[tz] Unacceptable recent changes [wasRe: [PATCH 2/4] Move obsolescent Americas entries to 'backward'.]

[Paul Eggert]

On 08/28/13 10:05, Paul_Koning at Dell.com wrote:
> The most you can argue from its words is that data prior to 1970 is definitely not complete 

The rules for specifying how to partition
the world into regions specify the
"somewhat-arbitrary cutoff point of the POSIX Epoch
(1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC)".  If clocks in two locations
agree after 1970, the two locations are in the same
region.

If we relaxed this rule, and allowed multiple regions
even though their clocks agreed since 1970, that will
be a recipe for more political disputes.  For example,
why does the Navajo Nation have its own entry while
the Hopi Nation doesn't?  Or, why does Quebec have its
own entry while Prince Edward Island lacks one?
Currently, our only real answer is "because we felt
like it".  That is not a fair answer, and it
will inevitably lead to more political problems in
the future.