of 22-April (copied here below) about our 2012 meetings. I did not answer sooner under the assumption that there was discussion going on behind the scenes by the TDWG Executive. So far, crickets.

I'd like to go on the record with a personal but hesitant response that does not reflect the views of my employer.

I share Bob's concerns. What do the rest of you think?

Annie Simpson

Dear fellow TDWG members,

As I said publicly at TDWG 2011, I feel that it is inappropriate for
an organization devoted to the open exchange of scientific data and
information to hold a meeting in a country where there is routine
governmental suppression of internet connectivity on political
grounds.  I personally would attend any scientific meeting in such a
country except one by an organization like TDWG which should be taking
a position about openness of access to information, and I hope others
will join me in this position and publicly decline to attend TDWG
2012.

Sometimes an argument is made in such cases that participation is a
way to support the hosting organization, which in this case is
eminent. But often just the opposite can result: the authorities will
proudly say to themselves: "See, they come anyway."

Bob Morris

--
Robert A. Morris

Emeritus Professor  of Computer Science
UMASS-Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd
Boston, MA 02125-3390

IT Staff
Filtered Push Project
Harvard University Herbaria
Harvard University

email: morris.bob@gmail.com
web: http://efg.cs.umb.edu/
web: http://etaxonomy.org/mw/FilteredPush
http://www.cs.umb.edu/~ram
===
The content of this communication is made entirely on my
own behalf and in no way should be deemed to express
official positions of The University of Massachusetts at Boston or
Harvard University.
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