Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman's Political Notes -

Average person 40% poorer if world warms by 4C - 2025-06-28T02:39:51+00:00

*Average person will be 40% poorer if world warms by 4C, new research shows.* Experts say previous economic models underestimated impact of global heating — as well as likely ‘cascading supply chain disruptions’.

If they have estimated well the effect of those cascades, maybe this estimate will be on target. But I doubt that is even possible. With globalized production, it is easy for even a local disaster to make a crucial component totally unavailable for years. Maybe there would be no new computers, or no new cars.

Mahmoud Khalil freed by a judge - 2025-06-28T02:39:50+00:00

Mahmoud Khalil has been freed by a judge, and has returned to New York to appear at a rally for *Palestinian freedom and opposition to both the university and the [bully].*

I also advocate for a free state of Palestine, but I partly disagree with Khalil. I am careful to make it clear that Palestine would be alongside Israel, not a replacement for Israel.

Kilmar Ábrego García's case has become complex and paradoxical - 2025-06-28T02:39:50+00:00

Kilmar Ábrego García's case has become complex and paradoxical, as different parts of the US government demand to do different things to him. The consequence is that he can't be released on bail lest that put him in danger of precipitous deportation.

This shows there is a dangerous flaw in the current law. The criminal charges were created as a justification for deporting him; even if they were true, it is an obvious injustice to use them to deport him before those charges are adjudicated.

UK government labels activist group as "terrorist" - 2025-06-28T02:39:50+00:00

The UK government has labeled an activist group as "terrorist" for a peaceful protest, and plans to abolish its existence. That is such contempt for human rights that it reminds me of the bully.

*Israel kills innocent Palestinians. Activists spray-paint a plane. Guess which the UK government calls terrorism.*

Journalists have had difficulty knowing how to present Kilmar Ábrego's name - 2025-06-28T02:39:50+00:00

Kilmar Ábrego, victim of an unjust deportation, has been much in the news, and journalists have had difficulty knowing how to present his name.

The Hispanic naming system gives Kilmar Armando Ábrego Garcia (like almost everyone else) two apellidos (family names): his are Ábrego and Garcia. It is helpful, in an article which discusses a person at length, to present per name in full form (as in this paragraph) at least once, for completeness. But mostly one uses only the first apellido.

Some writers in English seem to think that the two apellidos are equivalent to a hyphenated double name in English, but that is not so. An English hyphenated name is just one name, and it is incorrect to omit part of it.

Excuse for repression in universities - 2025-06-28T02:39:50+00:00

Rep. Nadler condemned the weaponization of a supposed fight against antisemitism into an excuse for repression in universities.

ChatGPT lowers subjects' capacity to think - 2025-06-28T02:39:49+00:00

Preliminary results from an experiment suggest that using ChatGPT lowers subjects' capacity to think while writing a essays.

Law requiring display of Ten Commandments in schools - 2025-06-28T02:39:49+00:00

*Court strikes down Louisiana law requiring display of Ten Commandments in schools.* Texas is on the verge of passing a similar law.

Common for thugs to attack and accuse victims of "assault" - 2025-06-28T02:39:48+00:00

It is commonplace for thugs to attack people and then accuse their victims of "assaulting" them. Usually they do that to people with little influence, such as poor young black men.

Now they are doing it to Democratic elected officials, which is a terrorist/intimidation tactic.

Campaign to crush universities grows out of decades old right-wing hostility - 2025-06-28T02:39:48+00:00

The persecutor's campaign to crush universities, and make universities repress the left, grows out of a right-wing hostility decades old.

Deporting every unauthorized foreign worker not a good thing to do - 2025-06-28T02:39:48+00:00

The persecutor has acknowledged that deporting every unauthorized foreign worker is not actually a good thing to do.

Call for armed aid convoys to deliver food - 2025-06-28T02:39:48+00:00

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food calls for armed aid convoys to deliver food, were that is necessary.

