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"Richard_Stallman_at_LibrePlanet_2019" by Ruben Rodriguez
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This is the personal web site of Richard Stallman.
The views expressed here are my personal views, not those of
the Free Software Foundation or
the GNU Project.
For the sake of separation, this site has always been
hosted elsewhere and managed separately.
If you want to send me GPG-encrypted mail, do not trust key servers! Some of them have phony keys under my name and email address, made by someone else as a trick. See gpg.html for my real key.
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.
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 ]](flag_set_vectorized.png)
I will be traveling to the UK in April or May, and I'm looking for other invitations to speak there on the same visit.
To respond, please write to rms-invitation@gnu.org.
I am also looking for places I could stay for a day or two.
Because I am somewhat immunocompromised, I am vulnerable to Covid and flu. I need to say in place where I have a room and a bathroom that are somewha isolated, in air circulation, from the rest of the indoors.
To respond, please write to rms-invitation@gnu.org.
US citizens: call on various university presidents to protect protesting students from threats of government repression.
Here's how to make the actionnetwork.org letter campaign linked above work without running the site's nonfree JavaScript code. (See .)
First, make sure you have deactivated JavaScript in your browser or are using the LibreJS plug-in.
I have done the next step for you: I added `?nowrapper=true' to the end of the campaign URL before posting it above. That should bring you to a page that starts with, "Letter campaigns will not work without javascript!"
They indeed won't work without some manual help, but the following simple method seems adequate for many of them, including this one.
To start, fill in the personal information answers in the box on the right side of the page. That's how you say who's sending the letter.
Then click the "START WRITING" button. That will take you to a page that can't function without nonfree JavaScript code. (To ensure it doesn't function perversely _by running_ that nonfree code, you can enable LibreJS or disable JavaScript by visiting that page.) You can finish sending without that code By editing its URL in the browser's address bar, as follows:
First, go to the end and insert `&nowrapper=true'. Then tell the browser to visit that URL. This should give you a version of the page that works without JavaScript. Edit the subject and body of your letter. Finally, click on the "SEND LETTER" button, and you're done.
This method seems to work for letter campaigns that send the letters to a fixed list of recipients, the same recipients for every sender. Editing and revisiting the URL is the only additional step needed to bypass the nonfree JavaScript code. I'm sure you'll agree it is a small effort for the result of supporting the campaign without opening your computer to unjust (and potentially malicious) software.
Defend academic freedom and rule of law I call on you to defend and protect students from punishment for courageously speaking out against a long campaign of deadly atrocities combined with a deadly siege. International students now face a new threat from right-wing extremists in our government, who seek to deport them without trial for speaking up against atrocities. This attacks the Bill of Rights and academic freedom in the United States, as well as international humanitarian law whose enforcement they advocate. Students should be saluted for nonviolent political action, not punished, and never victimized by police or ICE for exercising their rights. Shutting down dissent undermines the principles of free speech, rule of law and academic freedom that universities are meant to uphold. I implore you to resist illegal un-American orders from un-American officials, and defend human rights in our country. Sincerely, Richard Stallman
US citizens: Don't let the wrecker wreck and privatize the USPS.
US citizens: call for an independent audit of Elon Musk's federal contracts.
US citizens: call on Congress to protect judicial independence.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: phone your congresscritter and call on per to demand that the government release Mahmoud Khalil and then respect his human rights.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121
US citizens: call on Congress to keep the muskrat's hands off Social Security.
US citizens: tell Congress that America stands with Ukraine.
US citizens: call on the USPS board of governors to resist the tyrant's plan to seize direct power over it.
Here's how to make the actionnetwork.org letter campaign linked above work without running the site's nonfree JavaScript code. (See gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html.)
First, make sure you have deactivated JavaScrupt in your browser or are using the LibreJS plug-in.
I have done the next step for you: I added `?nowrapper=true' to the end of the campaign URL before posting it above. That should bring you to a page that starts with, "Letter campaigns will not work without javascript!"
They indeed won't work without some manual help, but the following simple method seems adequate for many of them, including this one.
To start, fill in the personal information answers in the box on the right side of the page. That's how you say who's sending the letter.
