Richard Stallman's Political Notes

Legal assisted suicide

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:36 -0000

Cyprus is considering legalizing assisted suicide, influenced by the David Hunter case.

Tory war on the climate

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

The Tory leader has declared all-out war on the climate. This is his latest lunatic way of trying to avoid losing big in the election that must be held next year.

Australian businessman tried for "spying"

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

Australian businessman Alexander Csergo was trapped in China and Chinese state agents demanded he give them information about Australia. He says he gave them useless answers he found on the internet. Now he is being tried for spying.

The US has also bullied innocent people to spy.

SWAT teams can ruin your home

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

If a SWAT team destroys your house in the process of chasing a criminal who has broken into it, you will probably get no compensation and be homeless and ruined.

OLIGARCH Act

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

Rep. Barbara Lee and Abigail Disney argue for the OLIGARCH Act, a progressive tax on billionaires' wealth.

I like the words of Justice Brandeis: "We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both."

Professors fleeing Florida

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

Professors are fleeing Florida's public colleges and they can't hire new ones.

I don't think this will dissuade DeMentis from converting Florida's public colleges into right-wing propaganda mills. They will hire incompetent or unqualified replacements, because all they really need to do is repeat the official line.

Those who will really suffer from this are the young people of Florida who hoped to get a good education without paying the price of attending a private university.

Fixing the Earth

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

*Radical ways to fix the Earth: are they magic bullets or just band-aids?*

Urgent: Save Californian bees

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

US citizens: call on Governor Newsom to save California's bees.

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New article

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:35 -0000

Symbolic bigotry

DeMentis against inequality

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:34 -0000

*By denying the true ills of slavery, [DeMentis] is working to release the government from the obligation of fixing inequality today.*

This is in addition to unleashing the right-wing lie machine to claim from coast to coast to attack the movement to end racism at a fundamental point that we thought no one would dare deny.

The article linked to above displays symbolic bigotry by capitalizing "black" but not "white". (To avoid endorsing bigotry, capitalize both words or neither one.) I denounce bigotry, and normally I will not link to articles that promote it. But I make exceptions for some articles that make important points, for instance about racism. That article is one of the exceptions.

Idaho doctors chased out

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:34 -0000

A good fraction of the doctors in Idaho who treated complications of pregnancy have ceased to practice there, chased out by threats of fines or imprisonment.

I would suggest that all doctors who treat pregnant women in Idaho urge them at the first visit to make arrangements immediately for possible treatment later in a safer state, in case that comes to be necessary.

Google and Athena's traffic

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:34 -0000

Google will control the traffic lights of Athena, then take anticompetitive advantage by connecting this with its navigation service. No other company offering navigation advice will be able to do that.

Mining in sea unsafe

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:34 -0000

What should we make of James Cameron's claim that there are large areas of the sea bottom that are safe to mine?

It might be possible to establish requirements for sea-bottom mining to be safe for biodiversity. These requirements might include the following

The mining machines must be robots that quietly use arms to collect metal-bearing rocks.
The machines must never disturb the bottom, aside from picking up rocks.
The machines must deposit a replacement rock that wildlife can use in exchange for each metal-bearing rock that they take away. This calls for prior scientific research to verify that certain replacement rocks will enable the wildlife to survive.
Mining can be authorized only in areas that have been surveyed to prove that they have no special ecosystems.

These or any requirements will not do any good unless they are carefully enforced.

If the mining companies object to these requirements, it will show that they really plan to destroy ecosystems.

UK facial recognition

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:33 -0000

The UK government wants stores to use facial-recognition cameras to recognize suspected thieves.

Perhaps there would be fewer thieves if the government had not driven so many into penury.

Restrict SUVs

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:33 -0000

Governments should restrict sale and/or use of SUVs. The article describes many problems they exacerbate, ranging from everyday inconveniences to climate disaster.

China prisons

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:17:33 -0000

Satellite photos suggest that China is putting more Tibetans in prison and for longer periods of time.

Urgent: Save California's bees

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:35 -0000

US citizens: call on Governor Newsom to save California's bees.

Doctors being chased out of Idaho

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:35 -0000

A good fraction of the doctors in Idaho who treated complications of pregnancy have ceased to practice there, chased out by threats of fines or imprisonment.

Denying the true ills of slavery

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:35 -0000

* By denying the true ills of slavery, [DeMentis] is working to release the government from the obligation of fixing inequality today.*

This is in addition to unleashing the right-wing lie machine to claim from coast to coast to attack the movement to end racism at a fundamental point that we thought no one would dare deny.

Radical ways to fix the Earth

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:35 -0000

*Radical ways to fix the Earth: are they magic bullets or just band-aids?*

Professors fleeing Florida's public colleges

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:35 -0000

Professors are fleeing Florida's public colleges and they can't hire new ones.

Those who will really suffer from this are the young people of Florida who hoped to get a good education without paying the price of attending a private university.

Arguments for the OLIGARCH Act

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:34 -0000

Rep. Barbara Lee and Abigail Disney argue for the OLIGARCH Act, a progressive tax on billionaires' wealth.

I like the words of Justice Brandeis: "We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both."

No compensation for damage to your home by SWAT team

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:34 -0000

If a SWAT team destroys your house in the process of chasing a criminal who has broken into it, you will probably get no compensation and be homeless and ruined.

Australian businessman tried in China for spying

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:34 -0000

The US has also bullied innocent people to spy.

Tory leader declares war on climate

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:34 -0000

The Tory leader has declared all-out war on the climate. This is his latest lunatic way of trying to avoid losing big in the election that must be held next year.

Possible legalization of assisted suicide in Cyprus

Richard Stallman — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 04:17:34 -0000

Cyprus is considering legalizing assisted suicide, influenced by the David Hunter case.

Climate: physical certainties v. political gyration

Richard Stallman — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:32:35 -0000

*Biden had the last opportunity of any president to keep the world under 1.5C of heating. Instead he is squandering time we do not have.*

Wild horses for fire prevention

Richard Stallman — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:32:35 -0000

Proposing that wild horses could prevent wildfires by eating their fuel.

Customers disinformed: Tesla

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:33 -0000

*Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of … complaints [that the car did not have the travel range that was advertised].*

Bukele's justice: mass trials, SLV

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:32 -0000

El Salvador plans to hold trials with up to 900 defendants in a trial.

That is a highly efficient way of trying large numbers of people, if justice for each one is not required.