I think this might be successful in places such as Sudan, where the enemies are not powerful enough to crush the arms of he aid convoys from a distance. But I think they would be ineffective in Gaza, because Israel would kill the armed UN guards from the air.

Republican congresscritters who say they would have voted against Big Bad Bill - 2025-06-28T02:39:48+00:00

At least two Republican congresscritters said they would have voted against the Big Bad Bill if they had known it said X or Y.

To be adopted, the House will have to approve the final version. If that final version still contains X and Y, will they vote to defeat it? Their majority is so small that Just a couple of Republicans voting no would be enough to defeat it.

UK proposes prohibiting online commercial advertising of sexual services - 2025-06-28T02:39:47+00:00

The UK proposes to prohibit online commercial advertising of sexual services, and the wording makes it clear that the motive of this campaign is based on rigid conservative ideas of right and wrong in sex.

The author rigidly presumes that doing sex work is "being exploited". Women who are trafficked are being exploited. Women who do sex work by choice, and there are many of those, are doing business for their benefit.

In a better world, the traffickers would be punished, the trafficked women would be freed, and the self-employed sex workers would not have to hide or be ashamed. We cannot get there without recognizing all of these groups.

PEN America concerned by deportation of Australian writer - 2025-06-28T02:39:47+00:00

*PEN America "gravely concerned" by deportation of Australian writer critical of Trump administration.*

"Predictive policing" is disguided excuse for harassment of black males - 2025-06-28T02:39:47+00:00

"Predictive policing" often amounts to a disguided excuse for systematic harassment of black males.

The article raises the possibility that it could be better if it is "more transparent", but no actual results of trying.

This presidency is a brand-franchise - 2025-06-28T02:39:47+00:00

*"This presidency is a brand-franchise": the profiteer has taken the commercialization of politics to a new level.

Effect of antivax disinformation - 2025-06-28T02:39:47+00:00

Antivax disinformation is having an effect in many countries: more children are not vaccinated.

CDC invited anti-vaxxer to present report on thimerosal - 2025-06-28T02:39:46+00:00

The CDC has invited an anti-vaxxer to present a report containing disinformation about thimerosal. It contains a mistaken citation that seems intended to report a real study, but cites that study's results exactly wrong.

British activist with "spy cop" as a lover - 2025-06-26T02:39:37+00:00

One of the British activist who had a "spy cop" as lover pursued her legal case to the end, and it ended in victory. She received all the confidential reports he had made while spying on her. Now she has published them.

How Democratic Party leaders support war with Iran - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

*How Democratic Party Leaders Quietly Support [the bully's] March to War With Iran.

Bully forbids entry to US from 12 countries - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

The bully has forbidden (with narrow exceptions) entry into the US of the nationals of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Referring to this as a "Muslim ban" is false. According to Wikipedia, four of the countries — Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti and Republic of the Congo — have few Muslims (those in Burma are a persecuted minority, the Rohingya). Eritrea is more or less evenly divided between Christians and Muslims.

Meanwhile, many mainly Muslim countries are not covered by the ban. These include Albania, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria, and Turkey, and some more.

It seems clear that the motives for the ban are political, not racial or religious.

I don't see a sensible reason for the ban. The US has quarrels with some of these countries, but not all. And it is perverse to deny a person asylum because of something bad about the country perse is fleeing from.

Congress to request permission 12 hours in advance of visiting deportation prisons - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

The bully has ordered members of Congress to request permission 12 hours in advance before visiting deportation prisons.

This would give the employees of the prison company a chance to clean up the signs of cruelty.

Deportation thugs attacked protester Jose Manuel Mojica - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

Deportation thugs attacked protester Jose Manuel Mojica, then accused him of attacking them. Fortunately, the charges against him have been dropped. Full justice calls for charges against the agents who attacked him.

(satire) Man had near-death experience forced to sign NDA - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

(satire) *Man Returning From Near-Death Experience Recalls Angels Making Him Sign NDA.*

Right-wingers in Brazil trying to completely wipe out abortion - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

Abortion is almost prohibited in Brazil, but religious right-wingers are trying to get rid of the "almost".