Then click the "START WRITING" button. That will take you to a page that can't function without nonfree JavaScript code. (To ensure it doesn't function perversely _by running_ that nonfree code, you can enable LibreJS or disable JavaScript by visiting that page.) You can finish sending without that code By editing its URL in the browser's address bar, as follows:
First, go to the end and insert `&nowrapper=true'. Then tell the browser to visit that URL. This should give you a version of the page that works without JavaScript. Edit the subject and body of your letter. Finally, click on the "SEND LETTER" button, and you're done.
This method seems to work for letter campaigns that send the letters to a fixed list of recipients, the same recipients for every sender. Editing and revisiting the URL is the only additional step needed to bypass the nonfree JavaScript code. I'm sure you'll agree it is a small effort for the result of supporting the campaign without opening your computer to unjust (and potentially malicious) software.
I'm looking for a cartoonist who would like to draw cartoons for me once in a while. If you're interested, please write to rms, which refers to me, at the location gnu period org.
Boycott Chevron, in the name of Steven Donziger.
A pitifully weak attempt to solve a real problem: asking for a federal law that would permit victims of domestic abuse and stalking to demand that data brokers delete information about them.
Data, once collected, will be abused. The way to prevent that abuse is to facilitate refusing to hand it over in the first place.
Here is my proposal for protecting the specific people known to be in particular danger, and everyone else who could be harmed if individuals, businesses or governments use their personal data against them without a search warrant: require services to be available anonymously.
The selfish interest of those who keep trade secrets is rational but antisocial. In many cases the only harm it does is to hold back the general advance of technology. But sometimes it does really nasty things. For digital hardware and software, it often gives companies a way to subjugate their users. Regarding use of toxic chemicals, it endangers public health.
Why would legislators pass laws to "protect" companies instead of protecting the people they harm? I suspect it is partly because these companies are influential and the legislators seek their support, and partly because the legislators ask them for campaign funds.
But it is also partly the result of the mindset of "trickle down", which assumes that the only way to get more funds for the state is to let increase the size of the economy by letting companies have what they want. Unfortunately, what they want is often to be allowed to harm the public.
Most Democrats in Congress got corrupted this way in the 80s and 90s. (The exceptions are the progressive Democrats.) Now in the UK Starmer is guiding Labour into that sort of corruption.
Clearly our laws should say that any public need to know about the presence of toxic substances in a business facility overrides the desire to keep them secret.
Whether the owners are Chinese is a question that there is no need to ask, because the state should never give money to a business "to support it." Instead it should offer to lend money to the company for suitable repayment, or else buy equity at a fair price.
These two ways of supporting a company avoid giving the owners an opporunity to rip off the state -- which the company's owners are likely to try to do, if they can, regardless of which country they are from.
With a policy like this, it wouldn't matter which country the company's owners are from.
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.
Here are some quotations that I particularly like.
You can now read the political notes on Mastodon.
*US official [put in charge of] Ukraine peace plan [by Putin's pal] has history [in print] of empathizing with Russia.*
Kyiv's allies must not fall into Putin’s trap. This is the trap I warned about — a cease fire, drawn out ad infinitum, would add up to authorizing Putin's conquests.
Peter Beinart's meditation on biblical history compared with recent history in Israel/Palestine and in Gaza.
My ideas of right and wrong are secular, not based on the bible, but I found his article interesting.
I will be traveling to the UK in April or May, and I'm looking for other invitations to speak there on the same visit.
To respond, please write to rms-invitation@gnu.org.
I am also looking for places I could stay for a day or two.
Because I am somewhat immunocompromised, I am vulnerable to Covid and flu. I need to say in place where I have a room and a bathroom that are somewha isolated, in air circulation, from the rest of the indoors.
To respond, please write to rms-invitation@gnu.org.
Ralph Nader's derogatory terms for the would-be autocrat of America. If you use them often enough, they can help you decide to take other other necessary actions.
