Urgent: Shut down the hidden sweatshops of data workers
14 May 2026
US citizens: call on Take Action: Shut down the hidden sweatshops of data workers.
See the instructions for how to sign this letter campaign without running any nonfree JavaScript code--not trivial, but not hard.
I ask you follow me in expunging the acronym "AI" from your letter.
Sending asylum seekers to a country they've never been
14 May 2026
Australia's cunning cruelty of sending asylum seekers to (in effect) prison in a country where they have never been is now spreading world-wide.
Israel's violation of the "cease fire" in Gaza
13 May 2026
Israel agreed to a "cease fire" in Gaza, but violates it in several ways. In fact it is only a reduction in the frequency of atrocities.
Resisting construction of datacenters
13 May 2026
Resisting the construction of datacenters for pretend intelligence is not mere nimbyism. They are the only aspect of pretend intelligence that people have a chance to oppose.
*In the words of the antitrust expert Zephyr Teachout: "If you want democratic governance of AI [sic], block datacenters. Google's not coming to any democratic table, not listening to any rules, without people showing force."*
I see one other point where we can resist — by refusing to call it "intelligence".
Pushing toward abolishing FEMA
13 May 2026
The wrecker is pushing forward towards the goal of abolishing FEMA by rendering it useless.
Human languages in danger of dying out
13 May 2026
44% of human languages are now in danger of dying out.
(satire) Action by Americans treated as domestic terrorism
13 May 2026
(satire) *DHS Warns Any Action By Americans Will Be Treated As Domestic Terrorism.*
(satire) Taylor Swift additional wedding dates
13 May 2026
(satire) *Taylor Swift Adds Additional Wedding Dates In L.A., Miami, Boston.*
(satire) Mass grave of bully's advisors
13 May 2026
(satire) *Authorities Unearth Mass Grave Of [the bully's] Advisors.*
Critically low snowpack
13 May 2026
* Data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among experts.*
This problem of global heating was predicted many years ago. We could have prevented some of the dryness if we had made a global effort.
Barring cops from involvement in extremist groups
13 May 2026
*Chicago Ordinance Would Bar Cops from Active Involvement in Extremist Groups.*
Every state should enact such a law, and so should the federal government, if we ever pry it lose from violent extremists in the federal government.
Ads for commercial gambling
13 May 2026
Arguing for a ban on ads for commercial gambling.
I can support this cause.
Demands for higher taxes on billionaires
13 May 2026
*Pity the poor billionaires – demands for higher taxes must feel hurtful.*
And biased! Don't forget the unfairness of increasing the tax rate only for the super-rich ;-!
Wheat crop failure in US
12 May 2026
Global heating has created a wheat crop failure in the US. *Temperature swings have left crops across the Plains in terrible conditions, with some farmers opting not to harvest.*
If we don't curb global heating, this will happen more and more often.
The nocebo effect is real
12 May 2026
The nocebo effect is real, just like the placebo effect.
According to one study, the nocebo effect seems to be responsible for around 3/4 of negative reactions to Covid-19 vaccine.
One LLM good at finding exploits in software
12 May 2026
Reportedly one LLM is very good at finding exploits in software. People will need to fix them.
Another future LLM may be very good at finding exploits in tax systems. People will need to fix them, too.
UK nationalizing train operating companies
12 May 2026
The UK is really nationalizing the train operating companies, reversing one disastrous ideological decision made by the Tories decades ago.
Iranian human rights activist memoir
12 May 2026
Narges Mohammadi, Iranian human rights activist, wrote a memoir which describes beatings, solitary confinement, and denial of medical treatment. She is dying in prison, and those cruel state actions are part of the cause.
I wonder why the US persecutor hates the Iranian persecutors so much, given that he seems to be just fine with Russia's persecutor. He surely does not care any more about Iranian's human rights than about Americans' human rights. Perhaps this reflects Netanyahu's influence on him; perhaps he hates Iran's rulers because they persistently organize Shi'ites to oppose Israel on behalf of Palestinians.
Pardoned January 6 rioter sentenced for burglary
12 May 2026
*Pardoned January 6 rioter sentenced to seven years for Virginia burglary.*
The bullshitter launched the mob at the Capitol after preparing them with violent hatred, and arranged to make armed support hard for the Capitol police to obtain. In 2025, he pardoned all those who had been convicted for participating in the attack. There is no reasonable doubt that he arranged the attack intentionally and considers it an act of support for him. Justice calls for him to be convicted of the attack and sentenced to prison.