Anthem not censored, HK judge

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:32 -0000

*Hong Kong judge defies government’s bid to [issue an injunction against various uses of] pro-democracy protest song,* known unofficially as the "Hong Kong national anthem."

The infamous "national security law" makes it a crime to sing the song in Hong Kong — doing so would be interpreted as a protest. This decision about an injunction seems to threaten to pressure non-Chinese web sites to delete it.

I hope that judge won't be imprisoned and subject to brainwashing.

Greek fires human-caused

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:32 -0000

Greece asserts that most of the recent fires were started by human action, and there is evidence for arson.

Why would anyone commit such a heinous crime? ISTR that Greece has a law that if a protected forest is destroyed by fire, it ceases to be protected and the landowners can build what they wish. This would be a powerful motive for greedy people with contempt for everything else in the world.

Banks as politicos, UK

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:32 -0000

A small political party in the UK has trouble finding a bank that will let it have a bank account. This puts democracy in danger.

Infant mortality rate, TX

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:32 -0000

Since Texas's abortion ban, infant mortality there has increased by 20%. This could be because many women now are forced to carry a pregnancy to the end even though it is unlikely to result in a viable birth.

The antithesis to automating repression and censorship

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:31 -0000

Arguing that machine learning cannot enable authoritarian states to figure out what people really want, because they will get only the data of what people say when they are intimidated by an authoritarian state.

Antony Blinken nudged for Julian Assange

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:02:31 -0000

The US rejected Australia's mild pressure to drop charges against Julian Assange, continuing to sidestep the point that Assange is being prosecuted for journalism, and that this threatens the freedom to do national security journalism in the US.

Urgent: Protect renters whose landlords recieve federal loans

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:02:28 -0000

US citizens: call on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to attach protection for renters to federal loans to landlords.

Private equity apartment buildings

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:02:27 -0000

When private equity takes over a building, it is likely to become both more expensive and nastier to live in.

Private equity in retail

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:02:27 -0000

*Stop Private Equity from Driving Retailers into Bankruptcy, Destroying Jobs and Livelihoods.*

In addition, they destroy useful stores where you can actually buy things, and reduce competition.

Private equity's homes deadly

Richard Stallman — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 01:02:27 -0000

*After an investment firm bought St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged, in Richmond, Virginia, the company reduced staff, removed amenities, and set the stage for a deadly outbreak of COVID-19.*

Staying cool in hot weather

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 10:47:25 -0000

Describing alternatives to air conditioning for coping with the heat.

I keep shades closed, use fans locally, and wear little clothing indoors. That enables me to set my thermostat several degrees higher. But I could not do without air conditioning in the heat of a Boston summer, not even many years ago.

Fled China, nabbed in Laos

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 10:47:24 -0000

Laos arrested Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei on China's behalf as he was about to travel to Thailand.

I think this is the definitive criterion for a puppet regime of China: arresting people that China wants to make political prisoners.

Urgent: Stop fueling destruction of the Amazon forest

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 10:47:24 -0000

US citizens: call on several big banks to stop fueling destruction of the Amazon forest.

By contrast, let's all fuel destruction of the predatory near-monopoly called Amazon.

Urgent: stifle "Mom's for Liberty"

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 10:47:24 -0000

US citizens: call on Facebook not to give "Moms for Liberty" (a right-wing extremist group) a platform for hate.

Another innocent young Algerian shot, maimed, FR

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 03:17:16 -0000

Hedi, a Frenchman of Algerian decent, walked past some uniformed thugs, and one shot him in the back of his head with a "less lethal" weapon.

The weapon did not kill him, but maimed him instead. It also knocked him down, which gave the whole group of thugs a chance to beat him up. He may have lost the sight of his left eye.

France did the right thing, quickly prosecuting all of those thugs. Whether it is necessary to keep the shooter in jail until trial, I am not sure. When a non-thug is accused of such crimes, refusing bail is justified if there is a danger that that accused will commit more crimes, or flee justice. I can't judge a priori whether that is the case here.

Progress against wild boar

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:44 -0000

The US is making progress against wild boar the intelligent way: by hunting them and eating them.

I've tried wild boar meat in Europe and liked it very much.

Poverty is Systemic failure

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:44 -0000

*Poverty Is a Systemic, Not Individual, Failure.*

If you want to blame it on individual poor people, you can spin the facts that way. When a system becomes hard for certain groups to cope with, some people will crack before others.

Why would certain people crack sooner? Perhaps their personalities or other characteristics are more predisposed to cracking. Perhaps they have bad luck. There is always randomness that affects the outcomes in specific cases.

But those causes of randomness have little to do with political questions — the aspects what make a system better or worse. That is what governments can adjust so that fewer people crack — or, for those who seek scapegoats, so that more people crack.

Inquiry into Harvard's legacy admission policies

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:44 -0000

*US education department opens inquiry into Harvard’s legacy admission policies.*

US tracking cars by license plates

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

One element of massive surveillance in the US is tracking cars by their license plates.

I suggest requiring any entity to get permission from a car's owner before collecting car location records based on the car's license plate. Or else a court order specifying a license number.

Ghana abolishes death penalty

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

*Ghana abolishes death penalty, with expected reprieve for 176 condemned prisoners.*

Can't afford to be climate doomers

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

Rebecca Solnit: *We can't afford to be climate doomers.*

It is too late to prevent climate disaster, since that has already started. But humanity still has a chance to make the disaster smaller and enable civilization to survive.

I wonder if the planet roasters are spending money promoting climate defeatism as a last-ditch method of discouraging climate defense action.

Universal web DRM system

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

Google is implementing a universal web DRM system.

Making it even a little worse, Google will control the software and the data. But don't get distracted by evil details — the worst thing about this scheme is that it is DRM.

Uniformly reliable product from music factories

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

The music factories have learned to produce a reliably uniform product. The enormous dominance of a few pop singers is a reflection of that.

Court case against Atheists in Kenya

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

The Atheists in Kenya Society faces a court case that attempts to terminate its existence for criticizing religion.

Ban on gas hookups in new homes

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:43 -0000

Victoria, a state in Australia, will ban gas hookups on new homes starting next year.

Twitter deletes its own fact check

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:42 -0000

*Twitter Deletes Its Own Fact Check Correcting Elon's Bogus Vaccine Tweet.*

I wonder whether Musk is acting like a child given a toy he can smash as he wishes, or has some serious purpose for destroying Twitter.

