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"Richard_Stallman_at_LibrePlanet_2019" by Ruben Rodriguez
The photo comes from wikimedia.org
"Richard_Stallman_at_LibrePlanet_2019" by Ruben Rodriguez
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Richard Stallman has cancer. Fortunately it is slow-growing and manageable follicular lymphoma. Treatment put it into remission, and he can expect to live many more years. However, he now has to be even more careful not to catch Covid-19.
I urge you to vote in Democratic primaries for the progressive candidate, if there is one. And in the final election I urge you to vote for Democrats, unless a liberal independent had a good chance of winning.
The largest part of the site is the political notes, and they are typically updated every day.
I'm looking for people to![[America Means Civil Liberties / Patriotism Means Protecting
Them / www.aclu.org/safefree 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)
US citizens: call on Congress to reject Republican tax breaks for big corporations.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121 -->
US citizens: call on Congress to reject KOSA, so-called "protection" for children that would compel users of all ages to prove their identity.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Vanguard's new CEO to protect retirement savers from climate-related financial risks.
Those risks would be just a part of the colossal damage that climate disaster causes to everyone. But it is useful as a basis to raise the issue here. An investment company can easily shrug off damage it will do to the whole world, but damage specifically to its clients is hard to disregard.
US citizens: call on Congress to reject Republican efforts to cancel climate defense measures.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Congress to pass a wealth tax on billionaires.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Congress to ban bump stocks. They effectively convert rifles into machine guns.
Right-wing judges recently ruled against an executive order to treat them as machine guns. So a new law is needed.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on CNN to ask the candidates, at the first presidential debate, "How will you work to reduce nuclear tensions as President?"
US citizens: call on Biden to declare a climate emergency now.
US citizens: call on Congress to defend the CFPB's new rule limiting credit card late fees. These hit mainly Americans who are poor.
US citizens: call on Congress and Biden to stop the $18 billion sale of bombs and fighter jets to Israel.
US citizens: call on the Department of Justice to prosecute Big Oil.
US citizens: call on CNN to ask candidates how they would reduce nuclear tensions.
Boycott Chevron, in the name of Steven Donziger.
It is exciting that SB 976 turns towards restricting recommendation algorithms. But these options should not be limited to minors — every user should have this choice. (Please do not refer to teenagers as "children"; that feeds the US tendency to treat them like children and retard their development.)
However, I suggest taking a step beyond just choosing to use or not use the platform's addiction system. Recommendation algorithms should be completely separated from platforms!
If you want to use a nontrivial recommendation algorithm, you should be able to choose it yourself and use it anonymously. You could send it the URLs you want it to base its choices on. These might be some of the pages you had visited, and perhaps pages you had not visited.
Then it should send you its recommendations. You could pass all, or just some, or none of those recommendations to the platform to look at them.
AB 1949 is admirable because it gives a small boost to privacy for users of all ages, not only for children. It isn't enough, though — users should also be guaranteed the right and possibility to access through the Tor network and to use aliases. And collection of a user's data by the state should require a warrant against the user.
The door plug that blew out of a Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane was missing four bolts meant to hold it in place. They were missing because Boeing maintenance removed them and did not put them back in again.
Some workers actually made the mistake, but they were working as part of a work system that Boeing management was responsible for setting up and running. That's where the real fault is.
I suggest passing a law to require aircraft manufacturing and repair companies to have a certain fraction of licensed commercial pilots on their boards. Perhaps 66%.
Private equity is gobbling up large parts of the US nursing home business. This puts patients in danger since private equity can amass lots of money, create an oligopoly, and get away with abuses.
The study suggests that "regulation may be needed." I will take a stronger stand and call for firm limits — perhaps even prohibiting private equity combinations from owning home nursing businesses.
I'v also proposed prohibiting private equity from buying up lots of rental housing.
It should be illegal for a store to charge different prices to customers depending on whether they identify themselves and/or hand over demanded personal data.
Here are some quotations that I particularly like.
You can now read the political notes on Mastodon.
Cheap talk about expensive nuclear reactors.
Smotrich, a right-wing extremist in Netanyahu's cabinet, stated his aim to annex the West Bank. I suppose that would lead to making it araberrein, as Uri Avnery foretold.
US citizens: call on Congress to reject KOSA, so-called "protection" for children that would compel users of all ages to prove their identity.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Vanguard's new CEO to protect retirement savers from climate-related financial risks.