Datacenter planning documents mislead on greenhouse gas emissions
12 May 2026
Google datacenter planning documents misleadingly minimized the projected greenhouse gas emissions by a factor of five.
Richard will give a talk in Erlangen, Germany
11 May 2026
Richard Stallman will speak in Erlangen, Germany on June 16 at 16:00, at the School of Engineering of FAU.
The talk is on the moral issues of free vs nonfree software.
We suggest you bring cash.
Urgent: Plan to drill in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
11 May 2026
US citizens: call on the Bureau of Land Management to stop the plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Urgent: Stop enabling helping deportation thugs
11 May 2026
US citizens: call on Reuters to stop enabling helping the deportation thugs.
Urgent: Block attempt to ban voting by mail
11 May 2026
US citizens: call on Congress to block the fascist's attempt to ban voting by mail.
US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue.
To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121.
Please spread the word.
Urgent: Reject budget that attacks public education
11 May 2026
US citizens: call on Tell Congress: Reject the magats' budget that attacks public education.
See the instructions for how to sign this letter campaign without running any nonfree JavaScript code--not trivial, but not hard.
US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue.
To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121.
Please spread the word.
Household cost of blockaded oil and gas
11 May 2026
Citing the household cost of blockaded oil and gas to remind people of the desperate need to start climate defense.
The article uses the fashionable term "toxic", saying that the topic of climate disaster and the need to prevent it has become "toxic". What does that actually mean? Why in general does a topic, cause, or person, become "toxic"?
It is usually the result of a systematic campaign of vilification which aims to associate the target with a vague criticism, for which the reasons rarely rationally reconsidered. In the case of climate defense, we know this campaign has been operating for years, funded by the fossil fuel companies and spread by the many businesses that have relations with them and the politicians that they have funded.
The word "toxic", at the concrete level, refers to the existence of such an association for that target. But its connotation puts the blame on the target. Thus, it is a weasel-word whose effect is to endorse the campaign -- in effect, to condemn climate defense for being the target of vilification by the rich.
I therefore suggest rejecting the word.
World unprepared for next pandemic
11 May 2026
*World "unprepared" for next pandemic as countries fail to agree on sharing information, tests and vaccines.*
Magat officials closed San Francisco's immigration court
11 May 2026
Magat officials have closed San Francisco's immigration court.
US immigration courts have been underfunded for years, producing a large backlog of immigration cases. The wrecker's policy is to seize on various bogus excuses (such as criticizing him for his actions and policies) to cancel people's immigration cases. As a result, delaying the resolution of those cases is advantageous for him.
Rate of side effects from Covid and Shingles vaccines
11 May 2026
US Food and Drug Administration scientists published papers on the rate of side effects from Covid and Shingles vaccines, and found that serious side effects were very rare — one in a million.
Anti-vax agency officials withdrew the papers, claiming that the conclusions are invalid.
Banned non-fiction books doubled in US
11 May 2026
*Report shows banned non-fiction books doubled over last school year in US. New PEN America report analyzed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targeted.*
Trying to save copies of US government data
11 May 2026
"Data rescuers" are trying to save copies of US government data publications before magat officials destroy or alter them.
Mexico city sinking up to 40cm per year
11 May 2026
Mexico city is pumping so much water out of the aquifer underneath it that it is sinking up to 40cm per year.
When pipes leak under Mexico City, where does the water go? Into the aquifer? If so, leakage is just a way of extracting less. But I can't be sure of that — that water may take years to reach the aquifer than where it is needed. And engineers would compensate by increasing the extraction rate.
With enough money, solar-powered desalination could provide water for Mexico City, and pipelines could bring it there. But this would require taxing the rich.
Australian PISSI wives returning to Australia
11 May 2026
Australia has allowed some Australians who became PISSI wives, and were imprisoned for years in Syria, to return to Australia.
Some of them face grave criminal charges for supporting PISSI, and they deserve that. But exiling people is an unjust punishment for any crime, and punishing them without a trial is unjust too.
Radical listening
11 May 2026
Radical listening — a way of drawing passersby into exploring political issues together.
China trying to eradicate Tibetan culture
11 May 2026
China is trying to eradicate Tibetan culture and language by teaching children to speak only Chinese.
This reminds me of the residential schools that the US and Canada forced Amerindian children to live in during much of the 20th century — likewise designed to erase their cultures and languages.