(satire) Möbius Highways

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:42 -0000

(satire) *Raving Pete Buttigieg Launches Initiative To Build Möbius Highways Where Cars Can Drive For Infinity.*

Buttigieg is confused again. To be able to drive without stopping, you don't need a Möbius strip. A road that goes in a circle is enough.

Teacher fired for attending drag show

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:42 -0000

*Teacher fired by Texas Christian school for attending drag show.*

The school officials believed their own false propaganda about drag shows and responded with Christian cruelty.

Farage bank account closure

Richard Stallman — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 02:02:42 -0000

*Muslim leaders decry "double standard" of Farage bank account closure furore.*

The UK government chose to consider Islamic charities as supporters of terrorism, and used the banks to shut them down informally.

The US did comparable things.

UPS strike averted

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:24 -0000

UPS negotiated with the drivers' union and they got a substantial wage increase, as well as air conditioning in their trucks, necessary for safety in the beginnings of climate disaster.

Mountain Valley pipeline final ruling

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

The Supreme Court gave final permission to finish the Mountain Valley pipeline.

Republicans in Congress and on the court have fought hard to unlock the profits that will flow as that pipeline's gas contributes its fraction to speed destruction of our world.

North American heatwave

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

*More than 170m Americans under heat alerts as heatwave expands.* That is half the population. 3/4 of the population will face unpleasant heat. Here in Boston, one of my friends has to stay in bed when it is hot, because her air conditioner isn't strong enough to deal with this level of heat.

Most extreme ocean heatwave, FL

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

*Florida ocean records "unprecedented" temperatures similar to a hot tub.*

It is too hot for serious swimming. But what is more serious is that the heat puts marine species in danger. They have never experienced such heat, and it can kill them.

Some will be able to move away from the tropics to find cooler water. But those in the Gulf of Mexico can't get to any — they are trapped.

Urgent: End government bailouts for Big Oil

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

US citizens: call on Biden to end government bailouts for Big Oil.

The White House comments lines are +1-202-456-1111 and (TTY/TDD) +1-202-456-6213.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Cases against former president growing

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

Additional charges have been added to the insurrectionist's indictment for holding secret documents and concealing them from the government.

Plastic phaseout: delivery-packaging

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

Amazon pledged to stop using its unrecyclable plastic bags.

This is a change for the better but it doesn't alter the many reasons to refuse to buy from Amazon.

Modeling v. regional weather events

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:23 -0000

Climate science has projected the aggregate amounts of heating on a large scale. But it has been unable to project grave regional effects.

What we know is that the slower we are to stop making things worse, the bigger the disaster will be.

Streaming corporation strategy: purging shows

Richard Stallman — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 13:32:22 -0000

Movie and TV streaming is fundamentally unjust because of DRM, requirement to identify oneself, and the antisocial contracts where users commit not to share copies with other people. For these reason, I have never used those streaming dis-services.

Now Disney is trying a secondary injustice — what looks like a kind of tax fraud. It is deleting many old programs, supposedly because they no longer bring in revenue, and claiming a tax writeoff of $1.5 billion for them.

Those two claims contradict each other, so it looks like we need the IRS to cut down Disney's tax writeoff.

Republicans, the party of the plutocrats, are trying to cut the IRS funding so it can't do this job.

It doesn't make economic sense for a company to renounce the profits from selling something that basically costs nothing to sell in order to avoid paying a share of those profits to someone else. The idea that this really a way to punish actors on strike has the virtue of being a rational (though vicious) motive.

How GOP veils wealth gap, climate, and democracy crises

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

Robert Reich presents the Republicans' fake crises which they use to distract attention from the real crises that Republicans make bigger.

Domestic polycrisis- v. military-spending, US

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

Bernie Sanders: *The US Senate is now debating an $886bn defense authorization bill. Unless there are major changes to the bill, I intend to vote against it. Here’s why.*

Crack in Labour's steel

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

Mayor Jamie Driscoll has quit the Labour Party and is running independently — with large amounts of backing from Labour supporters who condemn Starmer's iron hand.

The British tradition would be for Starmer to resign, but at the very least he should welcome back all the Labour officials and members that he has purged — including Corbyn, who is no antisemite.

Putin labeled "food terrorist"

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

*"Trying to make the world starve": [Putin forces'] drones destroy grain warehouses at Ukraine ports.*

ALEC playbook against workers unions

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

*ALEC [proposes states blacklist] companies that voluntarily recognize unions.*

Competing bids' pollution analysis, AU

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

*Australia [plans] to measure indirect [greenhouse gas] emissions from public works.*

Wave of poison-pill policy-riders

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:13 -0000

Republicans put at least 74 vicious clauses into bills drafted last week. Some serve the rich; some serve authoritarianism; some block climate defense; undermine the separation of church and state; some attack Republicans' favorite scapegoats.

Poverty stats, US

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:12 -0000

*We last raised the US federal minimum wage 14 years ago. This is unacceptable.*

Scientists feelings on earth's climate events

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:32:12 -0000

*Deadly global heatwaves undeniably result of climate crisis, scientists show.*

*Climate scientists' horror and exasperation as global predictions play out.*

Urgent: Home Depot is selling neonicotinoids

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:27 -0000

US citizens: call on Home Depot to stop selling neonicotinoid pesticides.

Cocoa, grains, staples prices

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:27 -0000

There is a shortage of chocolate, caused by floods in various countries. The floods were largely the result of global heating.

Abbott v. Biden: river barriers

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:27 -0000

Texas governor "Hay" Abbott defied Biden's order to remove the buoys that Abbott had placed in the Rio Grande, to block (and sometimes kill) migrants. He challenged Biden to sue.

Instead of suing, which would take months to reach a decision in the Supreme Court, Biden should send the marines to remove those deadly buoys.

The rhetorical position of fascist politicians is cruelty, and their argument is "I get away with it, and that proves I am strong." Sending the marines would do the job quickly and make Abbott look weak.

It would also provide an opportunity to teach US soldiers that defeating right-wing uprisings is part of their duty, and help find and remove any that are not willing to uphold the Constitution.

(Satire) Inhumane treatment of immigrants

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

(satire) *Texas Agrees To Humanely Stun Migrants Before Drowning Them.*

Urgent: Texas thugs are pushing migrants into river

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

US citizens: call on the Dept of Homeland Security to stop Texas thugs from pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande.

Israel polarized, a democracy in peril

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

*Here's why we march against Netanyahu's power grab: it's a fight for Israel's life as a democratic state.*

London profiteering: Wagner group

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

A parliamentary committee said that the UK has allowed Wagner to use London as a financial base get involved in fighting in at least 6 African countries.