Dumb Donald Convicted Crook Donald Trump Lying Donald Delusional Donald Dangerous Donald Disgusting Donald Serial Law-breaker Donald Deceiver Donald Loser Donald Trump-serial abuser of women Lazy Donald Violence Inciter Donald Trump-obstructor of Justice Dictator Donald Dictator-lover Donald Weak Donald Dishonest Donald Deadly Donald – Early Covid Denier Fake Donald Tax Escapee Donald Unstable Donald The Lyin’ King Cheating Donald Low IQ DONALD Racist Trump Know-Nothing Donald Know It All Trump Insecure Donald Don the Con The Incompetent Trump Trump the Grifter Betrayer Trump Greedy Trump Pardon Myself Donald Lawless Donald Corrupt Don Ignorant Don Bragging Trump Trump Fantasy Land Daily Lawbreaking Donald Egomaniacal Donald The Trump Dump
You may have seen these used here: The Aggressor The Bullshitter The Cheater The Corrupter The Corruptor The Disease-spreader The Exploiter The Fascist The Gangster The Grandstander The Grifter The Hustler The Hate-monger The Hater The Hate-spreader The Hostage-taker The Liar The Loser The Monster The Murderer-in-chief The Persecutor The Poisoner The Provocateur The Pussy-grabber The Repressor The Saboteur The Saboteur The Scapegoater The Truth-hater The War-dreamer The War-lover The Warlover The Warmonger The Warmonger-in-chief The Wrecker
*Plastic pollution leaves seabirds with brain damage similar to Alzheimer's.*
This doesn't prove it harms humans too, but it makes that seem likely.
*At a major oil and gas conference in Texas this week, companies publicly retreated from their flashy climate pledges of years past, redoubling their commitment to planet-[roasting] fossil fuels.*
These companies are taking actions that will wipe out increasing fractions of future generations in America and other countries.
Why do young people who condemn democracy for its flaws, and would prefer autarchy, not understand how bad that is?
The corrupter gave his special advisor for so-called AI and cryptocurrency an "ethics waiver", meaning he is permitted to give advice on questions that directly affect his own business interests.
Since the corrupter/bully disregards ethics in favor of crude power, he wants advisors who do the same.
The wrecker plans to reform the corps of military lawyers to systematically condone some kinds of war crimes.
We can call this MABA, or Make America Barbaric Again.
(satire) *Egg Companies Assure Customers Dozen Has Always Meant 9.*
Miami Beach is trying to evict an independent cinema for showing the Oscar-winning documentary, No Other Land, which documents expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank. The film was made by Palestinians and Israelis working together.
This documentary has faced powerful censorship in the US.
Based on what I have read, it would not surprise me if the film contains occasional antisemitic statements that I would disapprove of, alongside occasional statements of antimuslimism and antiarabism that I would also disapprove of. I don't think the movie endorses any of those views. I don't know enough to say more than that about the film.
I can, however, condemn the repression that aims to prevent showing the film.
(satire) *Feds Uncover Terabytes Of Free Speech During Raid Of Protester's Residence.*
*More than 1,000 riot [thugs] used teargas, rubber[-coated steel] bullets and water cannons [plus clubs] to [attack] demonstrators [who were retired people] late on Wednesday.* The aged protesters were protesting the right-wing extremist's cuts to their medicines.
Their signs saying things like "Don't hit us, we are your parents" did not restrain the thugs from going wild with violence.
That is the spirit that right-wing extremism builds up and looses against its scapegoats.
A lesson in patriotism from President T. Roosevelt for people who are more loyal to one leader than to their country.
The UK's energy minister recognizes that saving the UK from global heating disaster depends on convincing big emitters such as China to save themselves.
Apple is fighting a lawsuit by the UK government which demands that Apple add a back door to examine whatever users store in Apple's encrypted storage servers.
Does anyone with a UK legal background know how this case compares to the case of a laptop with GPG loaded on it? If there is a legal difference between that case and the case of the iThing, can you explain what that difference is?
*Stimulate debate on contentious topics, expert urges English universities.*
Debate on controversial political and philosophical questions is a traditional part of studying politics and moral philosophy.
The attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil is based on stretching an obscure law that allows the State Department to declare that a foreigner's presence in the US would have "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences."
This is so vague that, if it is accepted by courts, it would give officials an excuse to cancel the green card of nearly anyone who disagrees with some US government practice.
Other countries have been attacking freedom of speech for foreigners too.
*Judge orders [federal agencies] to reinstate most fired probationary staff.*
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".
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.
A song parody, Colors of the Lisp, by Jefferson Carpenter.
The text to a filk song, Johnny v. N., by Paul Rubin.
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.
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