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from the resign:-to-sign-and-sign-again? dept.
Richard M. Stallman Resigns as FSF President and from its Board of Directors
https://www.fsf.org/news/richard-m-stallman-resigns (emphasis from original retained):
On September 16, 2019, Richard M. Stallman, founder and president of
the Free Software Foundation, resigned as president and from its board
of directors.The board will be conducting a search for a new president, beginning
immediately. Further details of the search will be published on
fsf.org.For questions, contact FSF executive director John Sullivan at
johns@fsf.org.Copyright © 2004-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Privacy Policy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 license (or later version) — Why this license?
Computer Scientist Richard Stallman Resigns from MIT Over Epstein Comments
Computer Scientist Richard Stallman Resigns From MIT Over Epstein Comments
Famed free software advocate and computer scientist Richard Stallman has resigned from MIT, according to an email he published online. The resignation comes after Stallman made comments about victims of child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, including that the victims went along with the abuse willingly.
"I am resigning effective immediately from my position in CSAIL at MIT," Stallman wrote in the email, referring to MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. "I am doing this due to pressure on MIT and me over a series of misunderstandings and mischaracterizations."
[...] Last week, Motherboard published the full email thread in which Stallman wrote that the "most plausible scenario" is that Epstein's underage victims in his campaign of trafficking were "entirely willing." Stallman also argued about the definition of "rape" and whether the term applies to the victims.
[Ed.'s note - just because Vice say things in the above blockquote does not mean that SoylentNews or its editors consider it a demonstrably provable representation of reality. We're just reporting that they are reporting, nothing more. At least this Ed. finds out-of-context quoting of short inflamatory phrases to be particularly disingenuous, and perhaps even a warning sign that manipulation of a quote has taking place. -- FP.]
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 17 2019, @06:40AM (6 children)
How many more open source scalps do the lying media mobs have to claim before people acknowledge that tech in general, and the FOSS community in particular is under attack. How long is everyone going to remain silent while good people get dragged off to gulags by Twitter lynch mobs and newspapers engaged in libel?
This is political. It's McCarthyism. One slip, one communist meeting 40 years ago, and you're fair game.
Just like McCarthy, there is undoubtedly money and organisation driving this. How many WhatsApp groups does it take to assassinate Richard stallman. Why aren't these people up on RICO charges already?
Epstein "suicides" in prison, and what we get is Stallman gets scalped. The world is twisted.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 17 2019, @06:43AM (1 child)
It's not over until they get the top scalp. Linus's scalp.
(Score: 3, Informative) by MadTinfoilHatter on Tuesday September 17 2019, @06:59AM
They already did that one. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Tuesday September 17 2019, @07:57AM
This.
Check out my other comments in thread.
I write about this on my site, and I have experienced this personally. I don't believe it has to do entirely with FOSS, it's one of a handful of issues thought that puts you on the front lines where the other side secretly attacks you and no one on your side realizes it, so you're isolated.
https://jmichaelhudson.net/4-important-drawings/ [jmichaelhudson.net]
anti-zionism
anti-capitalism
FOSS
investigative journalism
anti-fascism
AI
crypto
darknet
standup comedy
anti-war
anti-racism
child protection
This is a short working list that inductively demonstrates the nature of the cultural hegemony we are facing and I am writing because we rapidly need to spread the word that a bunch of us who think we are isolated are all on the same side. The sysem that is rising right now is one in which there are no rights and all technology is a state-integrated un-auditable cloud.
Getting someone like stallman out of the way is a huge win for them, because they can't impersonate him, they can't argue with him, and he inspires other people, so they are and were looking for any possible way to discredit him, and they found it.
They are infiltrating all groupings of people more than 5, you need to spread that warning. It is not specically what you are doing, it is that they want their finger on anything that might be starting. Their motto is probably something like 'no more civilian movements' or 'no more 1960s'.
Beware and help spread the word, I could also use a hand just with some attention because I am for whatever reason very close to the front lines on this, having people actually following me.
But like Ali G says, if video games have taught us anything if you encounter the bad guys that means you're going in the right direction.
:)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by istartedi on Tuesday September 17 2019, @04:15PM (2 children)
Are you willing to defend both sides on this? Will you excuse ex-communists as well as people who said n***** 30 years ago in a fit of anger? Because if you're not, that strikes me as hypocritical. I don't think the punishment fits the crime in either case. Yes, McCarthy was a big thing in the 50s but in the past couple decades getting people fired over stupid things they said is mostly a creature of the left. It happened right on top of this with that SNL comedian. A comedian saying something controversial and/or unpopular? Say it ain't so! I don't even know what he said, but it's all the same to me. Maybe he can get up on stage with Stallman and they can hug and RMS can give a speech, and he can do some comedy, and we can all agree to stop firing people over their opinions--but it's technically not a violation of free speech because these people are employed at will. The employers are under no obligation to keep them employed. Thus, the problem can't be addressed legislatively. It has to be addressed culturally. We have to encourage people to be more tolerant of opinions they don't like--even opinions that advocate for intolerance.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 17 2019, @11:17PM (1 child)
Pretty sure you can say "nigger" here...
And yes. I actually care about intent.
The concept of free speech is much more broad than the legal implementation of it. This very much is a violation of the concept of free speech, because if people feel that they'll be fired for expressing certain opinions or even just uttering certain words, they'll be less likely to do those things.
(Score: 2) by istartedi on Wednesday September 18 2019, @05:46AM
Sure, you can say that word here; but we don't live in a vacuum any more than RMS does. Even Bernie Sanders recently took flack for using that word in quotes, just like you did [mediaite.com]. This day and age, you serve yourself well to hide behind the clock of anonymity. That's the insane world we live in.
I agree that people getting fired violates the concept of free speech, if not the law; but what would be the legal remedy? How long should a TV network be required to air a program that has no advertisers? Should the advertisers not be allowed to pull out of their contracts? Then you're painting yourself into a corner binding people to contracts, making them less free in one area to support freedom in another. I'm afraid we're kind of stuck, and I stand by my assertion that the only real remedy is cultural. SJW insanity simply has to fall out of fashion, simply has to be reviled like McCarthyism is. It will take time. It may take another generation to tire of the folly of their parents, and to rebel against it in their own way as all generations do.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.