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Info-India: Appeal For Individual Action (96-03)
================================================
A proposal for the creation of an unmoderated UseNet newsgroup
soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir is being voted on right now. Votes
are being collected by a neutral party, the UseNet Volunteer
Votetakers (UVV).
The newsgroup proposal faces much opposition from Pakistani
supporters, who say that Kashmir is not part of India, and a newsgroup
devoted to it should not be part of the soc.culture.indian.*
hierarchy. It also faces the opposition of organized Kashmiri-militant
groups who make the same excuse, but are actually opposed to the creation
of an unmoderated group. They want a moderated forum where they can voice
their propaganda without having to face the truth.
The call-for-votes (CFV) for the creation of this newsgroup is
included below. Voting ends on Friday, 22nd March, at 23:59:59 GMT.
Please note that distributing edited voting instructions is considered
VOTE FRAUD, so please DON'T do this. If you must, please distribute
the WHOLE, UNMODIFIED CFV only.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
LAST CALL FOR VOTES (of 2)
unmoderated group soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir
Newsgroups line:
soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir About Jammu and Kashmir.
Votes must be received by 23:59:59 UTC, 22 Mar 1996.
This vote is being conducted by a neutral third party. Questions about
this proposal should be directed to the proponent.
Proponent: Shrisha Rao <shrao@nyx.net>
Votetaker: Warren Lavallee <warren@Syra.NET>
RATIONALE: soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India; it is also one of
the most picturesque, and has a rich cultural tradition. Historically,
it has attracted to itself such great people of India's history as
the Emperor Ashoka, who founded its capital city of Srinagar, and Adi
Shankara, after whom the Shankaracharya Hill in that city is named. It
has also attracted a great many Sufi and other saints to its serene
valleys, where they contemplated upon the mysteries of existence, away
from the miseries of everyday life.
Jammu and Kashmir is also widely renowned for its arts and crafts, such
as the Kashmiri carpets, woolens, and shawls, valued the world over.
It also has a number of great tourist spots, such as the ski resort at
Gulmarg, and pilgrimage spots such as the temple at Amarnath. Jammu
and Kashmir has also historically been a center of Vedic learning; in
fact, the very name 'Kashmir' derives from the name of sage Kashyapa,
an ancient stalwart of Vedanta. The Kashmiri rescension of the
Mahaabhaarata is among the most widely accepted for its authenticity,
and Jammu is still regarded as a center for Shaiva learning. And of
course, Ladakh, which for centuries was hidden from outside eyes, is
also known as a center of Buddhist and tantra learning.
It is beyond doubt that there is much interest in having a newsgroup
devoted to Jammu and Kashmir; right now, there is none such, and
discussion about it is scattered across many different newsgroups. A
dedicated newsgroup soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir will doubtless fill
a gap that needs filling, and will help many find a common forum in
which to discuss the topics of their choice.
CHARTER: soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir
The newsgroup soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir shall be a forum
devoted to the discussion of Jammu and Kashmir -- its peoples, arts,
culture, traditions, history, etc. -- in a free atmosphere. Issues
related to politics, language, religion, and such are to be discussed
in a non-abrasive fashion, and then only if they are specifically
relevant to Jammu and Kashmir's past or present. Discussions of a
purely political or ideological nature, and discussions promoting or
advocating hatred, especially based on language, religion, ethnic
origin, etc., are not to be conducted.
All postings must be in ordinary text format only; no special format
files (BinHex, MIME, UUEncode, etc.) are to be posted; large ASCII
graphics should be avoided as well. Crossposting of articles not
specifically relevant to Jammu and Kashmir is strongly
discouraged. Also discouraged are personals and personal messages, any
postings of a purely commercial nature, and ad hominem attacks of any
kind.
END CHARTER.
HOW TO VOTE
Send E-MAIL to: voting@Syra.NET
Your e-mail message should contain one and only one of the following
statements:
I vote YES on soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir
I vote NO on soc.culture.indian.jammu-kashmir
You may also vote ABSTAIN or CANCEL; these are not counted as votes and
don't affect the vote count.
Anything else may be rejected by the automatic vote counting program.
The votetaker will respond to your received ballots with a personal
acknowledge- ment by mail - if you do not receive one within several
days, try again. It's your responsibility to make sure your vote is
registered correctly.
If you later change your mind you may vote again; only your last valid
vote will count.
VOTING PROCEDURE NOTES:
Standard Guidelines for voting apply. One person, one vote. Votes must
be mailed directly from the voter to the votetaker. Anonymous,
forwarded or proxy votes are not valid; this includes votes generated by
WWW/HTML/CGI forms.
Vote counting is automated. Failure to follow these directions may mean
that your vote does not get counted. If you do not receive an
acknowledgment of your vote within three days, contact the votetaker
about the problem. It's your responsibility to make sure your vote is
registered correctly. Duplicate votes are resolved in favor of the most
recent valid vote. Addresses and votes of all voters will be published
in the final voting results post.
The purpose of a Usenet vote is to determine the genuine interest of
persons who would read a proposed newsgroup. Soliciting votes from
disinterested parties defeats this purpose. Please do not distribute
this CFV. If you must, direct people to the official CFV as posted to
news.announce.newgroups. Distributing pre-marked or otherwise edited
copies of this CFV is generally considered to be vote fraud. When in
doubt, ask the votetaker.
DISTRIBUTION:
[!!! Modify this section as appropriate]
This Call for Votes is being posted to the following newsgroups:
[!!! List of newsgroups]
This Call for Votes is also being sent to the following mailing lists:
[!!! List of mailing lists]