Govt drug-gangers disappeared the 43 students, MX

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

When Mexican gangsters kidnapped and killed 43 student teachers, the army, navy, police and intelligence agencies knew, minute by minute, where the student teachers were, according to an independent investigation.

Texas A&M's fascism-caused debacles

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

Texas professor censured for criticizing state govt *Texas professor suspended hours after criticizing lieutenant [governor of Texas] in lecture.*

Repressing anyone who criticizes them is typical of fascist leaders. The people in charge of Texas A&M appear to be fascist too.

If the students of Texas A&M take up this cause, they could do a lot for the opposition to fascism in America.

Shift right blunted: Spain parliament seats

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:26 -0000

Spain has rejected the far-right VOX party.

The news is not all good: the right-wing PP (misleadingly named the "People's" party) got the most votes, and it is bad enough in itself. When it was last in power it passed a law prohibiting the publication of photos of thugs caught in the act of committing unjustified violence, the "ley mordaza".

In the 2010s the PP allowed banks to seize the houses of many poor people, leaving them with unpayable mortgage debt. They were unable to work for a living after that, since the banks would have seized their income.

Urgent: inalienable voting rights for California citizens

Richard Stallman — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 02:17:25 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to restore voting rights to citizens in prison.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Lifestyle changes give longer lives

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:32:27 -0000

A set of basic lifestyle changes give humans a much longer life.

Recently I recalculated my body-mass index and discovered I was overweight. Hooray, I shouted, because I was no longer obese! I have lost 40 lbs in the past 2.5 years. Part of the way I did this is by walking half an hour on most days,

2024 election

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:32:27 -0000

Robert Reich: the 2024 election must be a referendum on the corrupter's fascism, rather than on Biden. The expected indictment for his coup attempt can bring this about.

Louisianans' property insurance disappears

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:32:27 -0000

*Property insurance disappears for Louisianans -- but not for gas facilities.*

I think I know the reason for this. Fossil fuel extraction is so profitable that the planet roasters can afford to pay very high insurance rates. And they do so.

Meanwhile, most homeowners can't afford that much so they have to go without insurance instead.

Helping people cope with disasters is part of the government's mission. The government has the responsibility to provide insurance to cover people's losses, and at the same time move their rebuilding to safer building methods and safer locations.

Moreover, when something humanly controllable is making disasters systematically worse, government has the responsibility to counteract that change.

In the past, making disasters less likely was done with drainage and seawalls. Nowadays the job must include curbing global heating.

Israel high court lowered

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:02:13 -0000

Israel's right-wing government has taken away the supreme court's power to overrule laws it finds to be "unreasonable". This means there is no longer any check on the government's power to oppress anyone. Not Palestinians, not even secular Jews.

In ten years I expect to see a Jewish version of Iran.

UPS contract negotiations

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:02:13 -0000

*Extreme heat (and its danger to workers' lives) is key issue in UPS contract talks.*

Morality police reemerge, Iran

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:02:12 -0000

Iran considers the protests crushed enough to send the clothing enforcement thugs out into the streets again.

Pro-abortion clinicians v. anti-abortion states

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:17:28 -0000

Activist pharmacists provide abortion drugs to all over the US, protected by the "shield laws" of certain pro-abortion states.

Ultra-Low Emissions Zones, London

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:17:28 -0000

The mayor of London, who represents the Labour Party, rebuffed Starmer's call to cancel an important anti-pollution measure to avoid disappointing some Tories. Bravo, Sadiq Khan, for standing up to Starmer.

I think that requiring low-pollution cars in cities, where that will help keep people healthy, is a good idea. The only thing I disapprove of about London's ULEZ is that it identifies and tracks each car. That is massive surveillance, and a threat to human rights. These policies must be implemented in ways that don't track individuals who obey the rules.

MTGreene airs porn

Richard Stallman — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:17:28 -0000

To what extent does Hunter Biden merit political attention? A little, for specific reasons, but not more.

French publisher vindicated, UK political anti-terrorism

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:24 -0000

A UK agency that reviews the actions of thugs has said it was wrong to use an "anti-terrorism" law to force a French publisher to unlock his phone as he entered the UK to attend a book fair.

FBI, CIA, NSA illegal snooping, abuse

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:24 -0000

The FISA court has found many violations of the FISA law by the FBI, CIA and NSA. These violations amount to massive surveillance that was not supposed to happen.

Some years ago the FISA court said that it had found itself unable to make US agencies obey the FISA law, that the agencies were making monkeys out of the court — and out of Americans' human rights.

Additional examples of these agencies' dangerous snooping.

Euthanasia v. suicide, Cyprus

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:24 -0000

David Hunter was convicted of manslaughter for helping his wife die to escape excruciating pain. This conviction means he may not be put in jail.

When she was dead, he tried to kill himself because he had nothing to live for without her — but someone "saved" him.

I wonder, have his feelings changed since then? Does he now have a will to live? Does he see a purpose in continued existence — and if so, what?

Hot climate and tourism, EU

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:23 -0000

The countries of southern Europe are becoming so hot that they are less attractive for summer vacations.

Even in the past those places were so hot that I tried to have my visits there outside the summer.

Voter suppression, felons down South

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:23 -0000

*Tennessee … has enacted a law that makes it nearly impossible for people with felony convictions to regain their right to vote.*

Woodburning stoves, London

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:23 -0000

The mayor of London has banned woodburning stoves, falsely sold as better for the environment.

We have known for years that the wood smoke contains a lot of toxic pollution and is bad for human health. And it isn't better than any other fuel, except perhaps coal.

Natural abundance v. heat

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:23 -0000

*Rampant heatwaves threaten food security of entire planet, scientists warn.*

Peak fish

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:23 -0000

We are already past the peak catch of wild fish. Overfishing and environmental damage are reducing them. Also, aquaculture does not have much potential to increase any more.

We can give humans of the future lives of plenty by making a lot fewer of them.

Cash bail abolished, IL

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:22 -0000

The Illinois supreme court has abolished the practice of demanding cash bail for accused criminals to wait for trial at home. It is unjust because it treats rich suspects better than all other suspects.

Musicians' politics, Myanmar

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:22 -0000

A music festival in Malaysia invited a British band which, on stage, criticized Malaysia's repressive laws against homosexuality. Then two male musicians kissed. Officials closed the performance.

The government then shut down the rest of the festival. This shows the intolerance of established religion.