Those risks would be just a part of the colossal damage that climate disaster causes to everyone. But it is useful as a basis to raise the issue here. An investment company can easily shrug off damage it will do to the whole world, but damage specifically to its clients is hard to disregard.
Robert Reich: *[The wrecker] has convinced many Americans that stridency is a sign of strength while truth and humility signal weakness.*
The US judge in Julian Assange's case approved his plea bargain, but warned that future journalists were indeed in danger from the US.
*The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian officials over alleged Ukraine war crimes,* such as firing missiles at civilian targets.
Fedja Stukan, a Bosnian, recently wrote a book about his experiences in the civil war in the 90s. It criticized Serbia for that; he has also accused Serbia's current government of running nonfree elections.
Recently he tried to go to a book festival in Serbia, but was denied entry.
US citizens: call on Congress to reject Republican efforts to cancel climate defense measures.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Congress to pass a wealth tax on billionaires.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Congress to ban bump stocks. They effectively convert rifles into machine guns.
Right-wing judges recently ruled against an executive order to treat them as machine guns. So a new law is needed.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
*Rising sea levels will disrupt millions of Americans’ lives by 2050, study finds.*
The same is true in various other countries. I've seen places in France, Italy and Turkey that are likely to be inundated in a few decades. Some of them have millennia of history. Some of them are very important to excavate for archeology.
The UK's right-wing extremist leader, Farage, said that Ukraine should give Putin some of its territory.
Many right-wing leaders seem to be allied with Putin -- starting with the wrecker. The ones in the US blocked arms for Ukraine to help Putin conquer some more territory, while Farage cites that as a reason to accept defeat.
It may prove impossible to defeat the Putin forces completely, It may be unavoidable for Ukraine to cede some territory to him, but that would be a very sad victory for tyrannical conquest. We should not let a tyrant conquer without a hard fight.
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered 97% bleaching in some areas.
A coral reef typically has many species of coral. I have a suspicion that different species have different rates of survival. If the overall rate of survival is 10%, some species may have 20% survival and some 5% survival, and some 0% survival. If some species have become locally extinct, that region's coral reef may be changed permanently.
A substantial fraction Israelis are recognizing that letting the extreme right wing and the fanatical colonists lead Israel is harmful to Israel. Now Israelis are recognizing that they act like tyrants and lead the state into repression.
For decades there have always been Israelis who wanted to make peace with Palestinians, but their numbers have dwindled since the 90s. Maybe now they will increase.
*Protecting just 1.2% of Earth’s land could save most-threatened species.*
*Newly identified tipping point for ice sheets could mean greater sea level rise.* Small increase in temperature of intruding water could lead to very big increase in loss of ice, scientists say.
*Sea level rise is the greatest long-term impact of the climate crisis and is set to redraw the world map in coming centuries. It has the potential to put scores of major cities, from New York City to Shanghai, below sea level and to affect billions of people.*
*EU-regulated "sustainable" funds invest [around 20 billion dollars] in biggest polluters.*
Israel's army has defined journalists working for organizations linked with HAMAS as enemy combatants, to be killed.
This is a bogus excuse for killing civilians, and a war crime.
*The Day Israeli Tanks Fired Directly at AFP's Gaza Bureau.*
*Julian Assange may be on his way to freedom but this is not a clear victory for freedom of the press.*
The four factors of the apocalypse:
global heating, global hating,
global eating, global mating.
Copy this button (courtesy of R.Siddharth) to express your rejection of Facebook.
Non-oppressive Commercial E-books
Facebook's face recognition demonstrates a threat to everyone's privacy. I therefore ask people not to put photos of me on Facebook; you can do likewise.
Of course, Facebook is bad for many other reasons as well.
I'd like to make a list of countries that do not require a national identity card, and have no plans to adopt one. If you live in or have confirmed knowledge of such a country, please send email to rms at gnu.org.
Here's my list of countries with no national ID cards and no plans for one: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK. Australia's previous government tried to institute national ID cards, but the Labor government dropped the plan.
India has mostly finished imposing a national biometric ID number in a grand act of oppression.
Switzerland has national ID cards which are optional, but they or some other government ID card are needed for some purposes.
Iceland doesn't have ID cards as such, but they have ID numbers that citizens are forced to use frequently. For example, the national ID number is often required to rent a video or use a gym.
Denmark issues non-photo ID cards with a "person number", and many services use this card to identify people.
Norway will impose a national biometric ID card.
Ireland - national ID card by stealth.
