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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">James:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I guess Im unclear: &nbsp;if we &quot;catalog&quot; how the various communities determined that they had reached consensus, does that mean we could make the determination that their
 proposal failed to do so? &nbsp; <br>
<br>
<font color="#1f497d"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">MM: Even if we use their own criteria for reaching consensus (which I agree we should), it is possible that we could
 determine that they did not reach it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Indeed, if it is _<i><span style="font-style:italic">not</span></i>_ possible for us to reach a finding that there
 is not a proper consensus for a proposal, there is no point for us to even go through that process, is there? &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">A lack of real consensus, or a fake claim of consensus is likely to be relatively easy to spot. There would be howls
 of objections from people whose views were ignored or trodden upon and corroboration from the record. We cannot assume that whoever is in control of the pen and happens to send us the proposal defines consensus and is incapable of either lying or being mistake.
 Fundamentally, we are not doing our jobs if there is no possibility of a finding of failed consensus on our part.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">And our check at this level has a severely practical rationale: we shouldn&#8217;t be sending something out for public
 comment unless we are pretty sure it has something close to the required level of support, at least from the operational communities who prepared the proposals. Otherwise we are just wasting everyone&#8217;s time.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">As for this question:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">If so, then what?</span></font><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#1f497d" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;color:#1F497D">MM: Answer is obvious. We send it back.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:5.25pt"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
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