Anti-protest law in New South Wales - 2025-06-26T02:39:36+00:00

New South Wales, in Australia, has an anti-protest law that allows conflating condemnation of Israel's war crimes with antisemitism. The confusion can be invoked by holding political and military events in synagogues.

Supreme Court authorized law forbidding medicine based on intention to be transgender - 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

The Supreme Court authorized a state law which forbids medicines on criteria specifically based on the intention to be transgender.

Speed of bully's attack on democracy - 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

The bully's attack on democracy and freedom in the US is rushing ahead much faster than today's other authoritarians did.

It is unfair to list Hugo Chávez as one. He held real elections and the people really voted for him.

Indian deportation thugs forcing Muslim Indians into Bangladesh - 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

Indian deportation thugs are grabbing Muslim Indians and forcing them across the border with Bangladesh. Bangladeshi border guards reject many of them, saying they are Indians no Bangladeshis, and force them back to India, sometimes by arduous (and unguarded?) routes.

A few years ago, India passed a law allowing it to claim that people were immigrants if they didn't have documents to prove their forebears were Indian citizens. Another law allowed such people to claim Indian citizenship, but not if they are Muslims.

Put them together and they combine as a recipe for labeling a Muslim Indian who was born and raised in India as an unauthorized immigrant, so as to expel per.

Canada sucking up to Canadian businesses - 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

Canada is "fighting" the wrecker by sucking up to Canadian businesses to the detriment of the non-rich.

Florida's attorney general found in contempt of court - 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

Florida's attorney general was found in contempt of court for ordering state agencies to disregard a court order against enforcing a state law to arrest unauthorized immigrants.

So far, magat officials have played at defying court orders. I think that was meant to make their supporters eager to see real defiance and a showdown that might make the federal courts powerless. Then what steps could judges take? I fear that would be the end of rule of law in the US.

WhatsApp "help" gives wrong phone number - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

Someone asked the WhatsApp "help" chatbot for a train company's customer service phone number and it gave some other user's phone number.

When the user objected to that, it generated output that resembled what a human being would say if trying to excuse that mistake or claim that nothing was wrong.

The article quotes someone criticizing this chatbot in a way that assumes it is capable of understanding what was defective about its output, and even ideas of ethics and responsibility as applied to its own output. How foolish!

That Artificial Stupidity system does not understand what it means to help someone, does not understand what it means to harm someone, and does not understand what it means to be honest — or deceptive. It only looks for ways to make pertinent-sounding responses based on frequency tables.

Salafi Arabian journalist executed for criticizing government - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

Salafi Arabian journalist Turki al-Jasser has been executed for criticizing the government of Salafi Arabia on ex-Twitter, after 7 years in prison with torture.

What the wrecker thinks about relations with other countries - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

Sage commentary about what the wrecker thinks about relations with other democratic countries.

*[The wrecker] claims simply to want deals with dictators, but he seems also to crave validation from them. By contrast, he thinks it is humiliating for the US commander-in-chief to be seated at a round table as the peer of a German chancellor or the prime minister of Canada – barely a proper country. The idea of coordinating foreign and trade policy on the basis of shared respect for political pluralism and the rule of law is an idea Trump finds absurd, if he even understands it.*

*Over time, reluctance to say aloud that [the wrecker] is an authoritarian menace to the US’s constitutional republic becomes complicity in the assault.*

Press freedom threatened in various countries - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

Press freedom is threatened in various countries in the Pacific Ocean.

No Kings rallies in contrast to the narcissist's birthday parade - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

Contrasting the No Kings rallies with the narcissist's disappointing birthday parade.