Laws like those deserve full disrespect, just like laws against sharing copies of published works.

European heat waves

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:22 -0000

Last year's European heat waves are estimated to have killed 61,672 people: This year's hotter heat waves will surely kill many more.

Campaigns to decriminalize suicide

Richard Stallman — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 03:32:21 -0000

17 countries make attempted suicide a crime and punish those survivors. In several there are campaigns to repeal those laws.

Urgent: Vote down the ACE Act

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to protect our democracy and vote down the ACE Act. The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Offshore wind farm planned and owned locally

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

People in a town in England want to build an offshore wind farm planned locally and owned locally.

This approach could be very good for dissolving opposition.

Forbidden from leaving home without permission

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

In many countries, women are forbidden to leave home without permission of a husband or male guardian.

*In Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and [Salafi] Arabia, women can be arrested, [jailed] or forced to return if male guardians report that they are absent from their homes. [In] Israel … religious courts have jurisdiction over marriage and divorce &mash; mean women can lose their right to maintenance from their husbands for leaving the marital home, working or traveling without their husband’s consent.*

Of course, Iran and Afghanistan are even worse. But this injustice exists to some extent in a broader region, including all the Arab countries in the Middle East, and Egypt.

Head of British police force can't sack officers

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

* The head of Britain’s biggest police force has said he is frustrated with the Home Office for its slow progress at reviewing "perverse" rules that prevent him from being able to sack his own officers.*

Push for small nuclear reactors

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

There is a push in the UK to design small nuclear power reactors to build in addition to a few misguided large ones. Here is an article that grasps at straws to justify the plan.

It may be faster to build 24GW of nuclear generation using small reactors than using big reactors, but it will still be slower than the renewable alternatives.

Many smaller nuclear power reactors might be cheaper to build than a few large ones, but probably not cheaper than solar or wind.

Also, they do not cure the other problems of nuclear power.

These include the pollution from the mining and refining of uranium. the problems from the waste, and the danger of having a pre-exploded nuclear weapon inside a building on your territory.

Is the real issue that the UK doesn't build its own wind turbines? I am sure it would be cheaper and easier to change that, than to build any sort of nuclear reactors.

Cheap flights in Europe encourage heating of planet

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

According to Greenpeace, * cheap flights [in Europe], made possible by tax breaks for airlines, are encouraging people to heat the planet.*

Robert Kennedy Jr's racist, antisemitic and xenophobic views

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

*Robert Kennedy Jr’s racist, antisemitic and xenophobic views go back decades, report says.*

Covid-19 shut down nonpretentious yoga schools

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:21 -0000

Covid-19 made the nonpretentious yoga schools shut down, at least in England. The ones that remain are expensive, gimmicky, and designed for people seeking dabble.and distract themselves.

I have never practiced yoga, and never intended to try it, but I am nonetheless sad about the loss of something that others found good and useful.

When private equity buys medical services

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

A review finds that when private equity buys medical services, it tends to make them more expensive and lower quality.

Private equity does many kinds of harm, in many areas of business. We should put an end to it. I am sure FDR and the New Deal Congress would have done that — but today's politicians hesitate even to suggest it.

Naming heat waves after oil and gas firms

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

*Ex-meteorologist names US heatwaves after oil and gas firms to shame them.*

It's a good idea, if we can make it catch on. Names of banks and insurance companies that finance fossil fuels can be used as well. Names of former companies are also available.

It is ok to reuse the names after all the good ones have been used once.

Campaigns to decriminalise suicide

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

17 countries make attempted suicide a crime and punish those survivors. In several there are campaigns to repeal those laws.

(satire) Shrimp imported from China

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

(satire) *Congress Warns Shrimp Imported From China Could Be Spying On Americans.*

Migrants denied water by National Guard

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

*Migrants at US border say Texas [national guard] soldiers denied them water.*

In my view, the fact that the migrants who reported this were pregnant does not change the issue. Non-pregnant people's lives deserve protection from heat and other dangers just like pregnant people's.

Alarm over health of Great Barrier Reef

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:20 -0000

*Marine heatwave in north-east Queensland sets off alarm over health of Great Barrier Reef.*

The reefs of Florida and the Caribbean may be in danger too.

Deadly extreme heat around the world

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:19 -0000

Painful and sometimes deadly extreme heat, around the world.

Participation in religiously affiliated programming

Richard Stallman — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:17:19 -0000

* A federal judge in [99]West Virginia ruled that the state corrections agency cannot force an incarcerated atheist and secular humanist to participate in religiously affiliated programming in order to be eligible for parole.*

Finally, atheist's rights not to yield to religion get legal respect.

The state ought to set up secular, or non-chi-uch-based, programs for this purpose. A non-religious-based program would be acceptable for everyone regardless of per views on religion.

Songwriting sellout fallout

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:41 -0000

The term "selling out" has been mostly forgotten in regard to music, because data from online access enables the music factories to fine-tune their products so well to match audience taste that there is little room for anything very surprising.

As the article explains, selling out is not an all-or-nothing dichotomy. Everyone makes compromises in life. The question is whether you let these compromises dominate your life and push what you used to "really care about" into a small corner.

In the free software community, that philosophy typically flies the flag of "open source".

Battleground Snapchat, SAU

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:41 -0000

*[Salafi Arabia] appears to be exploiting the US messaging app Snapchat to promote the image of [Crown Prince Bone Saw], while also imposing draconian sentences on influencers who use the platform to post even mild criticism of [him].*

Countries including the US should prohibit high-level collaboration, or significant ownership, of any social media company with dangerous foreign interests.

Protecting against the influence of dangerous domestic influence, such as planet roasters and other plutocratic companies, is not as easy to codify, but addressing the former might suggest how to address the latter.

Climate commitment delayed, UK

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:41 -0000

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP: *With the climate in peril, winning slowly is the same as losing. How can Starmer settle for that?*

The same question applies to the US, and China, and most other developed countries.

Update: Cop City referendum, GA

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:41 -0000

Citizens of Atlanta are campaigning for a ballot initiative to cancel the Cop City projects. The city's lawyers have indicated they will sue to invalidate the initiative if it succeeds.

Why fight so desperately for this? It suggests they have a hidden, shameful reason.

1960s mercury dump, CAN

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

A company dumped 20,000lb of mercury into Canadian rivers near an indigenous community. The mercury caused brain damage to the young people born subsequently in the community, which caused a high rate of brain damage and suicide.