The US and Canada ceased that practice some decades ago; now China is taking it up.
Memory loss and cognitive disabilities from domestic violence
11 May 2026
Many victims of domestic violence that includes blows to the head suffer from memory loss and cognitive disabilities.
Political issues worth writing about
11 May 2026
Ralph Nader describes several political issues that would be worth writing about, but reporters disregard his requests that they do so.
With regard to trying yet again to remove the monster from office, we know that it can't be done with the current composition of Congress. He was impeached twice during his first term, the second time after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and Senate Republicans protected him both times. They would surely do it again; their attachment to him takes precedence over their country.
Besides, he now has another monster, less deranged but no less cruel and un-American, standing by to replace him.
However, as Nader suggests, the attempt might be an effective basis for organizing to save the Constitution by defeating SCROTUS in November. And our ex-presidents do have a duty to help.
Customers block from donating to the SPLC
11 May 2026
Big financial companies such as Fidelity and Vanguard have arbitrarily blocked customers from donating to the SPLC from their donor-advised funds.
I wonder if they can move these funds to other companies that aren't lackeys of persecution.
Punishing network for political reasons
11 May 2026
*ABC lawyers accuse [the] FCC [in court] of punishing network for political reasons.*
It is not news that the FCC is doing that, but ABC's willingness to resist is rare and admirable.
Directions for US and Iran negotiations
11 May 2026
Proposing directions for negotiation between the US and Iran that might lead to a deal.
It seems to be that the biggest obstacle is how to assure Iran that the US will actually keep a deal. Remove the bullshitter from office, perhaps?
Proposal to cut interest rates for poor countries
8 May 2026
*Proposing to cut interest rates poor countries pay for their massive debts by around 11% so they can fund social needs.*
Much of those debts should be wiped away.
Violent antisemitism percolating in Australia
8 May 2026
Violent antisemitism, threatening murder, has been percolating for years in Australia.
I don't think a threat of murder in 2019 had much to do with criticism of Israel's atrocities. It was simply hatred and scapegoating.
Billionaires have taken effective control of many governments and used it to impoverish most of humanity. A fraction of the billionaires are Jewish; most are not. Focusing condemnation narrowly on the Jewish billionaires lets the (non-Jewish) majority of billionaires, such as Musk, off the hook.
Ironically, today's Nazis give their political support to the right-wing governments that cooperate thoroughly with Israel's atrocities. They cite antisemitism as an excuse to persecute people who reproach those atrocities, and mostly leave the other antisemites (Nazis who support them) alone.
Public transit in US cities worse than third-world cities
8 May 2026
Most US cities are worse than many third-world cities in public transport.
Since the many cars that Americans use emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases, the whole world should demand that the US start catching up.
Wrecker's oil-and-coal oligarchy
8 May 2026
*[The wrecker] and his oil-and-coal oligarchy should face sanctions for its war on the environment.*
Zohran Mamdani on event for investing in West Bank land
8 May 2026
Zohran Mamdani condemned an event held in NYC which encouraged Americans to invest in West Bank land being stolen from Palestinians.
Bravo, Mamdani!
Urgent: Robert Reich's site paywalled
7 May 2026
Sad news: Robert Reich's site has become paywalled. As a result, access to an article there requires running nonfree JavaScript code (https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html) and requires identifying oneself by using a payment account. Each of these consequences is unjust, and I have a moral obligation not to refer people to pages that require such things.
I can't let the links remain here as they are, but they are numerous and it will take time to deal with all of them.
The articles I linked to did not have that problem when I made the links.
Urgent: Executive order could label millions of Americans as domestic terrorists
7 May 2026
US citizens: call on Congress to refuse to fund Trump’s executive order that could label millions of Americans as domestic terrorists, or in any fashion block it.
See the instructions for how to sign this letter campaign without running any nonfree JavaScript code--not trivial, but not hard.
US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue.
To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121.
Please spread the word.
Urgent: Stand up for science
7 May 2026
US citizens: call on Congress to stand up for science, not polluter profits.
US citizens: Join with this campaign to address this issue.
To phone your congresscritter about this, the main switchboard is +1-202-224-3121.
Please spread the word.
Urgent: Denounce DOJ's attack on Southern Poverty Law Center
7 May 2026
US citizens: denounce the DOJ's Attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Urgent: Drop bogus charges against James Comey
7 May 2026
US citizens: call on the Department of supposed Justice to drop bogus charges against James Comey and stop persecuting political speech.