ACLU: the five dangers of national ID cards.
Wikipedia has a list of identity card policies by country.
Stay away from certain countries because of their bad immigration policies.
Avoid flight connections in these airports because of their treatment of passengers.
People often ask how I manage to continue devoting myself to progressive activism (such as the free software movement) for years without burning out. The best way I can answer is by recommending a book, The Lifelong Activist by Hillary Rettig.
I disagree with the book on one theoretical point in the last part of the book: we shouldn't think of political activism as being marketing and sales, because those terms refer to business, and politics is something much more important than mere business. However, this doesn't diminish the value of the book's practical advice about borrowing techniques from marketing and sales.
Disclosure: I am friends with the author.
Personal Declaration of Richard Stallman and Euclides Mance on Solidarity Economy and Free Software.
I have reposted some of Rick Falkvinge's articles. As posted on his site, you can't see them in a browser without running some nonfree Javascript code which is apparently non-free. These versions show the same text, without the obstacle.
These are my political articles that are not related to the GNU operating system or free software. For GNU-related articles, see the GNU philosophy directory. You can also download copies of my book, Free Software, Free Society, 3rd edition.
"Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."Frederick Douglass, American Abolitionist, Letter to an associate, 1849
Here are notes about various issues I care about, usually with links to more information. The current notes are here. For all previous notes, see this page.
See this page for information on efforts to maintain links in the political notes.
Political notes about the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa, Italy are being archived on their own page.
Richard Stallman's bio and publicity photos, and other things of interest to the press, have been moved to a separate page.
The Free Software Song, by Richard M. Stallman. You can listen to a performance of the song: Free Software Song performed by Thor Here is a variant of this song called "The Free Firmware Song".
A song parody, Colors of the Lisp, by Jefferson Carpenter.
Earth under attack from planet Koch.
On doxing, and how to spell it.
A Spanish cartoon: La Ruleta Española. 
Here I am wearing my "power tie".
Wine snobs get their comeuppance.
Here I am struggling to open a bottle of water.
My application to an join Marian Henley's ex-boyfriends list.
My funny poetry and song parodies.
My Puns in English (Little Leaguer, August 2019).
My Puns in Spanish (New pun: Apostasía April 2019)
My Puns in French (New pun: Microsoft à l'école July 2019)
My Puns in Italian (New pun: Quale pesce fa starnutire? New 10/2018)
My Puns in German (New 02/2016)
Linguistic Swifties (Now with: Wintu, Penutian, Cochiti, Taos, and Towa.)
--Saint IGNUcius-- The Church of Emacs will soon be officially listed by at least one person as his religion for census purposes.
There are no godfathers in the Church of Emacs, since there are no gods, but you can be someone's editorfather.
Stallman Does Dallas: "I have to warn you that Texans have been known to have an adverse reaction to my personality…"
The Dalai Lama today announced the official release of Yellow Hat GNU/Linux.
I found a funny song about the Mickey Mouse Copyright Act (officially the Sonny Bono Copyright Act) which extended copyright retroactively by 20 years on works made as early as the 1920s.
If you are a geek and read Spanish, you will love Raulito el Friki, who said "Hello, world!" immediately after he was born. Here's an archive of this now-defunct comic strip.
Sleeping with Stallman at MIT.
ESR's favorite programming language: Objectivist C.
No Kludges in Cluj (June 2014)
Made for You (December 2012) (local copy) Esperanto translation
A science fiction story: Jinnetic Engineering (in Portuguese, Farsi, Spanish, Armenian, Russian, French, and Italian).My book of essays about the philosophy of Software Freedom, is available from the GNU Press.
Avec des chapeaux French song parody.
My radio program of Music from Georgia, originally broadcast on WUOG in Athens, Georgia on Oct 13, 2014.
Quantum Theory and Abortion Rights
A proposal for gender neutrality in Spanish, suitable for both speech and writing.
On Hacking: In June 2000, while visiting Korea, I did a fun hack that clearly illustrates the original and true meaning of the word "hacker".
Predicting the attack on Pearl Harbor
I would like to thank:
Please send comments on these web pages to rms at gnu period org.
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire page are permitted provided this notice is preserved.
Verbatim copying and redistribution of any of the photos in the photos subdirectory is permitted under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later. You can copy and redistribute the photo of me playing music to the butterfly under the Creative Commons Noderivs Nocommercial license version 3.0 or later. Any other photos of me in this (the toplevel) directory may be copied and redistributed under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0