I don't know if it is possible to punish today the company which did this in the 1960s. That may be too long ago. But is there any way to remove the mercury from the environment, to make it safe to live in?

If not, what can be done to prevent harm to future generations there?

Wrecker as unitary executive

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

American fascists threaten that the corrupter will take direct control of all federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI and use them as his personal enforcers.

At least three on the Supreme Court have already said they support this.

Urgent: Keep the saboteur off the ballot

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

US citizens: call on state election officials to Keep the insurrection leader off the 2024 ballot. He is disqualified by his insurrection under the 14th amendment.

Relatives of 2 more exiled dissidents, nabbed, HK

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

Hong Kong "security" thugs grabbed relatives of two exiled dissidents.

Threatening the relatives in China of oversees Chinese is standard practice for China. Sometimes it is aimed at frightening dissidents, as in this case. Sometimes the threats are potential and meant just to keep oversees Chinese in line. Sometimes they are pressured to join in campaigns aimed at influence or infiltration of their host countries.

(Satire) Chinese imports contain surveillance mechanisms

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

(satire) *Congress Warns Shrimp Imported From China Could Be Spying On Americans.*

Congress trading stocks

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:40 -0000

A bipartisan bill to ban stock trading by members of Congress and their families has some momentum.

How about including Supreme Court justices and their families, too.

Systematic greenwashing, AU

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:39 -0000

Australians complain to the government ad regulator that a planet roaster ad campaign falsely claimed that fossil gas was 50% cleaner than coal.

Gas avoids the chemical and particulate pollution of coal, but seems to contribute far more to global heating.

An Australian government program that certifies companies as "carbon neutral" may be systematically greenwashing them.

MAGA gospel in a country music star

Richard Stallman — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 10:02:39 -0000

City-born city-resident Jason Aldean sang a song praising violence against protesters in an imaginary small town. It also praised and encouraged lynching, and promotes the false claim that small rural towns are safer to live in than cities.

Right-wing extremists, including some Republican officials, just love it.

Urgent: Pass the College for All Act

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:21 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to pass the College for All Act.

For more information.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Climate upheaval

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

June was the hottest month ever recorded; July may be worse. *If humanity really is at the controls, then it is drunk.*

The author hopes that the name "Anthropocene" will make people aware of the need to exercise wise stewardship of Earth's climate and land use. I have worried that it would make people drunk on a feeling of power, and suggested the name "Obscene" instead. "Chaoticene" is another idea, because that's what it is producing: unpredictable disasters. Though we can see some trends that will continue, the local effects may continue to include unpredictable disasters among the predicted disasters.

Mayor Driscoll support, UK

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

Jamie Driscoll, a Labour Party member and elected mayor, was blocked by the party executive from running again. He has responded by resigning in a huff.

I hope they don't send him to The Village. Perhaps there is no need, since he has made it clear why he resigned ;-{.

(Satire) Somebody sneezed at an NRA meeting

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

(satire) *138 Dead As Loud Sneeze Startles NRA Meeting.*

Black Sea subterfuge

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

The US claims that Russia is planning to attack civilian ships in the Black sea and claim that Ukraine's mines blew them up. Also that Russia has planted more mines.

Ukraine can legitimately retaliate against Putin's threats to attack civilian ships sailing to and from Ukraine, by attacking ships sailing to Russian ports. Especially the main Russian oil export port, Novorossiysk. To avoid polluting the shore, it should attack tankers traveling empty into Novorossiysk. To maintain better relations with other countries, it should attack Russian-owned or Russian-flagged ships, but not make a commitment to limit attacks to them.

This would do enormous economic harm to Russia, and I expect it would convince Putin to reestablish the Ukraine food export deal.

Of course, there may be reasonable things for Ukraine's supporters to do to facilitate export of food from Russia.

The 2020 election's saboteur

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

The corrupter is officially under criminal investigation for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential elections, and likely to be prosecuted.

Urgent: Pass the Supreme Court Ethics Act

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to hold Clarence Thomas accountable — by passing the Supreme Court Ethics Act.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Grain export sabotage, UKR

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:20 -0000

The Putin forces attacked Odessa's port facilities, especially for grain export.

He has decided to go for all-out food warfare against the whole world, The whole world had better league together to make him stop.

Urgent: Pass the Abortion Justice Act

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:19 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Abortion Justice Act.

For a summary of the bill.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Urgent: Revive the Equal Rights Amendment

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:19 -0000

US citizens: phone your congresscritter to urge per to sign the discharge petition for HJ Res 25, which would affirm the continued validity of the Equal Rights Amendment and allow it to be ratified by states now.

Enough states have ratified it already that it can take effect, if the old deadline is extended in this way.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

United against Modi

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:19 -0000

26 Indian opposition parties have allied to defeat Modi's repressive Hindu-nationalism.

Body armor for medics, ISR

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:19 -0000

*West Bank medics given bulletproof vests after rise in attacks by Israeli forces.*

I fear that the Israeli soldiers will shoot them in the head instead. Snipers can do that.

James Hansen on global heating

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:18 -0000

*The world is shifting towards a superheated climate not seen in the past 1m years, prior to human existence, because "we are damned fools” for not acting upon warnings over the climate crisis, according to James Hansen, the US scientist who alerted the world to the greenhouse effect in the 1980s.*

Urgent: Demand Sultan Al Jaber resign as head of COP28

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:18 -0000

Everyone: Support the demand that oil sheikh al-Jaber resign as head of COP28.

Climate convert Abigail Disney

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 07:47:18 -0000

Heiress Abigail Disney used to love riding in her father's private 737 jet. Now she joins civil disobedience to block airports for them, for the sake of climate defense.

I like this statement:

My father was a good and decent man, and so are most of the people who own private planes. But we are facing an active emergency, and decency is worthless when unaccompanied by meaningful action, including a vigorous inquiry into the consequences of our personal choices and preferences. And niceness is a hollow virtue if we do not lift a finger to keep our children and grandchildren safe.

However, I expect that anyone who actually made many millions of dollars in business must have been exploiting people somehow.

Meta Pixel onsite: UK police

Richard Stallman — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 01:47:06 -0000

The London thug department gave crime victims' personal data to Facebook. They did this by putting a Facebook tracking pixel in a page for "securely and confidentially" reporting crimes including rape.

In general you cannot trust a web site that says the data you enter is "secure". That could change if and when creating a tracking pixel and putting one into a web site are both criminal offences.