(satire) SWAT Team Robot Successfully Dismantles Black Man - 2025-06-26T02:39:34+00:00

(satire) *SWAT Team Robot Successfully Dismantles Black Man.*

How mainstream mockers ridicule leaders of resistance - 2025-06-26T02:39:33+00:00

How the mainstream mockers ridicule leaders of the resistance and make them look foolish or small.

Those who know US fascism flee - 2025-06-25T11:22:16+00:00

Some professors who studied and taught in the US about fascism have moved to Canada, seeing the current situation in the US as having little barrier against full-blown fascism.

The Russian concept of "obnazhenie" seems to describe exactly what the bully and his officials have been implementing even before Jan 20, wherever they had local power.

Authoritarian-resistance experience - 2025-06-25T11:22:16+00:00

*I study the resistance against the Nazis. Here’s what the US left can learn from it.*

Failed bombing Iranian uranium bunkers - 2025-06-25T11:22:16+00:00

The ignoramus's "intelligence" ministers are learning to agree with their master and disregard what the experts working for them think. Their master wants them to say the damage was total.

In any case, the US government can't know for certain.

Iranian officials know what damage was done to Iran's nuclear facilities, but they too may lie about it. So far their story is that everything is ok.

Imagine if Iranians officials and American officials join in telling the ignoramus what he wants to hear, exaggerating the damage. What would he do? Perhaps he would declare victory and let the fighting end.

The poverty of campaign finance in US - 2025-06-25T11:22:16+00:00

Billionaires put 2.6 billion dollars into election campaigns in 2024. That doesn't count what they have found sneaky ways to contribute anonymously.

One new practice was eliminating progressive Democrats from Congress by supporting primary challenges by plutocratist Democrats.

Iran regime change - 2025-06-25T11:22:15+00:00

If Israel (perhaps with the US) "win" a war against Iran, what would come next? There are reasons to expect it to be messy.

RMS's October trip to Europe - 2025-06-24T20:39:46+00:00

I will have a trip to Europe in the second week of October and I am looking for invitations for additional talks in the same trip. If you would like to invite me to speak in that trip, please write to me at rms-invitation@gnu.org with "october" as the subject.

It is more likely I can actually go if you have funds to cover the additional cost, and a speaker's fee would be nice.

US bombed Iran for Israel - 2025-06-24T10:31:38+00:00

The US has once again gone to war based on false certainties without an exit strategy, at the behest once again of Netanyahu.

Iran conflict playing out with US, ISR - 2025-06-24T10:31:38+00:00

The warlord ordered the US Air Force to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. It seems the arrangements to do this were started some weeks ago.

US intelligence has been saying that Iran was not working on designing a nuclear weapon, so Netanyahu's claims about danger were alarmist.

It appears that Iran prepared for the attack weeks ago too by moving the enriched uranium and crucial equipment elsewhere.

Iran responded by attacking a civilian target in Israel, and their parliament has approved a motion to close the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off oil shipments from Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Salafi Arabia. I think that those countries will try to stop any blockade.

June heatdome over Eastern US - 2025-06-24T10:31:37+00:00

*Tens of millions in US face dangerously hot weather in rare June heatwave.*

We could have prevented this, and other worse heatwaves of coming years, if we had done since 2000 what the climate scientists told us we needed to do.

Urgent: Reject proposals to encourage coal mining and coal burning - 2025-06-24T10:31:37+00:00

US citizens: call on your congresscritter to reject proposals to encourage coal mining and coal burning. It is good to mention that the air pollution from coal burning kills tens of thousands of Americans per year nowadays, but the global heating it contributes to will kill tens or hundreds of millions later this century.

If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121

Pete Hegseth suggests he would disobey court ruling on LA - 2025-06-24T10:31:37+00:00

*Pete Hegseth suggests he would disobey court ruling against deploying military in LA.*

Magat officials frequently suggest they would disobey court orders. Sometimes they engage in sort-of-disobedience making bogus excuses.

All this, I believe, is to prepare the political climate for major disobedience of courts, a path to reduce US democracy to nothing more than a sham, within which the wrecker can act like an autocrat.