appeal mechanisms was Re: Ombuds-process

[Eric Rosen]

People  seem to  have trouble  remembering just  what the  problem  with the
appeals process is,  although this was discussed extensively  on this list a
month or so ago. 

An  AD  may decide  to  derail  a document  by  explicitly  rejecting it  on
non-objective grounds.  Or, more likely, the AD may derail it by delaying it
indefinitely;   John  Klensin  gave   a  very   lucid  description   of  the
"hypothetical" process  which an  AD could use  to ensure that  the document
never gets published, even though it never really gets rejected.)  

Unless there is an explicit process violation, there is no effective appeals
mechanism to remedy this situation.  

Given that  the IETF is ostensibly  set up as a  meritocracy, its legitimacy
depends on  the application of  objective criteria for decision  making, but
there is no effective way to audit the IESG to ensure that they don't try to
impose their own personal visions and/or political agendas.  

It is unfortunate that most of the messages on this list seem to be from the
"old boys" themselves, who of course  take umbrage any time someone tries to
point out a real problem.