*[Big US] tax prep companies shared private taxpayer data with Google and Meta for years, congressional probe finds.* This too was done using tracking pixels.

Please avoid using the term "sharing" to refer to snooping on people and sending their personal data to a company.

New pun: The spells known as cantrips

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 05:17:09 -0000

New pun:

Nowadays the main use of the spells known as cantrips is to make parachute cloth.

Free-play kids programs

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 04:47:02 -0000

Children need chances to play freely in groups, but many adults have made a career of organizing childrens' play so that the children have no chance to learn to organize play together.

ALEC-model anti-disclosure bill

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 03:02:32 -0000

*House Republicans Grease Dark Money Wheels in “Election Integrity” Bill.*

As with most Republican bills, and some "centrist" Democratic bills, the name is perfect and total hypocrisy.

Employee exposure as customer service

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 03:02:32 -0000

In-N-Out Burger will fire employees who wear masks to protect themselves.

The company pretended to be acting out of concern for its workers when it refused to check customers' vaccination status, but its true level of concern for them is apparent now.

Employees right to sue

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 03:02:31 -0000

California's supreme court ruled that employees of Oober Eats have the right to sue that company collectively.

If they sue and win. the company will exploit them less. But the food delivery gig companies are parasites, on their workers and on the restaurants they deliver food from.

Please join me in never using them.

Meanwhile, it should be illegal for companies to require either their workers or their customers to agree to mandatory arbitration. That deck is typically stacked in favor of the company.

Free-play kid programs

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 03:02:31 -0000

Children need chances to play freely in groups, but many adults have made a career of organizing childrens' play so that the children have no chance to learn to organize play together.

(Satire) Republican ethics violations

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 03:02:31 -0000

(satire) *RNC Sets Cutoff For First Debate At [a minimum of] 20,000 Ethics Violations.*

Freedom to Vote Act

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:47:05 -0000

The Freedom to Vote Act would prohibit states from rigging elections using voter suppression, gerrymandering and election sabotage.

It would also help expose secret campaign contributions that billionaires use to buy influence and set the political agenda.

This is important, and if we cannot pass it now, we can use it to elect representatives who will do so.

Labour voters in support of Jamie Driscoll

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:47:05 -0000

Jamie Driscoll, Labour mayor who quit the party to run as an independent, says that Labour voters in his region support him, and are unhappy with the way the party is going.

Greenwood district of Tulsa, OK

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:47:05 -0000

The Greenwood district of Tulsa recovered after the Tulsa race massacre, but was destroyed again by building an interstate highway through it. Now there is a plan to let Greenwood recover again by removing the highway.

There may be a lot of practical opposition to removing the highway which is not based on racism. Does a renewed Greenwood necessarily have to be in the same place?

Britain convictions for Covid-19 lockdown violations

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:47:05 -0000

Britain has convicted 28,000 people of violating Covid-19 lockdown regulations, mostly minor violations, and is still prosecuting people for offenses some years ago.

Meta Pixel onsite: UK police

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:47:06 -0000

In general you cannot trust a web site that says the data you enter is "secure". That could change if and when creating a tracking pixel and putting one into a web site are both criminal offences. *[Big US] tax prep companies shared private taxpayer data with Google and Meta for years, congressional probe finds.* This too was done using tracking pixels.

Please avoid using the term "sharing" to refer to snooping on people and sending their personal data to a company. -->

Airport flights cause £32bn "trade deficit", UK

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:32:05 -0000

*Airport expansion does not boost UK growth or productivity — report.*

"Give funds to our industry and the country will benefit" is a common thing for businesses to say, but we should never trust them.

UK travel deficit £32bn

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:17:06 -0000

*Airport expansion does not boost UK growth or productivity — report.*

"Give funds to our industry and the country will benefit" is a common thing for businesses to say, but we should never trust them.

Airport increase not economical, UK

Richard Stallman — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:02:17 -0000

UK travel deficit £32bn *Airport expansion does not boost UK growth or productivity — report.*

"Give funds to our industry and the country will benefit" is a common thing for businesses to say, but we should never trust them.

Meta Pixel onsite: police, UK

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:11 -0000

Please avoid using the term "sharing" to refer to snooping on people and sending their personal data to a company. -->

Talc with asbestos

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:10 -0000

*Johnson & Johnson sues researchers who linked talc (more precisely, asbestos found in talc) to cancer.* Airport increase not economical, UK UK travel deficit £32bn *Airport expansion does not boost UK growth or productivity — report.*

"Give funds to our industry and the country will benefit" is a common thing for businesses to say, but we should never trust them.

Student debt relief

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:10 -0000

Biden said he will cancel a remaining student debt for some low-income former students who have been paying for 20 or 25 years.

They may well be the people most harmed by student debt in the US, so starting with them is reasonable. I hope he is not going to stop with them.

Shift energy from top to bottom, EU

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:10 -0000

*Europe should cap "luxury" energy use to meet emissions targets, study says.* Limiting demand of richest 20% saves seven times greenhouse gases required to meet needs of poorest 20%, researchers find.*

Urgent: Stop the defunding of IRS audits of rich people

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:10 -0000

US citizens: phone your congresscritter and urge per to vote against Republican plans to defund IRS auditing of rich people.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Urgent: Confirm new FCC commissioners

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:10 -0000

US citizens: call on Senator Schumer to hold a vote of the full senate to confirm new FCC commissioners.

Urgent: End ICE detention agreements in Massachusetts

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

Massachusetts residents: call on State lawmakers to end ICE detention agreements in Massachusetts.

Here's what I put in the text area. It suggests small enhancements to the bill.

An Act Relative to Massachusetts State Sovereignty" (H.1401/S.997) would:

1. Ensure that Massachusetts money and resources are used for state and local priorities, not federal immigration enforcement;

2. Prohibit all Massachusetts entities, including sheriffs, from starting or renewing contracts with ICE to rent bed space for immigration detention;

3. Prohibit all Massachusetts entities from donating state employee time to ICE via 287(g) agreements;

4. Require local law enforcement to seek and receive authorization from the Governor before signing any contracts with the federal government [[SHOULDN'T THIS CANCEL ALL EXISTING CONTRACTS UNLESS THE GOVERNOR AUTHORIZES THEM TO CONTINUE?] ] ; and

5. Empower state officials to ensure a proper, lawful, and productive relationship with the federal government that promotes the interests of the Commonwealth.

I hope you will co-sponsor this bill and urge your colleagues to pass this important legislation this session.

Two-child benefit cap, UK

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

*There's no point to Labour as a party if it won't [spend state funds] to pull children out of poverty.*

I agree. The Starmerian Labour Party is a fundamentally change from the past. It somewhat resembles Tony B'liar's "New Labour", but goes further because it won't allow anyone but centrists is allowed to be a candidate.

*The party claims its demands will be met with more economic growth — an argument no different to that of the Tories. Growth without redistribution merely shovels more wealth into the bank accounts of the already well off: that is what our economic model — which Labour plans to leave untouched — achieves in spades.*

This shows how fully the Labour Party has adopted the business-prioritizing policy that Tories used to follow before they went totally nuts.

Refugee crisis: EU-Tunisia deal

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

The EU agreed to pay Tunisia a billion euros to try to stop refugees from sailing to the EU. Now the dictator of Tunisia says that the deal does not include deporting anyone there other than Tunisians.

Tunisia is ruled by a president who was elected democratically, then effectively abolished the legislature and human rights. It is a variation on the usual fascist takeover.

The EU plans to set up official paths for Tunisians to request work and study visas. As for people seeking asylum — and surely under a dictator some people will need that — there may not be any way. Neither Algeria nor Libya is a safe place for them to get asylum.

Offshore wind: disinformation playbook

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

Planet roaster think tanks are tricking whale defenders into blocking renewable energy, by "teaching" them that sea-based wind turbines endanger whales. Then they lobby against building the wind turbines we urgently need.

Fires in Greece

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

The heat wave in Greece has caused rapid wildfires that are almost impossible to stop.

This is similar to what is happening in many other countries. Keep in mind that five years from now it will be much worse. Ten years from now it will be much worse again, if we let the fossil fuel companies continue to increase their output.

False electors charged

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

The corrupter's slate of false electors for Michigan have been charged with eight felonies each.

He recruited them to claim, falsely, to be the official electors of the state and to assert, falsely, that the corrupter had won the Michigan election.

(Satire) Bridesmaids' matching plastic surgery

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:09 -0000

(satire) *Bride Requiring All Bridesmaids To Get Matching Plastic Surgery For Wedding Day.*

(Satire) Micky Mouse fantasy crackdown

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:08 -0000

(satire) *Disney Cracks Down On Copyright Infringement [by] People Picturing Mickey Mouse While Masturbating.*

This is only a joke, but there is a real push to make reading and understanding a text be considered as copyright infringement. Training a natural language system involves having it read many texts and learn from each one about what is reasonable English.

Hollywood negotiations

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:08 -0000

Hollywood studios demanded (in union negotiations) the right to use an actor's image for AI simulation, in perpetuity, paying a small amount per day.

Saudi influence strategy, US

Richard Stallman — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:47:08 -0000

*Saudi Arabia's Huge U.S. Investments Lose Money — but Buy Influence.*

The influence extends to the US government, and will help Crown Prince Bone Saw next time he has a journalist murdered or starts a war. Or, even worse, lobbies against saving the world from the climate crisis.

Urgent: Get foreign money out of US elections

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:13 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to get foreign money out of US elections. Even more important is to get US money out of US elections. We should do both.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Urgent: Give laid-off Bed Bath & Beyond workers severance pay

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:13 -0000

US citizens: call on Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Sue Gove to give laid-off workers severance pay.

There will be a small error message embedded in the immediate response; just ignore that.

Urgent: NO carrying weapons without a permit

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:12 -0000

US citizens: oppose laws that allow carrying weapons without any sort of permit.

Urgent: Reject the national abortion ban

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:12 -0000

US citizens: call on Congress to reject the Republicans' national abortion ban.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Extreme heatwave, Phoenix

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:12 -0000

*Phoenix's extreme heatwave tests the limits of survival.*

The hottest days there have always endangered human life, but now thanks to the developing climate crisis it is considerably more dangerous.

Ten years from now it will be considerably more dangerous than this year.

Lawn law conserves water, Scottsdale

Richard Stallman — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:17:12 -0000

Scottsdale, Arizona, has banned the creation of new lawns, to conserve water.

I hope this is sufficient, but I expect that in a few more years it will be necessary to get rid of most existing lawns.

Big oil climate pledges

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:21 -0000

*Big oil quietly walks back on climate pledges as global heat records tumble.*

Democratic hopeful RFK

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:21 -0000

Robert F Kennedy has endorsed another conspiracy theory.

The only thing you can count on from him is to be right-wing and anti-rational.

Urgent: Confirm Biden's judicial nominees

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:21 -0000

US citizens: call on your senators to move quickly to confirm Biden's judicial nominees.

The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!

Dentistry decline, NHS

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:21 -0000

Dentistry in the NHS is imploding; many dentists have gone to private practice and now charge more than most patients can afford. This puts pressure on the remaining NHS dentists to go private too.

The Tories are doing nothing to reverse this — in my view, because they want to eliminate the NHS and privatize medicine in Britain.

I expect this is a preview of what will happen to more areas of NHS medicine. The poor will then die and cease to be a burden on the rich.

Urgent: Protect Bears Ears from uranium mining

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:21 -0000

US citizens: call on the Interior Department to protect Bears Ears from uranium mining.

Marketing rhetoric: processed foods

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:20 -0000

Bullshit marketing claims are very convincing in poor countries whose people have not learned to be skeptical of them. This is teaching a generation of young people to get used to lots of dangerous added salt and sugar.

Racial profiling mitigation, CT

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:20 -0000

A state investigation found that state thugs made fake reports about traffic tickets they had issued. But it is not yet clear how many did this.

The practice seems to have been designed to cover up racial profiling in the real issuance of traffic tickets.

Sea mining results: large implications

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:20 -0000

*Deep-sea mining causes huge decreases in sealife across wide region, says study.* Decreases of over 50% for some species. The decrease was observed a year after the mining, and extended beyond the area that was actually mined.

EXIM approval: fossil gas

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:20 -0000

The US Export-Import bank approved a loan to support more export of fossil gas from the US.

Climate crisis terms & info

Richard Stallman — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:32:20 -0000

Advice for teaching the public to recognize the danger of the gradually advancing but ultimately fatal climate disaster.

I'm inclined to value this advice because it starts by recognizing that the terms "climate change" and "global warming" are too weak to make people recognize this as a pressing danger. They are, effectively, euphemisms, and "climate change" was adopted to be one.

*Nearly 120 Million People in US Under Extreme Weather Alerts.* Worse will surely happen within the next five years. Look up! Look up!